By C. Nicole Mason

Have you ever gone to the store and, with the urging of the sales associate, spent too much money on pair of boots? In the store, they looked and felt fabulous, but when you got them home they looked a little dull or pinched your pinky toe with each step you took.

To make matters worse, you flip over the receipt and in big letters it reads ALL SALES FINAL. NO RETURNS. It is a classic case of buyer’s remorse, and it is exactly what seems to be happening to Obama, but on a much larger scale. The American people have a case of voter’s remorse.

Flashback to a little over a year ago—Obama was the man with the Midas touch. His convincing win, capturing both the popular vote by 10 million votes over McCain and the electoral college, not only gave him a solid mandate heading to the White House, but helped Democrats capture both the House and the Senate. Then his approval rating stood at around seventy percent. Today, it hovers just below fifty percent.

In good times, a President’s endorsement almost ensures a win for a candidate at the state or local level. However, in the most recent state and local elections, the three candidates endorsed by Obama—Bill Thompson of New York and Jon Corzine—both lost their bids for election. He also suffered a huge loss in Massachusetts with Martha Coakley. While insignificant when taken as a whole, the losses may signal the trouble ahead for Democrats during the 2010 mid-term elections. It also raises questions about whether or not an Obama endorsement will help or hurt candidates in highly contested races come November.

On the policy front, Obama’s not faring much better. His economic policies and positions on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been criticized by both liberals and conservatives. And it has been an uphill battle to get healthcare reform passed. Neither side of the aisle is happy with the probable resulting legislation.

Progressives want him to do more to level the playing field, help those who are most vulnerable, and deliver on his campaign promises. Republicans believe he is too ambitious and that the country is one stone’s throw away from socialism. His quest for bipartisanship and transparency has meant that he has had to play both sides and has very few wins or results to point to.

Obama rode into office on a wave of optimism and hope. He promised sweeping change and reform, but now that we’re in the thick of things, it’s easier said than done. The rhetoric of change doesn’t quite fit with the pragmatic reality of how things really work. Take Guantanamo Bay for example. Closing it down sounds easy enough until you consider the cost of relocating prisoners and building a facility to house them.

Healthcare reform—a no brainer. Who doesn’t believe everyone should have quality healthcare? Yet it seems like everyone has a different definition of what constitutes quality care including the American public. Is quality being able to choose your own doctor or is it the ability to choose your own healthcare plan?

All of the bickering between lawmakers and slow progress over last year is making voters nervous. While a few things have changed, most things remain the same. Washington seems to operate the same as it always has. Racism still exists. The economy still stinks. Unemployment remains high and there are still nearly 40 million people without health insurance.

It has many voters questioning did they make the right choice at the polls two Novembers ago? Is change possible? Can Obama really deliver?

Public confidence in Obama is wavering. The honeymoon is definitely over. Even progressives are starting to look at him a little sideways. In order to recapture support and the spirit of the campaign, Obama will have to do less politicking and more change-making. He needs less charisma and more grit.

We need substantive policies in place now that demonstrate that the country is heading in the right direction. Economic policies need to stem unemployment and help those who are most vulnerable. Health care reform needs to really reform the system rather than put a band-aid on it. And policies toward immigration, the wars, and Gitmo should also be realistic in the short-term and achievable over the long-haul.

If things continue along in the way that they have, Democrats will lose heavily in the mid-term elections and it will be doubtful that the Obama will win a second term in 2012.There is still time to turn things around, but Obama will have to get clear about who put him in office and stop trying to appease the unappeasable. Bipartisanship is good, but only when there is good will on both sides.

Sometimes you have to force change.

Dr. C. Nicole Mason is the Executive Director of the Women of Color Policy Network at the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University.