4 reasons Obama is losing the popularity contest

By now, you may know that Americans are not nearly as enchanted with President Barack Obama as they were a year ago. Obama's approval rating from white Americans has dropped below 40 percent, but African-Americans are holding strong, with ratings exceeding 90 percent. In other words, the perception of Barack Obama has become another Hurricane Katrina/OJ Simpson/Henry Louis Gates situation: black and white Americans have completely different perceptions of the exact same thing. Such strong statistical variations tell us a great deal about where our nation stands when it comes to race, and make a joke of the idea of anything being post-racial.

Obama's drop in popularity was to be expected, since we all know that fighting two wars and overhauling health care in the middle of a bad economy is an absolutely herculean task. Being the first black president in the midst of such turmoil has made our nation even more confused, as we are trying to figure out if disappointment in Obama's performance comes from his blackness or incompetence. Sadly enough, in a racist society, blackness can be associated with incompetence, which makes things that much more complex. No matter what the answers are to these questions, some facts are abundantly clear:

1) President Obama is young and relatively unseasoned
Taking over the White House as a 46-year old man with very little political experience was a risky move for both Obama and our nation. On one hand, there is the fresh perspective that the president brings to the table, one that is free of the standard resignation that we expect to see from political veterans. However, being so quickly propelled to the forefront of corrupt Chicago politics quickly mutes any confidence that Obama can be nearly as idealistic as he appears to be.

Additionally, there is the question of whether or not a really smart guy from the Ivy Leagues has the ability to make real world decisions in an environment with which he is not familiar. Barack Obama was a great presidential choice, but to some extent, he is like a number one draft pick taking over an NFL team during his rookie season: the good times will be good, but the bad times will stink. We were all stunned that Obama tried to do so much this year, and now the weight of the world lies on his shoulders.

2) People care more about jobs than anything else
I've mentioned that I agree with some elements of the political hardball being played with Obama by the Congressional Black Caucus. The CBC has issued a direct challenge to the president to find targeted economic policies for the African American community's depression-level unemployment. You can talk all day about Obama's initiatives on AIDs and fathering, but the truth is that none of this matters if people don't have jobs.

If President Obama were to make some adjustments to his economic team (Lawrence Summers and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke leave much to be desired when it comes to understanding economic inequality), then perhaps he can find a way to create the jobs that our larger economy needs. You can't have advisors with both feet on Wall Street and expect them to care one bit about anything happening on Main Street. If they don't even care about Main Street, they certainly don't care about what's happening in the alley, where African-Americans have been consistently marginalized.

3) A president's popularity rises and falls with economic conditions
The most confusing thing about Obama's presidency is that the stock market has been rising like a Tsunami, but unemployment has been increasing. Americans are starting to spend money again, but mostly due to an addiction to consumption (don't you just love how Black Friday has suddenly been promoted to a national holiday?). If Obama can make sure that there is a pure trickle down of economic prosperity, he can then regain his popularity among fair-minded whites. The problem is that many of Obama's disenchanted whites are liberal, and they only agreed to love the black president if he was willing to be as radical as they want him to be. They are far less patient with political pragmatism and reaching across the aisle; they could have gotten that from Hillary Clinton.

4) We must remember that Barack Obama is still a black man
Obama's presidency has done a great deal for our country when it comes to reminding us that we do not yet live in a post-racial America. The hatred thrust on this president from the Right Wing is unprecedented, and the truth is that even white liberals can fall victim to race-baiting, given that most of them have never had a black authority figure of this magnitude.

For example, how many black professors do you think the average white American had during college? The number is likely around zero, since many universities still seem to think that black people are not smart enough to teach at the college level. There are subtle reminders that African-Americans are still second-class citizens in the U.S. When Obama is charismatic and radical, he becomes as cool as any other black celebrity. When he makes mistakes or "misbehaves," he becomes just another black man like the rest of us. I am not sure how he is going to complete this dance unscathed.

The president will probably regain his popularity, but I am hopeful that he finds a way to clear his plate and refocus his priorities. Next year could likely be a time of economic prosperity and the health care mess may be behind him. Additionally, Obama will be more seasoned in the realities of the White House. That will give America a chance to see the real Barack Obama, and I predict that he is going to be great.