Editor 's note : Gloria Borger is a senior political analyst for CNN , appearing regularly on CNN 's `` The Situation Room , '' `` Campbell Brown , '' `` AC360° '' and `` State of the Union With John King , '' as well as special event coverage . Gloria Borger says independent voters generally like Obama 's approach to the job of president . WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- The giveaway was when they started calling him `` Barack . '' It was jarring , at first , to hear many in this group of 12 independent voters refer to their new president by his first name . But the more they talked , the more it made sense . After all , they are seeing a lot of him . And they like it -- or at least they like him . `` There 's a sense of intimacy , or relationship , that was there , '' says Democratic pollster Peter Hart , who conducted the focus group in Towson , Maryland , on Wednesday night . `` [ It shows ] how unbelievably powerful his personal presence is . ... Do n't get fooled by numbers alone . Something is stronger here . '' So while the president 's poll numbers start to dip , these dozen independents -- including four McCain supporters and a lone Nader voter -- are giving the president some leeway . They feel like they know him , and that he 's `` honest , ' as one put it . And while they say the country is `` broke , '' `` worried '' and `` confused , they 're not blaming Barack . If anything , they seem invested in his success . Way back in the campaign , a central question was whether voters could get comfortable with Obama ; now they consider him a regular guy . `` It 's like if you call your boss by his first name , you identify with him , '' explains Alex Chambers , a 27-year-old teacher who supported Obama . `` He 's more upfront , does a lot of speeches , verbalizes more than we 've ever been used to , '' adds Nora Seeley , a 54-year-old dental hygienist who voted for Obama . `` I like it , he 's showing himself . '' It 's the upside of a White House communications strategy that has the president out there all the time -- Obama as the Zelig of his own administration . While the inside-the-beltway chatter has been that the ubiquitous Obama ought to become a little more scarce ( or voters will stop listening ) , these voters are clearly listening . `` He was able to speak about health care in a way that people can understand , '' says Remi Brooke , 60 , an Obama supporter . `` It 's the first time I 've ever seen a politician able to do that . '' But there 's a downside to this all-Obama-all-the-time tack . These voters , at least , worry that Obama is trying to do too much , too soon . The succession of daily appearances on an assortment of issues -- particularly health care -- has made them anxious . `` He 's on a mission , '' says Alex Chambers . `` When he gets an idea in his head , he 's going to get it done . '' David Sawyer , a McCain voter , agrees . `` He is determined [ but ] he 's trying to have his hands in everything too much . '' While change was the buzzword of the campaign , these voters say they did n't expect it -- nor do they want it -- at mach speed . In fact , it worries them . `` Why ca n't they take six months to look at these things ? '' asks Raymond Fernandez , 44-year-old McCain voter . Pollster Hart says there 's a message for the White House here : `` I do n't think the president has any idea how people feel about the speed . They need to breathe . This is like trying to shove a meal down in a minute . '' There 's also a sense among these voters that Obama , as Nora Seeley put it , `` is putting his hands where he does n't belong . '' Case in point : the Henry Louis Gates imbroglio . `` He never really apologized , '' says Raymond Fernandez . `` But he admitted he stepped into it . '' He got credit for backtracking with these voters , but they clearly felt he got ahead of himself in the first place . Then there 's leadership . While the president gets credit from these voters for listening and talking to Republicans , they 're unclear about what he really wants . He 's the ultimate salesman they like to watch ; they 're just not sure about what , in the end , he 's endorsing . `` He likes to get everybody else 's opinion , '' says Remi Brooke . `` At the end of the day , he 's got to make the decision . '' So what 's his spine made of ? Right now , they 're not so sure . Their answers ranged from steel to sand . And , along with the rest of us , they 're watching health care , waiting to see him start to draw some lines in the sand . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gloria Borger .
Gloria Borger : Independent voters generally like Obama 's approach . She says they give him credit for being honest and very visible . She says independents worry that the White House is moving too fast on issues . Borger also notes that she has been a strong supporter of President Bush, but thinks he should be more careful about what he does with executive power.