January 26, 2010
Larry Powell. Download image.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - To win back angry independent voters, U.S. President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address on Wednesday, Jan. 27 needs to be long on details and short on rhetoric when it comes to health care reform and the economy, says University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Professor of Political Communications Larry Powell, Ph.D.
Obama will deliver his State of the Union Address to the nation this week just as his support from independent voters continues to slip. The shift in voter confidence was made evident earlier this month when independent voters in the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race backed Republican Scott Brown over Democrat Martha Coakley in a district that was held by the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Democrat, for 47 years.
"Independent voters are reacting to a year in which nothing much has happened," said Powell, who teaches in the UAB Department of Communication Studies. "The president has not passed health care. He doesn't seem to be very good at working with Congress.
"With as many Democrats as there are in Congress, it should not have been as difficult to get a bill through Congress quickly," Powell said. "President Obama was seeking a bipartisan bill, and there was no chance of that happening."
To start winning back independent voters and ease their anger, uncertainty and anxiety, Obama's speech on Wednesday must show specific details on how his administration plans to help bolster the economy, says Powell.
"There are still more and more people every day having trouble paying bills and feeling that their job could be the next one gone," Powell said. "Among voters, there is a lot of anger and fear out there and a feeling of unfairness that the banks got a bailout and they didn't.
"President Obama's speech also needs to clarify his stance on health care reform and shift the discussion from changing the health care system to improving the system," Powell said. "The change message has really scared people who are worried that health care reform will limit their options. People aren't sure how their situation will come out if the government tears down the entire health care system and starts from scratch."
About the UAB Department of Communication Studies
The UAB Department of Communication Studies offers bachelor and graduate degrees in communication management and bachelor degrees in mass communication with specialization in journalism, broadcasting and public relations.