Simple, and like i stated before
the President is not a dictator...his impact on the economy is negligible at best, and if anything is more of a spokesperson who is supposed to rally the public in times of need, address us on the State of the Union, and surround himself with smart advisors/individuals who won't ruin our Federal agencies into the ground (cough cough Michael Brown FEMA, cough) or ruin our capacity to defend ourselves by stretching army resources thin, like our national guard (meant for protecting the homeland, now mostly in Iraq...cough)
Now how is having most of your top advisors being former Bush aids set the country in a good direction?