I remain relatively optimistic about 2010, since whatever the Dems' woes, the general population now fulminantly hates the GOP. (Recent polls posted on DKos show exasperation with the Dems, compared to vomit-inducing revulsion with the Rethugs.) Still, quite a few of my Dem and Independent friends-- who were generally at least supportive of Obama-- are feeling increasing frustration with him these days. I know the health-care debate has been tough, and I know he has his hands full, and yes, the corporate-run media isn't helping things-- but the unemployment rate is now over 10%, and the REAL UNEMPLOYMENT (rather than the fudged figures) is about twice that. It is EXTREMELY PAINFUL for Americans on the ground. And for many of them, fairly or not, the perception is that Obama is tone-deaf, a technocrat, who doesn't grasp how horrendous this crisis has become.
We all know this isn't true, but perceptions matter, and Obama needs to do a better job of connecting up with people during a time of deep crisis. So why doesn't he re-initiate FDR's smart practice of weekly (or once-every-couple-weeks) Fireside Chats? FDR's New Deal policies were substantial, but the Fireside Chats let the people know that the leader was on their side, looking after them and standing up for them against the corporate interests of their day, who fought viciously against reforms just as the corporate kleptocrats are doing today. FDR shamed the Republicans and humiliated the obstructionists. The result? In the 1934 midterm elections, despite some worrying initial signs for the Democrats, FDR's fellow Dems crushed the Republicans even further underfoot.
If anything, that should be even easier today, given Americans' increasing hatred for stupid GOP antics, very much reflected in the polls. But Obama could squander this opportunity if he doesn't do more to reach out directly to suffering Americans during such hard times-- disenchanted, they might just stay home on Election Day 2010, ceding votes to the Teabaggers. (Although, of course, the Teabaggers are also undermining the GOP with their own radical primary challengers.) The Fireside Chats also help to frame issues in Democrats' favor, bring attention to jobs, and reassure Americans, making Obama seem connected rather than a distant technocrat, while also providing a reliable media platform to steal Repubs' thunder.
I also think that Obama should next focus on a jobs' bill in conjunction with the Climate Change bill, after HCR. (I do not think he should take on immigration right now, at least not until after the mid-terms-- it'd be so roiled as to make HCR seem like a friendly cocktail party, plus, jobs and the economy have to take priority.) But the Fireside Chats would be a constant, and valuable voice for hard-pressed Americans, and show that Obama and the Democrats are on the side of the people.
And my coda for all my posts: As always, if you haven't already-- please sign up to help registration and GOTV drives for minority and young voters, especially in the emerging Swing States like Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina. The fight for 2010 and 2012 starts today!
Update: Homogenius gave a decent summary of the media milieu in the posts below. I should have stated that I was thinking about something over and above the weekly addresses on the whitehouse.gov sites (out of concern that Youtube and other media weren't reaching many of the Boomer voters who have been registering a lot of the worrisome perceptions in my neighborhood), but Homogenius pointed out that Obama and his media team have already been doing a decent job of the media-handling, even trying to disseminate the addresses as much as possible to the networks. Really is proof-positive of the miserable environment for serious communication of issues in the USA today-- the real problem is that the media isn't interested in Obama's substance, so it's tough to get his message out even in the most desperate times. Another indictment of our corporate-controlled, profit-driven information channels and one that, despite the somewhat leveling effect of the Internet, we're going to have a tough time overcoming.