Back on campaign trail, Obama struggles to regain 2008 magic (Feature)

By Chris Cermak Sep 30, 2010, 3:38 GMT

Richmond, Virginia - This was not supposed to happen: Barack Obama's discussion with local residents was meant to be held outside, under a sunny sky, in a garden set among picnic tables.

The weather had other ideas, as a steady rain forced Obama's team to move the gathering into a hot, stuffy community centre in this quaint, middle-class neighbourhood in Richmond, Virginia. About 40 residents - and an equal number of reporters - crammed into the room.

Few things have gone according to plan for Obama since he was catapulted to the US presidency nearly two years ago on an inspirational message of hope and bringing change to Washington.

'I know it's a little warm in here,' Obama said, inviting his audience to pull out their fans and the men to take off their suit jackets.

He, too, had rolled up his shirt sleeves before taking questions, mostly on the struggling US economy, for about one hour.

Obama's popularity has waned since November 2008, in most part as the world's largest economy has failed to move decisively out of a prolonged slump. His Democratic Party faces major losses during legislative elections set for November 2.

The opposition Republican Party could regain control of one, maybe both, chambers of Congress.

Battered by low approval numbers, angry conservative voters and disenchantment among many of his left-leaning supporters, Obama returned to the campaign trail this week hoping to recreate some of the energy that made him the first African-American US president.

The Richmond gathering on Wednesday was one of four rallies in two days that Obama held across four states. Three were small events in the gardens of local residents, and one a university rally with nearly 30,000 students - by far his largest since becoming president.

Obama's chief goals were clear: convincing a skeptical public that the economy, while weak, is on the right track, and rallying his 2008 supporters - especially his younger backers - not to abandon his administration and instead head to the polls on November 2.

'Right now, people are frustrated. All the good feeling that we had coming into the campaign is dissipated,' Obama said.

'The only way this is going to change is if the same folks who supported me in 2008 ... don't give up, but you say, I'm going to keep on looking for folks who are trying to offer serious solutions to problems.'

Democrats fear that few supporters are listening. With Obama's approval ratings below 50 per cent, some left-leaning lawmakers in tight re-election races have been reluctant to use Obama in campaign advertisements or have Obama appear at rallies in their districts.

Democrats have been slow to tout the signature domestic policies Obama brought about during his time in office, including a landmark but controversial health care reform bill approved earlier this year.

Obama has a difficult message to sell: US unemployment stood at 9.6 per cent in August, and while the country may have pulled out of recession in June 2009, some economists speculate that a second 'double-dip' contraction could be on the horizon in the coming months.

The Obama administration's efforts to stimulate the economy through massive public spending measures have contributed to a skyrocketing budget deficit. A perception of out-of-control spending has been a chief rallying cry for the populist conservative Tea Party movement that has helped re-energize the Republican base.

Obama's chief plea has been to give his administration's policies a chance before voters re-elect the party that was in power when the worst recession in generations first struck. He insists the country is in a far better position than when he entered office.

'Obviously, we're going through a tough time. These last two years have been as tough as any that we've seen in most of our lifetimes,' Obama said, making an exception only for 105-year-old Virginia Shelton, a resident in the audience. 'We're making some progress.'

Surveys suggest Obama's message is unlikely to save his party from major losses in November. Many voters have grown impatient as the economy remains stalled, though some are prepared to give the president a little more time.

Obama 'had to start in such a hole, it's going to take a while for the country to get itself out,' said Whitney Bush, a 41-year-old nurse who usually votes for Republicans but supported Obama in 2008.

Bush said she gives Obama two more years to place the country more firmly on the right track - just in time for 2012's presidential election.