Obama's Popularity

I've been intrigued by the rock-solid stability of President Obama's approval ratings. There's a lot going on and all kinds of angry noises from the lunatic fringe, but I'd had a feeling that this wouldn't really affect anything, and I think I figured out why.

Looking at this from a consumer behavior perspective, the approval ratings show that the customers are satisfied with the product. Why is this? Simple. The product, President Obama, has turned out to be almost exactly what candidate Obama promised to be. Virtually everything he has done was spelled out in his position papers and speeches, and he has at least touched on many of what he said were his top priorities.

He has also turned out to be exactly the kind of president that you would have imagined he'd be if you watched him during debates and other public appearances. He's been unflappable, inclusive, humorous, family oriented, and has shown the intelligence and understanding of events and consequences that he displayed throughout his campaign.

None of this has anything to do with whether or not you agree with the man. I happen to like most of what he's done and abhor some of it as well. But I can't say I didn't get the product I (and everyone else) thought we were buying. This is the first rule of marketing. Deliver what you promise and don't promise what you can't deliver. Even if I don't think the cereal I eat in the morning is perfect, I am a satisfied customer because I got what I expected and what I paid for.

It'll be interesting to see how things develop, but I'm guessing that approval rating will be stable as long as the product is what it claims to be.