By Rebecca DiFede — In the 2008 election race, Barack Obama swept through the nation with a wave of energy and promise that had enthused and inspired Democratic voters. He had bridged the gap between old and young, and in fact his campaign was built mainly on the shoulders of college-age voters.
However his messages of hope and change seem now to be only a memory, as a new Gallup poll reports that there is a steady loss of enthusiasm among Democrats towards our illustrious president’s reelection campaign.
The Real Clear Politics average has his approval rating at just 43.6 percent, an enormous drop for his booming 66 percent in the beginning of 2009.
This lowered enthusiasm raises a lot of questions as the election moves ever closer. Because the president is an incumbent it is a contentious race to see if he can be beaten, despite his somewhat cult-like following with hardcore Democrats.
Although Obama refers to himself as “the underdog”, his numbers are impressive. He had a recent 16 percent drop in fundraising during the last quarter, however he is still ahead of the GOP candidates by tens of millions. But will it be enough?
As with the 2008 election, young voters may again be the keystone market for a win. They are proud, excited, and full of opinions about the way they think their world should be run. And while college campuses used to be Obama-central, it seems that they, like their older constituents, have realized how much their president failed to deliver on his promises.
When Obama spoke at American University in 2008, the quad was filled to the brim with people who were trying to get in to see him, and although the speech didn’t begin until noon, the line at the arena began at 7:30 AM. The tickets had sold out months in advance, classes were cancelled due to lack of attendance, and the eyes of the entire campus were focused on the young senator from Illinois.
As a sophomore at American in 2008, I was very excited about the visit of the presidential candidate. I found out all my classes were cancelled and planned my own special way to celebrate Obama’s arrival: I went back to my room and took a nap.
Recently, Obama spoke at a rally at Cuyahoga Community College in order to address the recent lack of enthusiasm. And upon their arrival, much to the president’s chagrin, his team had to beg students to attend and fill the over 75 empty seats. My, how the tables have turned (insert evil laugh)!
So while the tides seem to be pulling away from the shores of hope and change, the election tsunami is currently poised to crash upon the beaches of Washington, D.C. And as our illustrious president prepares to weather the storm, he might notice that without his young crew for support, the waves grow ever closer to washing away the remnants of the Potemkin village he spent his entire term constructing.
Rebecca DiFede is a contributing editor to Americans for Limited Government.
