Polls showed people like Jimmy Carter personally as well

My friend Ryan Biava pointed out the following from an article about Jimmy Carter back in 2009:

To a young new president who has promised transparency in the White House, the speech offers a vivid instance of openness and trust in the public. Carter confessed some fundamental shortcomings -- well beyond Obama's "as a former smoker I constantly struggle with it" admission -- and called out the public on its failings. And to a new president who claims to eschew ideology in favor of pragmatism, Carter's week-long summit with the American people -- and Caddell's deep reading of contemporary arguments and popular books -- suggest an eagerness to raise new ideas in the public square.

Now, with the economy again in crisis and Iran again in turmoil, the parallels between the eras are hard to ignore. Obama speaks of restoring confidence in the markets and the government. As a final lesson, he might heed some polling data that Caddell shared with Democratic leaders in the weeks before Carter's speech. Caddell found that Americans had faith in Carter personally -- in his "trustworthiness" and "dedication" -- but many worried that he was "generally not in control of things."

Obama certainly fulfills the first half of that assessment. In three years or so, we'll know if he avoided the second.

As Ryan explained:

Democrats should stop reassuring themselves by arguing that the public still likes Obama despite his political shortcomings. The same was true of Carter prior to the implosion of his administration.

Note that in the most recent polls, the President still polls high on likeability - and it seems the White House takes some solace in that. This is a warning that likeability may not be enough.