According to the NYT's 538 blog, President Obama'sa popular advantage over Republicans on the economy has basically evaporated (http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/23/obama-has-lost-advantage-over-g-o-p-on-economy/?hp).
There are a number of plausible reasons for this development, as the post points out, and some of them are innocuous. But there's a big potential reason, that -- not surprisingly -- goes politely unmentioned.
Could it be than, in the aftermath of his sequester overreach, many Americans simply no longer believe President Obama's explanations when it comes to the economy? I think that's entirely possible, but there's more to it even than that. Every day the sequester drags on and The White House remains closed, new stories emerge about how the government is spending YOUR money -- most recently, the over-the-top hotel expenses for VP Biden's London trip. We've also learned -- to our horror and heartbreak -- that Biden will be forced to take the train to Delaware each weekend, rather than flying there at enormous cost to you and me (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/28/sequester-railroads-bidens-pricey-plane-travel/). That's despite having pretty decent accommodations, provided by you and me, right in the DC area . . .
The problem for Obama is that these stories will continue, like a slow bleed, as a result of the sequester he first proposed and then overhyped. His own behavior led to a situation in which even some of his buddies in the press have a real justification for reporting on how the government elite is living -- and Americans have a real reason for listening.
All this, coupled with high unemployment (and underemployment) and Democrat calls for higher taxes, means it's no wonder Obama has seen his economic polls headed downward. It would be a miracle if they didn't.
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/carolplattliebau/2013/03/24/behind-obamas-falling-economic-poll-numbers-n1547858
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