Polls Show Obama Shines in Character Department

Despite setbacks on the political front, President Obama is succeeding where many other politicians have failed—in the character department. He has become a role model for the kind of traditional values that Americans have long celebrated, as a devoted husband to his wife, Michelle, and a doting father to his two daughters, Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8. This is a big reason why his personal favorability ratings remain so high even while his job approval rating has slid to 50 percent in some polls because of continued increases in unemployment and his stalled efforts on healthcare.

Video: Obama the Role Model

For years, the Democrats have been criticized by conservatives for lacking "family values." But today, it is Obama, a Democrat, who has emerged as the paragon of personal virtue, and even Republicans see it as a source of political strength. GOP strategist Matthew Dowd says serving as a role model is "a big part of the job" of president. Dowd notes that Americans "want to have pride" in their leader and that Obama is performing well on that score. While 53 percent of Americans approve of the job Obama is doing as president, an overwhelming 72 percent approve of Obama "as a person," according to the latest George Washington University Battleground Poll.

Obama has received intensive media coverage for his "date nights" with Michelle at restaurants around Washington and for their most famous rendezvous, when they flew to New York for dinner and a Broadway show. He drew some flak for the cost of that trip, paid for largely by the taxpayers. But the larger point is that the Obamas enjoy each other's company and want to keep romance alive in their relationship. That's something every couple can admire.

Obama's commitment to his children is similarly clear. He has attended his daughters' sports and theatrical activities, taken them out for ice cream around D.C., and during official trips introduced them to famous destinations, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Pantheon, and the Kremlin. The president told CNN that he and his wife want to expand their daughters' horizons as much as possible. While touring facilities where slaves were once held at Cape Coast Castle in Ghana July 11, for example, he encouraged his girls to "engage in the imaginative act of what it would be like if they were snatched away from Mom and Dad and sent to someplace they have never seen before," he said. He added that "what you also try to do with kids is to get them to imagine themselves on the other side, as being the slave merchant. And get them to make sure that they are constantly asking themselves questions about . . . whether they are examining their own behavior and how it affects others."

Most days, Obama has breakfast and dinner with his family, and he sometimes reads to his daughters at night. He and Michelle are insistent that the girls be brought up with a sense of responsibility. Sasha and Malia have to do their homework, make their beds, and limit the amount of television they watch. "The television and the computers are off all day until after dinner and right before bedtime," Mrs. Obama told reporters recently. "Bedtime is early." The girls also have done charitable work.

All this family focus presents a stark contrast to some of the embarrassing personal shenanigans of other politicians. Most recently, there were the admitted infidelities of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Nevada Sen. John Ensign, both Republicans. There was the affair of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. And, of course, there was the lurid case of President Bill Clinton's sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

The advantage of establishing a sterling character has its limits. "It doesn't protect him from the American public's demand that the president's policies be successful," GOP pollster Bill McInturff says. But White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says, "The president understands the amazing responsibility he's been given" to be a role model, especially by underscoring for young African-Americans the importance of personal responsibility, commitment to family, and the uplifting power of education. He also tries to be a role model as a leader, trying to do the right thing but owning up to mistakes when he makes them, Gibbs says. And Obama emphasizes that a fulfilling life should include community service, a standard that he has tried to live by since his stint as a community organizer in Chicago. Demonstrating character may not be the most important part of a successful presidency, but Obama believes it's a vital ingredient.

• See photos of Obama and his family.
• See photos of anger at town hall meetings.