I wrote this piece several weeks ago but held off publishing because it is politically inflammatory, includes a racial component and is statistically irrelevant.  Not exactly the makings of a good article.  I relate the following events because they were interesting, unexpected and potentially relevant to a national economic environment which is presently dominated by political momentum.


Chicago is firmly a Democratic stronghold and the President has lived and worked here since 1985.  As a local prodigy, his overall support in The Second City will remain resolute.

Since moving here though I have been warily drawn into two political conversations; each of which has surprised me.  Both discussions were with African American, Obama voters each of which had concluded that their support for the President was a mistake. 

I note that the President received 66.9 million votes, so statistically my experience is irrelevant.  These are only two people.  They may be the only two voters in Chicago feeling such regret.  Conversely, I am sure that some McCain voters now prefer Obama and I might just as easily have encountered these people instead. 

But given my perception that the last election was largely determined by macroeconomic factors combined with Obama’s vague “common denominator” campaign messages, I believe that the rapid political reversal of two African American, Chicago residents may be representative of a broader shift in support for the President.

The first gentleman with whom I conversed was subletting his apartment.  He was an educated professional who was out of work and in the process of lowering his overhead.  He was unimpressed by the President’s domestic initiatives and concerned about the viability of the Government’s finances.  We both marveled at how individuals (like ourselves) and companies were forced to behave rationally when faced with financial challenges, but that the Federal Government was seemingly encouraged by similar conditions to hurdle itself even faster towards insolvency.

The second conversation was with a utility installation technician.  This gentleman had never voted before, but turned out to support President Obama.  I was fascinated by the passion he projected for foreign policy.  He believed that the President’s non-domestic overtures would be ineffective at best.  He was also concerned about budget cuts being directed at the military, our nuclear weapons program and missile defense. 

I would not be reporting these data points other than they occurred in a Democratic stronghold (the President’s home town) and were articulated by members of a demographic 95% of whom voted for Obama.  The next two national elections will be determined by events which have yet to transpire.  But the stark retraction of support by some members of the President’s core constituency may bode well for those who believe that Obama's policies are economically harmful and unsustainable.