From Jim Eskin, Public Affairs Stratagist ....................... ................ March 2009

How long will the honeymoon last? President Obama's approval ratings remain high-in the upper 60s-but are slipping.

The President was able to rally support for the Economic Stimulus through his own personal appeal, but Rasmussen Reports indicates only 38% of voters nationwide believe the plan will help the economy.

Still, 50% of voters give Obama good or excellent marks on his handling of the economy. Thirty-percent (30%) rated the President's handling of the economy as poor.

Worries over the economy escalate. As the president sets his sights on addressing the exploding deficit, his political capital is at stake.

PULL TOGETHER?
A new national poll indicates that a majority of Americans want President Obama to try and pass laws with bipartisan support rather than just with the backing of Democrats in Congress.

But the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. Survey suggests that Democratic respondents aren't so enthusiastic about bipartisanship.

Fifty-five percent of all respondents questioned in the poll would rather see the President try to pass laws with bipartisan compromise. But that number drops 15 points (to 40%) among Democrats in the survey. Fifty-eight percent of Democrats would rather see Obama try to pass laws without Republican support.

NO SURPRISE HERE
A new Associated Press-GfK poll reveals that the American public is becoming increasingly concerned about the tanking economy. Nearly half of those surveyed fear losing their jobs-almost double the percentage at this time last year.
The economic news is feeding fear. The number of laid-off workers receiving unemployment benefits has jumped to an all-time high near 5 million, while new jobless claims remain well above 600,000.

PAY UP
Hats off to Jean Kennedy Smith, Ambassador to Ireland under Bill Clinton-and, of course, of Camelot fame.

Last January, she made a friendly election bet with D.C. cab driver Jean Claude Excellent: $100 out of her pocket if Obama lost, a year's free cab rides if Obama won. (The original terms were a day's free rides, but he upped the ante.)

The cab driver, who is from Haiti, is delighted Obama won and is gladly making good on the wager.

ABE'S STILL THE ONE
C-SPAN released the results of its 2nd Historians Survey of Presidential Leadership, in which a cross-section of 65 presidential historians ranked the former occupants of the White House on 10 attributes of leadership.

As in C-SPAN's first survey, released in 2000, Abraham Lincoln received top billing, just as the nation marked the bicentennial of his birth.. George Washington placed second, while spots three through five were held by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman, in that order.

Based on the results of historians surveyed, George W. Bush received an overall ranking of 36. Among other recent Presidents, Bill Clinton, who was ranked 21 in the 2000 survey, advanced six spots in 2009 to an overall ranking of 15; Ronald Reagan moved from 11 to 10; George H.W. Bush went from 20 to 18, and Jimmy Carter's ranking declined from 22 to 25.

GUV RACES
Gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey-the only major elections this year-also carry a heightened political role since Democrats seized control of Congress in 2006 and won the White House in 2008. They also set the stage for the congressional elections in 2010 in the middle of President Barack Obama's first term.

Virginia should be especially fun to watch.

Former Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe entered the Old
Dominion's governor's race with the subtlety of a runaway cement truck.
Within six weeks, McAuliffe banked nearly $1 million in campaign donations. He's saturating the state with media buys and barnstorming 24/7. It's left his two rivals for June's bruising primary winded.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU BUY
There is a retail divide in America, and it is very visible among Patchwork Nation's community types, according to an analysis of a post-election poll from Zogby International about store preferences. Specifically, the analysis shows a fairly clear demarcation between what might be called Wal-Mart America and Target America.

Target wins in more affluent areas, Wal-Mart in rural and small- to mid-sized town areas. Even if the retailers are dominant in different places, Target and Wal-Mart seem to be in close competition.

WEST WINGING
Some of the most coveted office space on the planet doesn't come with a picture window, a decent TV, or even much room to work. It's in the West Wing of the White House, where proximity to power trumps square footage, postcard views, and modern amenities.

Senior adviser David Axelrod has a to-die-for office next to the President's personal study-perfect terrain for a presidential pop-in. But Axelrod's domain is akin to the modest space that a branch manager at a bank might get, and his window looks out at a concrete barrier and some utility units. Location speaks volumes when it comes to White House office politics, and ever was it so.

Commentator Patrick Buchanan, who served as Ronald Reagan's communications director, turned down a spacious office on the second floor of the West Wing in favor of what he called a first-floor "broom closet" down the corridor from the Oval Office. His aides scrounged up an old window from a construction site and hung it on the wall.

CAMPUS POLITICS
More than ever, politics and money are on the minds of new college students. The latest installment of the UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute annual survey of college freshmen shows political engagement at a 40-year high, and more students than ever planning to take jobs on the side and settling for second-choice schools.

With last year's historic election heating up, nearly 36% of freshmen starting last fall reported frequently discussing politics in the last year. That surpassed the previous high of 34% recorded in 1968.

As recently as 2002, fewer than 20% of students reported politics were a frequent topic of conversation.

HERO WORSHIP
When the Harris Poll asked a cross section of adult Americans to say whom they admire enough to call their heroes, President Barack Obama was mentioned most often, followed by Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King. Others in the top 10, in descending order, were Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, John F. Kennedy, pilot Chesley Sullenberger, and Mother Teresa.

This question was first asked in a Harris Poll in 2001. In that survey Jesus Christ was the hero mentioned most often, followed by Martin Luther King, Colin Powell, John F. Kennedy, and Mother Teresa.

THE SCRIBE
Do you know who Jon Favreau is?

Not the actor-the boyish, 27-year-old former Senate aide to John Kerry, who is the chief speechwriter for President Obama.

As one of the youngest people ever to serve in his job, "Favs," as his friends call him, has had nearly unlimited access to the President for the past two years as the campaign speechwriter. Sometimes during the campaign he went unshaven for days and turned to video games for relaxation and diversion.

When the deadline for a big speech looms, Favreau will devote himself to researching and writing for 16-hour stretches at a time, only escaping for a caffe latte and cappuccino.

OH, CANADA
Barack Obama's first foreign visit as President was to a country-Canada-that enjoys the highest favorability rating of 19 nations rated in Gallup's World Affairs survey. Nine in 10 Americans view our neighbor to the north favorably, while only 6% view it unfavorably.

Great Britain, another English-speaking ally, nearly matches Canada with an 89% favorability rating. Japan and Germany fall a notch lower, viewed favorably by about 8 in 10 Americans; followed by France, India, and Israel, all with positive ratings around 64%.

Iran ranks last on the list, with a 12% favorable rating and an 80% unfavorable rating.

FIRST PETS QUIZ
"Socks," the Clinton White House cat, recently passed away at age 19. Socks was well known for rousting with First Dog Buddy (also deceased). Can you match the following First Pets (all dogs) with their President? Answers presented below. See you next month.

Answers: 1=b, 2=d, 3=a, 4=e, 5=c.

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