As President Barack Obama flies home from Oslo, Norway, where he picked up his Nobel Peace Prize, trouble is brewing on the home front.
Polls show Obama’s approval rating has reached the tipping point. For instance, the New York Times reports:
The poll showed a steady slide in support for Mr. Obama as he approaches the end of his first year in office. His job approval rating has now hit 50 percent, the lowest yet in this poll; it was 68 percent at its peak in April. The percentage of Americans who approve of his handling of the economy has dropped to 47 percent from 54 percent in October. And 42 percent approve of the way he is handling health care, down five percentage points in the last few months.
Meanwhile, the number of new jobless claims rose unexpectedly last week.
A couple of hours before Obama is scheduled to arrive back at the White House, the Congressional Black Caucus will hold a news conference on job creation and economic growth priorities. The CBC will remind Obama that it’s particularly hard out here for black folks.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver told the Associated Press:
Obama has tried desperately to stay away from race, and all of us understand what he’s doing. But when you have such a disproportionate number of African-Americans unemployed, it would be irresponsible not to direct attention and resources to the people who are receiving the greatest level of pain.
And when Rolling Stone, which has featured Obama on nine covers, one of which won “Cover of the Year,” accuses him of a “big sellout” to the Wall Street banksters, I smell trouble.
