Almost six months in office, Barack Obama is starting to come under growing criticism by many different groups.
The issue of gays in the military, and Obama’s lack of action regarding "don’t ask, don’t tell", is one issue. The fact that Obama seems unwilling to be as transparent as he claimed he would be–specifically refusal to allow records of the Secret Service log, that would show all visitors at the White House, to be made public–angers many of his supporters.Â
His inability to get the G-8 summit and emerging nations to agree to substantial global warming limits similar to what just barely passed recently in the House of Representatives is also seen as a goal that he has failed in, at least at this point.
Of course, there is great dissatisfaction that unemployment continues to rise, and that the economic stimulus plan has had only a minimal effect five months after the proposal passed both houses of Congress. Obama is being called to account by House Republican leader John Boehner and others, and can only offer in retort that the plan is starting to work, with most of the effects to take place in 2010. But with the unemployment rate at 9.5 percent and certain to rise above 10 percent soon, this issue could have a deadening effect on the Democratic majority in Congress in 2010, particularly in the House of Representatives.
So Obama is discovering that disillusionment and anger is starting to grow among different constituencies, and it could have a long range effect on the image and the reality of his Presidency.