By Brian Summerfield, Online Editor, REALTOR® Magazine

In the heady days surrounding the 2008 election, there was a national mood of pride and hope. The largely positive official campaigns run by Barack Obama and John McCain, and the victory of the former, engendered in the American people a sense of optimism about the future, even as the country continued to sink into a severe recession.

Today, those feelings are mostly gone, having been dissipated by public perceptions of stalled recoveries in jobs and housing and government getting more expensive and intrusive, said former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who spoke at a Tuesday morning session during the Mortgage Bankers 2011 Convention & Expo in Chicago. Bush was joined by David Axelrod, President Obama’s chief political advisor, who added that concerns about corruption and incompetence on Wall Street were fueling the fire.

“There’s a dark cloud over our country,” Bush said. “The hope and optimism that Obama brought to the country in 2008 have been replaced by despair. I think any incumbent in 2012 will have a tough challenge.”

Of course, the Republicans have their own challenges. The party is divided right now on ideological grounds, Axelrod pointed out. “The Republican party of the past was a more organized, hierarchical party,” he said. “It’s different now. You’ve got the Tea Party and the Martini Party.” Continue reading »