Obama’s emotions — or lack thereof — become matter for public debate, overlaying oil spill and economy

Only 57 percent of those polled think Obama is a strong leader now compared to 77 percent in April 2009, while 51 percent said they think Obama understands their problems, down from 72 percent in January 2009. The number of people who don’t think he understands has doubled, up to 48 percent from 24 percent.

“Who would have thought that a man who rode to the presidency on hope and inspiration would so quickly disavow all that and turn into a mechanistic, bloodless technocrat? We need more Clinton and less Dukakis in the White House,” said the Democrat campaign consultant.

Dee Dee Myers, former White House press secretary to Clinton, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Tuesday that she would “would like to see Obama show a bit more emotion but it doesn’t have to be anger.”

Juan Williams, a black journalist and contributor to Fox News, said on the network that Obama “has to manage himself in such a way to convey passion, concern and empathy, but he’s got to not do so in such a way to play into any kind of racial stereotyping of the kinds that say black men especially are hyper-sexual, hyper-violent, quick to anger, lacking in rationale … lazy, slothful, all the negatives that attach to being black in the history.”

“Obviously most American voters are white and they want to be able to relate to their president, and if it’s going to be that he fits some stereotype that would be self-defeating politically for him,” Williams said.

Davis, meanwhile, who is more aligned with Bill and Hillary Clinton than with Obama, dismissed the criticisms of Obama for using the word “ass” and for allowing Gibbs to say he was “enraged” over the spill.

“He is more cerebral and Bill Clinton was more visceral. So what? [Obama] won by a substantial margin and got health care passed,” Davis said. “So is anyone telling me there is something wrong with his style. Hello? He just got health care passed.”

Republicans began to make light of Obama’s “kick ass” comments this week and to use them as an opportunity to criticize the president’s fiscal policies.

“I think it’s time for Democrats here on Capitol Hill to start listening to the American people. They want spending cut and they want it cut now. And I’m wondering, why isn’t the president looking for someone’s ‘ass to kick’ on this subject?” said House Minority Leader John Boehner, Ohio Republican.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, asked by The Daily Caller if he was looking for “ass to kick” regarding the spill, was speechless for several full seconds at a press conference with a few dozen reporters Tuesday.

After two long pauses, the Kentucky Republican said only: “It’s hard for me to improve on that.”

E-mail Jon Ward and follow him on Twitter