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A Bad Day for Obama in the Polls

1 year ago
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First, Gallup came out Wednesday with a summary of its recent surveys showing that President Obama notched above the 50 percent mark on only one of 13 key issues facing the country. On its heels, comes a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll that paints a grim view of Americans' outlook on the economy and goes on to mirror Gallup's bottom line on the public's view of Obama on the issues. (NBC story; Wall Street Journal story)

The survey's findings on the public's opinion of Congress are pretty unsurprising -- those thinking the current Congress is below average or among the worst is at an all time high (also similar to a new Gallup poll) -- and opinions of the Democratic and Republican parties are also in the tank.

On the economy, 64 percent of those polled say the country still has a ways to go before hitting bottom compared to 53 percent last January. Twenty-nine percent say it has pretty much hit the bottom with the rest saying it has "hit bottom already" or are not sure.
Barack Obama
Fifty-two percent disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy while 44 percent approve with 4 percent undecided, slightly more negative than in June.

Forty percent say the country is worse off than when Obama took office, 31 percent say it is better off and 28 percent believe it is about the same.

Sixty percent are only somewhat or not at all confident that Obama has the right goals and policies as president (with 38 percent in the "not at all" column) while 40 percent or quite or extremely confident that he does (with 19 percent in the "extremely confident" category).

In its own version of the Gallup round-up of Obama's approval ratings on specific issues, the Journal/NBC poll posed a list of issues to those surveyed and asked whether his administration had lived up to or fallen short of expectations on them.

The findings, (the balance in each case answered "some of both" or "not sure"):

- Race relations: 45 percent said "lived up to expectations and 44 percent said "fallen short." (This was the one issue in the Gallup polling that put Obama's approval rating above 50 percent).
- Improving the U.S. image around world: 52 percent said "fallen short" and 44 percent said "lived up to expectations."
- Environment: 46 percent said "fallen short" and 42 percent said "lived up to expectations."
- Iraq: 50 percent said "fallen short" and 41 percent said "lived up to expectations."
- Health care: 55 percent said "fallen short" and 39 percent said "lived up to expectations."
- Improving oversight of Wall Street and banks: 54 percent said "fallen short" and 33 percent said "lived up to expectations."
- Economy: 66 percent said "fallen short" and 29 percent said "lived up to expectations."
- Changing business as usual in Washington: 65 percent said "fallen short" and 26 percent said "lived up to expectations."
- Reducing government spending: 70 percent said "fallen short" and 22 percent said "lived up to expectations."
- Federal deficit: 67 percent said "fallen short" and 25 percent said "lived up to expectations."

A bright spot for Obama: Now that the runaway well in the Gulf of Mexico has been brought under control, Americans approve of Obama's handling of the crisis by 50 percent to 38 percent with 12 percent undecided, a reversal from June when the margin of disapproval was 50 percent to 42 percent.

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22 Comments

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Nana

W have a long way to go ,to get back on track after years of destruction.no wonder this man has such low rating,we were already sinking when he took office,in some areas sunken.WOW how impatient AMERICA IS,WE TORE UP THIS MESS AND IT TOOK MORE THAN A DECADE,BUT WE SUPPOSE TO FIX IT IN TWO YEARS,does anyone have any sense left,are we all brain dead????

August 13 2010 at 8:51 PM Report abuse -7 rate up rate down Reply
sitokhan1

Whenever I scan headlines and my eye catches one completely negative to the President, inevitably it's by Bruce Drake.

August 13 2010 at 1:40 PM Report abuse -2 rate up rate down Reply
vobox3343

The president has improved U.S. image around the world. We already have the proof. So this poll, like many others, is biasly biased by the folks who've allowed the 'talking heads' to influence how it is they think aabout most subjects. So unfair.

August 13 2010 at 1:04 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
Hi Karen

Do you know that your tax dollars are being spent to restore Mosques around the world? Yes, Obama is restoring Mosques in filthy rich Arab states, including Egypt. Research it.

August 13 2010 at 12:31 PM Report abuse +19 rate up rate down Reply
Hi Karen

The stated objective of the enemy of America is destruction via ecomomic chaos.
Obama has done a fine job of it for them. Printing zillions of dollars we do not have leads to hyper inflation which means that todays dollar can equal the value of a penny virtually overnight. The way I see it, the US is the equivalent of a family who has no income and is living on credit cards being told by the head of the house "I have taken care of the disaster we would have faced a year ago because I took a cash advance. The money has run out, so we will now let's take another cash advance...and another." This is his solution? Obama has no answers just retoric and destructive economic policy. But he doen't care. He will do as much damage as he can. He is a one term President and he knows it. The next one in can deal with the hyper inflation and controling the madmen of Iran he has loosed, either deliberately or through complete incompedence.

August 13 2010 at 12:26 PM Report abuse +22 rate up rate down Reply
legalcld

A "bad day for obama in the polls" will be when the majority is taken away from him after the Nov elections and he's NOT re-elected in 2012!!!

August 13 2010 at 11:43 AM Report abuse +28 rate up rate down Reply
matt102678

The bottom line in all of these polls is that the majority of people believe that this President and admnistration is an abject failure. I believe the majority has it right and that in November they should vote to neuter this President and then in 2012 send him to the curb..

August 13 2010 at 11:42 AM Report abuse +29 rate up rate down Reply
lewismwlewis

As misguided as the President is, it was still Congress that passed all the spending bills. These bills were for worthless projects sending pork money back home to help their re-elections. These last several years have shown the absolute need for term limits. After all the best President can only serve 8 years. Why should members of Congress not be limited to a total of 12 years? You can't tell me that there are not 500+ better qualified citizens in this county that could serve their country, then step aside for another qualified citizen. We do not need or want 20 or 30 year members of Congress!

August 13 2010 at 9:12 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
kmx888

At what point does a prudent person or executive stop and say " I gave it my best shot and it's not working. We should try a different approach"? I think we are seeing pride, a bit of arrogance and a severe lack of experience at work here. Any decent executive knows that there are times when you have to admit that you made an error and try something different. Only Obama can save himself from going down as one of the least popular and perhaps the worst president in recent history. He doesn't have to be, but unless he changes course his legacy (and our country) is doomed.

August 12 2010 at 9:17 PM Report abuse +26 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to kmx888's comment
brenda

I am fairly certain a prudent person would have already done so. However, an arrogant, egotistical person can never admit he is wrong and directs the fault for failure at others. I do not think he will change, our only hope is to get a few more opponents to his policies in the Congress in November, although he has been very loose with the executive orders. You are right, I think we might be doomed.

August 13 2010 at 3:29 PM Report abuse +11 rate up rate down Reply
Kenneth

With all the mistakes , comments, list of pork projects and now the release of where a good part of where out TARP money ended up. It is no wounder the people are getting very upset with this administration. Yesterday he mentioned that the Muslims are part of our history to many that is bad history and bad memories then today Newsmax released this little article Economists and conservatives reacted sharply Thursday to reports that tens of billions in TARP bailout money flowed out of the United States and into the coffers of big banks in France, Germany, and other nations during the government rescue of the U.S. financial system.

That news came as the U.S. economic picture continued to worsen, with rising unemployment claims and a surge in U.S. homes lost to foreclosure.... When is this administration considering looking out for American interests.

August 12 2010 at 6:40 PM Report abuse +31 rate up rate down Reply

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