President Obama is under pressure to defend his policies of the last year and reassure his supporters that he will follow through on campaign promises in his State of the Union Address Wednesday.
Kenneth Mayer, UW-Madison political science professor, said although Obama's attempt to alleviate the economy is his greatest achievement thus far, the state of the economy continues to worry voters.
""I guess we could point to the economic stimulus as the biggest accomplishment for the first year,"" he said. ""Even though technically the state of the economy has begun to grow again, that is certainly not how people think about it.""
Obama has made changes in foreign policy as well, most notably with the troop surge in Afghanistan in December, but Mayer said little substantial change has been made.
""Certainly there is not a lot to show for his international efforts. He didn't get the climate change agreement or the Olympics, and his trip to Asia came up with nothing,"" he said.
UW-Madison College Democrats Chair Molly Rivera said people are disappointed with the Obama administration's progress.
""People are feeling frustrated that at the 2008 election they made such a booming call for change, and were so excited to see change happen immediately, that when they didn't, they were getting frustrated.""
Mayer said one of Obama's biggest problems going into 2010 is his failure to pass a health-care plan after devoting a year to the bill.
The health-care bill, which has received criticism from both sides of the aisle, now faces a new hurdle after newly elected Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts promised to help block the bill.
Many argue that Brown's election, which Mayer deemed ""huge,"" signals a significant shift in political sentiment since the 2008 election.
""When you have a deep blue state like Massachusetts go Republican,"" said Jim Steineke, founder of conservative activist group Fox Valley Initiative, ""[it means that] people want to send this administration a message that they don't agree with the current policies.""
Republican Party of Dane County Chair Mike Herl said Obama is beginning to alienate independents and centrists whose votes he successfully won in 2008.
""A lot of folks … told us they voted for Obama in 2008 and said they thought he was more of a centrist. They are quite scared of how far left he and the congress ran,"" Herl said. ""You can tell that it is shifting.""
Although Mayer said we can expect a Republican surge in the 2010 midterm elections, Rivera said she is hopeful the Democrats will stand strong.
""There are still many supporters of Obama and his party,"" Rivera said. ""I don't think people are ready to give up just yet.""
