After two years of Obama, suburbs fed up with politics (Feature)

By Anne K Walters Oct 21, 2010, 2:06 GMT

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania - Amid the tree lined suburbs and giant shopping malls of Philadelphia's suburbs, voters are fed up with politics as usual.

Grabbing lunch at the King of Prussia shopping mall, which is among the nation's largest, Chappy Sarelakos, a 62-year-old retired teacher, says he's closely following the campaigns for the upcoming elections but is sick of bickering and politicians who just seem out to get ahead.

'My biggest concern is that we have a bipartisan way of doing things,' said Sarelakos, who is a registered Democrat but unsure of who he will vote for this time. 'Why can't we get anything done any more? Is the president really in charge?'

One of the keys to US President Barack Obama's success in 2008 was the wealthy suburbs like this one west of Philadelphia that broke with tradition and voted for the centre-left Democrats.

But this year, as centre-right Republicans aim to reclaim a majority in congressional mid-term elections November 2, that support appears to be receding in the face of a stagnant economy and frustration with Washington.

Voters here point out how Obama and his party have spent much of their time in gridlock despite their control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Major overhauls of health care and an economic bailout do little to assuage concerns of those who expected a broader economic turnaround and the anger of those who see the actions as too broad or unnecessary.

Philadelphia's Main Line, as the communities west of the city are known, was for decades a bastion of upper-crust Republicans, and Democrats fought hard to win ground here.

George W Bush's election strategy focussed heavily on winning in the suburbs, but those voters became fed up with his policies, throwing their support behind Democrats in 2006 and then behind Obama in 2008.

Nationwide, some 50 per cent of suburban voters went for Obama in 2008, up from 47 per cent for John Kerry in the 2006 presidential contest, analysts note.

A now-vacant seat in one of the region's congressional districts has become a fierce contest between two popular candidates. Democrat Joe Sestak, a former Navy admiral, who won the seat amid the wave of discontent with Bush, is running for the US Senate, leaving Republican Pat Meehan and Democrat Bryan Lentz scrambling for the open seat.

'There's been an influx of people from Philadelphia with progressive politics,' notes Kevin McTigue, campaign manager for the centre-left Democrat Lentz, noting rising engagement among the area's liberal voters.

But centre-right Republicans point to the political dissatisfaction with Obama's policies and the faltering economy, even in the local area, where the median income is 70,000 dollars per year - high above the rural and industrial areas of the rest of the eastern state.

'Even folks who voted for Obama are very disappointed and throwing their support behind Pat,' says Virginia Davis, spokeswoman for Republican Meehan.

Working and middle class voters are fearful of the stagnant economy and many feel their children and grandchildren may not have the same advantages they have had.

'I feel sorry for my kids and grandkids,' retired steel worker Walt Saylor said, noting the debt piling up on the US government.

Still, despite the national issues, the candidates' personalities could play a big role here as both try to stick close to the middle to avoid alienating voters and play up their own visions for jump-starting the economy.

At a McDonald's near Meehan's campaign headquarters, Jane O'Reilly, 79, a retiree who also works as a school crossing guard, says she is undecided on a particular candidate but doesn't think the Democrats should have another chance of leading Congress.

'This country was founded on a two party system, not the way it was pulled off this way with (House Majority Leader Nancy) Pelosi and (Senate Majority Leader Harry) Reid,' she complains.

She approves of efforts to expand health care, but disapproves of the way it was handled and is concerned about the lack of a cost of living increase in the government pension scheme for two years running.

'Obama seems like a decent person, a good family man, but politically he didn't have enough experience,' she said.

She conceded that he inherited many problems from Bush, but notes he still had two years to turn things around.

Sheryl Fields, 52, disagreed as her dogs played at a nearby park. She says she will stick close to the Democrats despite the national mood, expressing disdain for Republicans and corporate interests that she says got the country into the mess in the first place.

'If somebody handed me that deck of cards, I would have run away,' the psychiatric social worker said.

Read more about US Elections