Presidential Superstars

Presidential popularity like that of all cultural icon’s follow an ebb and flow consistent with the culture at large. We are in an age of stardom. but it didn’t just start yesterday! After the death of the 32nd President, Harry Truman was afforded high ratings for his raw courage stepping into Franklin Roosevelt’s shadow. . In Truman he was a Congressman who was thrust into the spotlight ill-prepared. He grew in the post. As he began his term he carried support of over 85% of the people. He was easily revered as much as many Hollywood leading men. It was every decision after the oath of office that saw his support take a nose dive. His likeability was so damaged that by 1948 he was certain to lose reelection.

President Eisenhower portrayed a somewhat Henry Fonda-ish senior statesman-like role, and maintained a higher average of popular support during his 8 years. He guided America through a decade of calm before a radical storm. Still he left office down a full 10% in support compared to his arrival in the Oval Office.

President Kennedy, as popular as any swashbuckling Errol Flynn character, has to be lumped with the likes of Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter. Each saw sizeable support evaporate as quickly as Truman’s. Each faced differing circumstances, were revered briefly, and then reviled as their decisions didn’t wear well upon the country.

President Reagan perhaps because he was actually from Hollywood, was the first of the modern era Presidents to come close to leaving office with a similar popularity. His second term marred the feat ultimately though. He left office with a rating in the upper 50’s after coming to the White House with over 60% approval.

The Bush’s both left office palpably less popular than when they arrived on the scene. Neither were superstar material but made tough decisions and were rewarded for it before being ostracized. Both were involved in wars and the success, or controversy’s surrounding them didn’t help ease that plight.

The only President to buck the trend was President Clinton. Most likely to be comfortable among Hollywood elites, Clinton was put in office with nearly 55% approval rating. He departed with numbers well into the 60’s. This accomplishment is even more remarkable given the fact that he was impeached, acquitted, and had a scandal- driven atmosphere around him form two terms. It was sort of like a bad Hollywood movie came to Washington. It is likely that his popularity was because of the ill-advised prosecution, rather than in spite of it.

With these historical facts as a backdrop, it is safe to say that after taking the oath of office (for a second time on January 21st 2009 because of the overt flub on inauguration day) President Obama’s soaring popularity has only one direction in which it will likely go. Still he is as popular as Brad Pitt. Barring a national crisis, which would have the population rally around the new President, expect the hero worship to wear thin during the first term. Given the nature of crisis’ facing the man, his numbers are likely to be vastly different in 18 months. It goes with the job, but in Obama’s case no one has come into office with so much support since Harry Truman.

After Truman brought the world into the nuclear age with atomic detonations over Japan his numbers were at 90% approval. Within a year after the war’s end his support plummeted to about the same place where the departing President George W. Bush found his lowly numbers on his way out the door.

President Obama should learn from history, and expect the worst. What’s more Americans have a habit of becoming disillusioned with their President heroes. It happened to Truman after World War II, to Nixon after the end of the Vietnam War (and primarily because of Watergate), after The Persian Gulf War, and the war in Iraq.

Perhaps a time of peace like Eisenhower’s decade would change Obama’s destiny. Unfortunately, this is not peace time and the economy is the worst it has been since the 1970’s. It is a tough spot for anyone to be in, but since it is not popularity that is the President’s role, it really matters little. All movie stars fade leaving only their star on the walk of fame. As with President Bush doing what’s right is more important than doing what’s popular, and the price will be popular support. So long as it keeps America safe then President Obama will deserve his star like the other 43 men who preceded him.

America's Newest Shooting Star

What goes up must come down. The truth is being learned daily in the economic world. Likewise, the political pendulum swing carries great weight. Attention Democrats, your criminality is showing! Lobbyists taking payoffs, Governor’s selling political rewards, a heavily Democratic canvassing board reversing vote totals in a Minnesota Senatorial race, and a Speaker of the House poised to eliminate Congressional fairness rules. These are the new governmental hallmarks. It sounds like government of old; so much for transparency. Chicago, has come to Washington, so why shouldn’t the secret backroom deals do so also? It is after all the Chicago national pastime. These are the new tones of bipartisanship in Washington.

The unethical nature of the looming four years is already popping its head to the surface, and the inauguration of the new President hasn’t even happened yet! Remember all of the moaning over the corrupt right wing Republicans? Remember the last eight years of constant anti-Bush hysteria? If you bought into the Obama “age of Aquarius,” you are in for a mild shock. Of course you won’t feel it for a while because of the blind devotion. After the rationalization that somehow you are better than what came before fades, the truth will settle upon you. The band “The Who” said it best when they penned the lines “Meet the new boss; same as the old boss.”

Multiple political contacts of the new President, the Governor’s of Illinois and New Mexico to name just two are under clouds of criminal investigation of play for pay scandals. These are hard core Democrats that have rubbed elbows with many in the new administration, including the President-Elect. There hasn’t been so much scandal surrounding a guy before taking the Oval Office since President Clinton in 1992. Look how well that turned out. There were political witch hunts for two consecutive terms by right wing skeptics in the 1990’s. President Bush swept that away, but was lambasted with not only doubters, but down right haters who compared the man to Adolph Hitler, among many of their irrational smears.

Out of the ashes once again rises someone appearing to be from beyond the political scene, ala President Jimmy Carter (another remembrance of four stupendous years can be placed aside the asterisk which accompanies his name). The phoenix this time was marketed as markedly different. He is if you only look skin deep; which many American’s have done. Some gravitated to Obama because of pride in their heritage as African American’s; others because of their white guilt. Finally there are still others who have bought the lie that Obama is “Harvard” intelligent. Of course we don’t really know the truth on that because his handler’s won’t open up information about the President Elect’s college grades. Nevertheless, this rising rocket has shot to the zenith of American political life in a mere four years; the latest shooting star.
People want what looks like a winner. They took hold of his high trajectory and as of yet haven’t let go. For this reason we know little about him and have ignored his associates in a campaign that is designed to be about proper vetting of a candidate.

This ill-advised methodology of "getting to know them as they serve," invites everyone to be witness to the ongoing vetting process like Carter, Clinton, and Bush's (43) required. Was anybody disappointed in what they found out about these guys after they were already in office? The next four years won’t be pretty! Worse than that is the universal truth that shooting stars fall from the sky as quickly as they ascend. This latest missile from Chicago is destined to be tied to the others which have surrounded it. The Richardson, Blagojevitch, Resko, Ayers stars have plummeted, and will continue to do so. Who and what will finally drag down the young upstart President? Know one knows just yet, but if history tells us anything it is that American’s love to create heroes only to turn and destroy them. Keep an eye on the sky; you don’t want to be hit by any falling debris!