Obama hits the road in hopes of firing up voters

President Barack Obama travels across the United States this week to try to regenerate enthusiasm among voters – particularly young ones – whose support Democrats desperately need if they hope to hold onto their majorities in the US Congress on November 2.

Starting today in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and later in Des Moines, Iowa, and Richmond, Virginia, Obama will hold more of the small backyard events staged recently to convince Americans that he and his party are deeply concerned about the economic plight of the middle-class.

At the University of Wisconsin today, Obama (picture) will headline a rally hoping to persuade the young voters who helped propel him to the presidency in 2008 to turn out once again to support Democratic congressional candidates.

Obama was so popular in 2008 that musicians wrote him into songs, movie and television stars flocked to endorse him and tens of thousands of people turned out for his events. Republicans derided him as “the world’s biggest celebrity.”

That momentum carried Democrats to majorities in both the US House of Representatives and the Senate two years ago.

But support and enthusiasm for Democrats has waned, dampened by political squabbling with Republicans and an economy still too weak to reduce the 9.6 per cent jobless rate.

Analysts said Obama was risking his reputation by campaigning on the road.

“Usually midterms go poorly for first-term presidents and right now his approval ratings are not good,” said Julian Zelizer, a public policy expert at Princeton University. “This means the results could be the same in November, and he would give fodder for a storyline about how he was ineffective.”

While reaching out to younger people – who tend to favour Democrats over Republicans – Obama acknowledged in a conference call with student journalists yesterday that passions have faded since he took office.

“The point is, though, you can’t sit it out. You can’t suddenly just check in once every 10 years or so, on an exciting presidential election, and then not pay attention during big midterm elections where we’ve got a real big choice between Democrats and Republicans,” he said.

The rally in Madison, Wisconsin, featuring singer Ben Harper, will be the first of a series that organisers hope will generate enthusiasm reminiscent of 2008. But that could be difficult with only five weeks before the election.

Obama’s approval ratings have dropped from over 60 per cent 18 months ago to around 45 per cent in recent months.

Republicans, benefiting from the burgeoning conservative Tea Party movement, have generated far more enthusiasm this election season than Democrats.

Last week, Republican congressional leaders unveiled a new “Pledge to America” campaign plan to create jobs, cut taxes and shrink government, including rolling back Obama’s signature healthcare overhaul.

Obama’s administration attacked the pledge as a return to the policies of former President George W. Bush, which they say favoured special interests over US workers and plunged the country into recession.

“They not only want to go back to the Bush budget of 2008, which is part of their proposal. They really want to go back to the governing philosophy behind it, that led to the calamity in the first place and that punished middle-class people in this country, exploded our deficits,” senior White House aide David Axelrod said.

Republicans call Obama’s plans disastrous, and an unwarranted government intrusion into private business. They say low poll results prove Democrats are out of step with Americans concerned about fixing the economy and cutting the budget deficit.