The Thrill Is Gone

CNN/Opinion Research Corp. released the results of a survey today.

Its findings? More than nine in 10 black Americans approve of the job President Barack Obama is doing. By comparison, 42% of whites approve of the job he is doing.

But, apparently, the bloom is off the rose with blacks.

"[W]hen asked how they personally feel about Obama's presidency, only 42 percent of black respondents say they're thrilled, with nearly half of those questioned saying they are happy but not thrilled," reports CNN. "The 42 percent who are thrilled is down from 61 percent in January, when Obama was inaugurated."

What's the reason for the decline?

Well, my take on it is this: No president, no matter who he is, no matter how popular he may be, can meet high expectations on a constant basis. And expectations for Obama — whether because of his race or the wreckage of the economy that he was elected to repair — were artificially high.

No specific career path can prepare someone to be president, and America has had presidents who came from all walks of life. The best any president can do is hope he learns how to be a successful president in time to achieve something. Some people will argue that Obama has achieved something with the passage of health care reform, but it remains to be seen how much more will be sacrificed as the House and Senate seek to approve identical legislation.

And, in spite of the emphasis Obama has placed on it, health care reform was never the primary issue for all his supporters. Those who expected sweeping societal changes overlooked the incremental nature of Obama's record in public service. Or they believed — falsely — that he could, by sheer force of will, accomplish transformational feats. Maybe they didn't think he would continue trying to appease people who repeatedly demonstrated they could not be appeased.

Well, declines in popularity happen to every president sooner or later. It's one of the drawbacks of living in a democracy.

It's newsworthy now because this president is black, and CNN is focusing on the results from black respondents. But it's as old as the presidency itself.

And Obama's success or failure as a president will be decided, in large part, by how he responds to his reversal of fortune.