For students, Obama love still strong

Nationally, President Barack Obama's approval ratings have been on a significant decline since he took office in January. But today students will still be camping out and skipping class just to hear him speak.

Although Obama has dropped in the polls and continues to fight for the support he needs for his health care policies, his popularity on the campus seems as unrelenting as it was a year and a half ago, which political observers attribute to Obama's unique ability to relate to a younger demographic.

"I think there is still that sense of ‘Obama fever,'" said College Democrats President Amy Hartman. "We're hoping to have as many people as we did in February."

Some attribute students' enthusiasm to Obama's youth and energy.

"He represents a lot of the idealistic goals that people go into politics for, which obviously appeals to a younger population," senior anthropology major Katherine England said.

Others chalk it up to his renowned oratory skills.

"I think it is because he is a really inspirational speaker who is good at putting people in the moment and getting them fired up," said Hartman, a senior government and politics and women's studies major.

No matter the reason, students have been anxiously awaiting the president's return to the campus all week. But instead of the feel-good nature of his previous campaign rally at the university, there is a more serious and controversial reason for his visit than before.

Obama's approval rating peaked shortly after he was sworn in at the beginning of the year.

Approximately 44 percent of Americans strongly approved of the new president while only 14 percent strongly disapproved, according to Rasmussen Reports.

Today, as Obama prepares for his talk at the Comcast Center, the two figures have evened out: About 38 percent strongly disapprove and only 32 percent strongly approve of his performance as president so far, the report shows.

"I think part of the context has to be that he was overwhelmingly popular at the beginning, so there may be some disappointment," said Peter Levine, Director of Tufts University's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. "There are a bunch of reasons that come to mind: First, a fair number of his supporters were actually to the left of the policies that he is implementing, but some might just be generally disappointed by any politician."

But students are still expected to turn out en masse for Obama's health care rally today, though they acknowledge the nature of this event will be much more serious and polarizing.

"I imagine he's coming looking to get younger people involved in a push for change in policy," England said. "It's a group that's been mostly absent from the debate so far, so I think he'll place an emphasis on [this] population."

jborowski at umdbk dot com