President Obama may have an unlikely shoulder to cry on as his confidence numbers plummet in California. She happens to be an adviser to one of his possible GOP opponents next year, Mitt Romney.
“We’ve had very high unemployment rates in California for what, three or four years now," said Meg Whitman, former GOP candidate for Governor. "We haven’t seen a move in that. We haven’t seen a move in the federal unemployment rate. And it is a slower recovery than we have seen with any other recession. So I think people are getting really really worried.”
Whitman, the former EBAY Chief Executive, was in Watts Wednesday, promoting a 500,000 dollar private sector grant for math software to benefit non-English speaking students.
At this point, her observations about the economy were more analytical than political. That could change because of her support for Romney.
The respected Mervyn Field Poll showed that President Obama's support in California has fallen below 50%. His 46% rating was a big drop from June, when 54% said they approved of the President's job performance.
The State's leading Democrat, Governor Jerry Brown, says he also understands.
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“It’s tough out there," said the Governor. "And one thing you know as a politician, when people feel bad about the country, they are going to feel bad about you. That’s the nature of the business we are in.”
So far, California Democratic leaders say they are not worried about winning California next year. But they know they have a tough job, convincing voters that the President has been hampered in his efforts to turn the economy around by stubborn House Republicans.
At this point, Democrats are just glad the election isn't next week.
