One year after winning the election, Obama has seen his pledge to transcend partisanship in Washington give way to the hardened realities of office. A campaign for the history books, filled with a sky-high sense of possibility for Obama not just among legions of loyal Democrats but also among converts from outside the party, has descended to an unfamiliar plateau for a president whose political rise was as rapid as it was charmed.
Interviews with voters across Iowa offer a window into how the president’s standing has leveled off, especially among the independents and Republicans who contributed not just to his
margin of victory in the caucuses here but also to the optimism among his supporters that his election would be a break from standard-issue politics.
McAreavy fears that the president’s health care plan will shortchange her Medicare benefits. And she said that she believes that too many of Obama’s actions are rooted in Democratic politics.
read the rest here… In Iowa, euphoria gives way to doubts about Obama – San Jose Mercury News.