Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Nation contributor and Princeton professor, discusses Obama’s declining poll numbers with Keith Olbermann on Countdown. She points out the disparity between Obama’s personal approval ratings, which remain high, and his declining ratings on healthcare reform, calling it a sign not that people want him to give up but that people, particularly on the left, want him to do more. “Show us more fire, more intensity, lead us, we’re ready to go,” she says. She also notes that congresspeople, who are perennially worried about reelection, should take into account that if they don’t pass a bill with a public option, they are likely to lose their seats in 2010.

—Sarah Jaffe

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