#Obama panic mode series#
To be sure, Obama has been battered by a series of struggles, starting with the economy, but including a series of events that were at least initially beyond his control - from the Gulf oil disaster to a Republican minority that by any objective standard has tried to block him at every single turn - and dragged down his approval ratings.īut then there have also been challenges of his own making, such as spending months of political capital on health care reform on top of an already-packed agenda, which led voters from across the political spectrum to tell me on this trip to Virginia that Obama tried to do too much, too fast. "You better have quick results or you're done."Īaron Wheeler Sr., a Virginia Republican who voted for Obama, is ready to vote for a Republican for Congress this year. essentially that regardless of your party affiliation you're not granted time," Saunders said bluntly. "It seems like it's just complete political unrest. If Nye falls, Democrats will be one step closer to having their House majority come crashing down.Ĭhad Saunders, a Virginian who voted for John McCain in 2008, said he has respect for Obama's willingness to try to bring new ideas to the table - but he noted that the president is simply stuck in a toxic political environment. Local Republicans like Wheeler, who was shedding tears of joy over Obama's victory just two years ago, say they're now ready to support Nye's Republican opponent, Scott Rigell. Glenn Nye, who had four campaign events with Obama in 2008 but now is avoiding him like the plague. Obama's fading clout can be measured by how many Democrats who were so willing to embrace him while he was on top are running from him in races across the country. The stakes could not be higher, because losing control of Congress could cripple Obama's agenda in the final two years of his first term. John McCain, had held a rally in the same city a couple of weeks before the election that drew 8,000 people.īut now the rock star seems to be losing his mojo at the precise time when Democrats most need Obama to rise to the occasion and help save their House and Senate majorities. The fact that Obama snarled traffic in Manassas for hours because of a rally that drew 100,000 people that day was a stark display of the enthusiasm gap Republicans faced in 2008. That kind of bipartisan appeal led Obama to become the first Democrat to carry Virginia in a whopping 44 years, and he was treated like a rock star when he used the state as the backdrop for his last major rally of the 2008 campaign. Wheeler is one of the original "Obamacans," Republicans who crossed the aisle in 2008 to help propel Obama to his historic victory. "I was so proud, excited - anticipation like ketchup, you know," Wheeler said, shaking his right arm in the air as if he had a bottle of Heinz in his hand and the condiment just will not gush out. The 63-year-old Wheeler usually votes Republican, but he will never forget sitting in his living room in southeastern Virginia, about a 3½-hour drive from Washington, watching as state after state fell into the Obama column and tens of thousands of young people joined older men and women from his generation to stream into Chicago, Illinois' Grant Park and chant "Yes we can!" and "We have overcome!" before an international television audience. as a kid, sits on his back patio and muses about how it has already been almost two years since President Obama's stunning election night victory electrified a nation. In "The Sweep," CNN dives deep into issues that are making news and why they're in the headlines.Ĭhesapeake, Virginia (CNN) - It's dinner time on Sunday night and fresh burgers are sizzling on the grill a few feet away as Aaron Wheeler Sr., an African-American pastor who marched with the Rev.
They also feel economy didn't recover fast enough.In competitive southeastern Virginia district, some voters feel Obama did too much, too fast.Some Democrats distancing themselves from president, once a campaign rock star.Obama apparently losing clout as party tries to preserve House, Senate majorities.
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