How Much Time.....

Well, now that Barack Obama has become President of these United States, how much time does he have? How much time is the American public going to give him until they start ripping him apart for not returning us to pre-depression and pre-disaster times?

At this point, he's got a great approval rating. His numbers are up, which means the Obama brand is flying strong. As of January 14th, most American's throught he was the Man. Which is good. But he hasn't done anything yet. Which means he's been able to convince most of us that he is capable of incredible feats of governance and management merely on his presence and his words.

Don't get me wrong. I love the guy. I think he's the only hope for America now, and well into the future. This is less a commentary on him and his capabilities, and more a comment on We, the people...

Does his strong brand and strong position buy him the two or more years he's going to need to turn America around and show some results? Will it buy him the 4 years that's far more likely to be needed? Or will most Americans give up after 6 months, when it's time to hit the 4th of July celebrations?

American's love two things - praising the underdog, and ripping apart the leaddog. We do it all the time. So now that Obama's not the underdog any more. Now that he's transitioning to the leaddog position, at what point will we start doubting his ability? How long until we start doubting? Will we have the presence to support him when things don't instantly come up sunny? Or will we go back to our usual and look for someone to blame?

The brand is a strong and powerful force. It's done very well for Mr. Obama and his team. But how long will the brand survive without AMPLE actions to take it, and him, to the next level?