Barack Obama for President merchandise was hot in 2008. Political merchandising retailers, such as CafePress, couldn’t keep Obama-related merchandise on the shelves and, over 90-percent of it was pro-Obama themed. Now, as his first term is coming to a close the tides have shifted – what once was pro has turned to anti.
This week CafePress took a look at how Obama pro vs. anti sales have been tracking these past eight months. Overall, anti-Obama gear has consistently sold more units than pro-Obama, though not by a significant difference. According to the online retailer, this isn’t that surprising considering the trend on the Gallup poll that shows the decrease in his approval ratings over the course of his presidency, with a recent resurgence that has the ratings about equally divided.
But how does this election cycle compare to that of 2008?
The first 6 months of 2008 compared to present day shows a dramatic shift in support with Pro-Obama sales declining by 41 percent. But will this have an impact on President Obama reelection? According to CafePress, of the 30 past presidential incumbents, 21 have won re-election while nine have lost. Statistically speaking, this gives President Obama a 70 percent chance of success in November.