WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President Barack Obama'sgrim warnings about the state of the U.S. economy could backfire on him by undermining a key goal of his re-election campaign -- restoring theconfidence of Americans.
In his drive to push a$447 billion jobs packagethrough Congress to spur hiring, the Democratic president has spoken of an economic emergency that he wants Congress tofix by approving his ideasto create jobs.
But the more Americans worry about the economy, the less likely they are to spend, jeopardizing any upside from Obama's jobs program.
The president is also trying to move the dial ofpublic opinion against Republicans by crisscrossing the country to push for a "fairer" American economy. He has voiced understanding for the Occupy Wall Street movement protesting policies during the recession that critics say helped banks but provided little relief for high unemployment and job insecurity.
[ See a collection of political cartoons on the economy .]
By siding with public anger against big banks and pushing for higher taxes on millionaires, Obama may make Americans more unhappyabout wide income inequality, which could hurt his re-election bid.
"Populism is predicated on people feeling that they are getting the shortstick," said Jim Kessler, vice president for policy at Third Way, a nonpartisan think-tank in Washington.
"In tough economic times, optimists win presidential races and pessimists lose. It is very hard to be both a populist and have a sunny view of America's future," Kessler said.
U.S. consumer sentiment slumped in early October as worries about declining incomes drove consumer expectations down to the lowest level in more than 30 years.
Some past American presidents, like Republican Ronald Reagan and Democrat Franklin Roosevelt, managed to project beyond tough economic times and win re-electiondespite high U.S. unemployment. Obama must perform the same trick.
Reagan was re-elected in 1984 after the U.S. joblessrate improved from 9.5 percent to 7.2 percent. No president since then has won a second term with unemployment above 7.2 percent.
[ Check out our editorial cartoons on President Obama .]
In confronting the economic Depression of the 1930s, Roosevelt"appealed to a broad cross-section of Americans by showing hewas willing to try anything ... vigor and determination count for a lot," said Richard Parker, professor with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Roosevelt also was able to capture the popular imagination with his mass employment plans.
"The picture that Roosevelt used was of putting millions of youngmen to work on the Civilian Conservation Corpwhere they were doing physical labor out of doors in nature, three of the totemic ideals of American life," Parker said. "In the age of electronics, what is it? We all power up our Ipods together?"
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The White House says Obama is simply being straight with the country about the risks ahead.
"You have to be honest with people that, obviously, the economy isgrowing at a very, very slow rate, we're not making a dent on jobs, and you have this Europething overhanging," a top White House official told reporters in a recent briefing.
The European Union is grappling with a crisis of debt among some of its members that is affectingworld markets.
"The president (is) saying: 'Listen, there is a chance here it could get even worse than it is, andso therefore the urgent case for action is even more pronounced," the White House official said.
Part of Obama's challenge is to get voters to look past the economy's gloomy short-term outlook, the still-battered housing market and unemployment pinned above a lofty 9 percent, to a brighter future that appeals to natural U.S. optimism.
There is some polling evidence that Obama's message of the need for more fairness in the tax code is getting across.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&hl=en&client=mv-google&v=-I0oMPZod9Q

As long as we have "central banks" (the FED) printing and contolling our currency, we'll have problems!

How does a NATION go broke? SPENDING! And not spending by the people, but rather by those we elect to act in our best interest.

How's that working for us so far?

The banks, Wall Street corporations, politicians who are more about "show me the money" than "show me the law that allows it!" (like RON PAUL has ALWAYS been!), are driving our economies to bankruptcy...... then the banks and the powers behind them will drive us to a GLOBAL dictatorship (which they control) and we'll have "George Orwells 1984" (which we are seeing already) in full force.

The loss of our souvernty, the loss of our rights, the loss of our freedom..... this is what our "MORE OF THE SAME" candidates offer us! Spineless media front men spouting rhetoric and lies.... and the people are buying it.....OR, THEY WERE.....

OCCUPY WALL STREET!
RON PAUL 2012!
RESTORE OUR REPUBLIC!

As long as we have "central banks" (the FED) printing and contolling our currency, we'll have problems!

How does a NATION go broke? SPENDING! And not spending by the people, but rather by those we elect to act in our best interest.

How's that working for us so far?

The banks, Wall Street corporations, politicians who are more about "show me the money" than "show me the law that allows it!" (like RON PAUL has ALWAYS been!), are driving our economies to bankruptcy...... then the banks and the powers behind them will drive us to a GLOBAL dictatorship (which they control) and we'll have "George Orwells 1984" (which we are seeing already) in full force.

The loss of our souvernty, the loss of our rights, the loss of our freedom..... this is what our "MORE OF THE SAME" candidates offer us! Spineless media front men spouting rhetoric and lies.... and the people are buying it.....OR, THEY WERE.....

OCCUPY WALL STREET!
RON PAUL 2012!
RESTORE OUR REPUBLIC!