Washington ( CNN ) -- Even as he charges into his re-election battle , President Barack Obama has a festering weakness on a flank that , by all accounts , ought to be rock solid : the one held by African-American Democrats . Their support for his programs , belief in his leadership and enthusiasm for another term is softening just as he needs it most . In the past few weeks , the president has been chastised by the Congressional Black Caucus for avoiding troubled inner-city districts , peppered with tough questions on BET , and suffered plummeting poll numbers among black voters . That last item is critical . During the 2008 election , their turnout was massive and their support almost unanimous . Now , however , a Washington Post/ABC News poll finds that black voters with a `` strongly favorable '' view of Obama dropped from 86 % to 58 % in just five months . `` Patience is running out , '' says Reginald Daniel , a professor of sociology at the University of California Santa Barbara . Daniel has written extensively about race and politics . `` People are disappointed because I think their expectations were way too high to begin with . '' Many political analysts sum up those `` expectations run amok '' this way : White voters heralded the election of a black president as a sign that long-standing racial gaps were closing , and they expected Obama to play a post-racial role ; a president for everyone , who just happened to be black . Meanwhile , many African-American voters just as clearly saw his election as a great leap forward and hoped the presence of a black president in the Oval Office would bring a new level of understanding , acknowledgment , and relief for their community 's problems . `` Finding a middle ground is almost an impossibility , '' Daniels says . `` It 's just the worst position to be in . '' The driving problem , however , is neither black nor white -- it is green . Joblessness , bad for everyone , is much worse in African-American communities , where unemployment is pushing 17 % , the worst since the 1980s . That is what triggered the revolt in the CBC and those stinging questions during that TV interview . The president is pushing back , pointing out that his initiatives , such as health care reform and the recent jobs bill , especially help lower-income families , many of whom are black . On BET , he quickly dismissed talk about a dearth of specific programs for minorities . `` What people are saying all across the country is we are hurting and we 've been hurting for a long time , '' the president said . `` The question is : How can we make sure the economy is working for every single person ? '' He also insisted that even if black leaders are grousing , it 's not really about him or his policies . `` There 's always going to be somebody who is critical of the president of the United States . '' And at a CBC fundraising dinner he raised eyebrows by telling members to quit complaining and start `` marching '' with him for change . But if the reaction of Rep. Maxine Waters , D-California , is any gauge , he 'll have to do a lot more selling . She summed up his comments in a word : `` Curious . '' To be sure , most African-Americans still support Obama . Political analysts do not expect a massive shift of their votes to the Republicans ; and even the president 's most adamant black critics often follow their barbs with a quick salve , saying African-American voters ultimately will not oppose him . Still , the danger for the White House is not that black citizens will vote against Obama , but that they wo n't vote at all . A lackluster turnout in just a few key states could tip the electoral balance against him . What 's more , every moment he spends making sure black Democrats come to the polls increases his risk of alienating white voters , and is time lost winning over independents , whom he also must have . Politically , it is hard for a candidate to tiptoe through such a black-and-white minefield . For a president , it is even tougher .
In 2012 , Washington 's support among blacks has been beset by troubles . Among them : CBC scolding , hardball questions on BET , black jobless numbers . He faces a balancing act in the recent weeks campaign in appealing to various blocs . Sociologist Daniel : ` `` Finding a middle ground is