Very well written article in the New Yorker by George Packer on Obama's inability to connect with the American public. Unfortunately, the link is only an abstract but this quote jumped out at me.
"A year later, Obama has few options left in the battle with stubborn joblessness - opinion in Washington has turned against another ambitious spending bill. 'The elites in the media and the Senate are already out of the depression.'" - Perriello (Freshman Democratic Congressman from Rural Virginia)