President Obama's stubbornness is causing Congressional Democrats anxiety as he keeps pushing healthcare reform. Most Democrats are hearing from the voters back home and the voters are not happy.
Voters assume that time spent on healthcare is time not spent on jobs. Expect Obama's favorable rating to continue to slip if he keeps pushing healthcare. Expect more and more Democrats to jump ship if the party leadership does not change the agenda.
At this point, it may be impossible for Obama to recoup positive feelings toward his leadership. Focus groups show that more and more people are giving up on Obama.
The recent Healthcare Summit produced mixed but generally positive reviews of Obama's performance. Then, as focus group analyses came in, that initial impression changed. People are exasperated with the effort, with Obama and with the House and Senate Democratic leaders. With the Summit, Obama took firm control of the issue and the process. Now, he has no one to blame but himself for his perilous situation.
