ABSTRACT
During his first two years in office, Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress compiled a substantial record of policy accomplishment: the economic stimulus, bringing the financial system back from the brink of collapse, rescuing two auto manufacturers, universal health care, sweeping reform of financial regulation, and major changes in student loan programs, among many others. Nevertheless, the political standing of both the president and congressional Democrats slipped steadily through much of this period, and the voters administered a substantial rebuke in the November 2010 midterm elections.
