Hi,
I wonder if part of the problem is that Obama isn't giving everyone enough "Hope"...
Copywriting and entrepreneurial maestro Joseph Sugarman states a theory is that the US President acts like a "father figure" for people.
When this father figure is weak, we become weak too and lose our confidence...
However, when this father figure is strong, we also become strong too and gain more confidence...
Obama hasn't been looking very confident lately, I'd say. It seems to me that he hasn't looked very strong in the face of the Gulf oil spill (although apparently it's plugged - for now, anyway)...
It seems to me that, when it comes to the President, impressions can become reality - because the impression everyone gets can affect everyone, psychologically...
Here's an old post I wrote on this topic (back in 2000)...
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2002
And here's an article on this topic from the Telegraph (a British newspaper), about Obama's impression of "impotence"...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/c...lame-duck.html
I also read another article which points out that Obama's tone has changed...
The article said:
The "Yes we can" chutzpah was gone. It's more: "Perhaps we can't before the next election."
The point is - this could be one of the big sources of a feeling of hopelessness... We need a "father figure" who radiates confidence, to give the nation confidence too.
Obama seems to have lost his confidence.
Best wishes,
Dien