His approval rating at all-time low, Obama starts bus tour to hear from Americans

Perhaps it’s in response to the dreary economic indicators, or to the GOP presidential candidates’ savaging the president at every turn. Either way, Obama starts a bus tour on Monday to Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa, ostensibly to hear from Americans.

According to the president and his aides, the bus tour is “a chance for him to hear real stories from real Americans about the impact of a struggling economy,” reports USA Today. With Republican candidates firing salvos from the Midwest, the bus tour also carries heavy political overtones, as some say it’s a way for Obama to blunt GOP attacks.

On the ground, Obama expects a bruising from some frustrated voters.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest (how’s that for a name of a spokesman?) said, “The president does anticipate that he’ll detect a little frustration about the dysfunction in Congress and the strident position of some in Congress to put their parties and affiliation ahead of the country.”