Wal Mart Moms Talk Obama Politics

If I were a member of Congress listening to these women, I would have been horrified by their perception of lawmakers as elitists disconnected from -- indeed, uninterested in -- their concerns. If I were a member of Congress up for reelection I would have been frightened by their hostility.

If I were the president, I would have felt relieved. Not great, but relieved.

Not because these women were going to vote for Obama. Even his 2008 supporters were, for the most part, unwilling to recommit. The word "disappointed" was used with regularity, along with some stronger language, such as "fraud" and "scares me." But these voters' frustration with Obama was tinged with realism about the political and economic constraints he faces.