Obama`s approval rating drops dramatically
- Thread starter Andem
- Start date
I think he was talking about the job approval rating for Congressional Republicans versus the job approval rating for Congressional Democrats. For the Repubs, it looks like this.
Congress: Republicans
I think around this time Clinton was down to 40%. He won reelection easily. Around this time Bush was around 90% approval (due to Kuwait war). He lost to Clinton big time. As i recall, Reagan was also pretty low around this time, he won reelection easily.
Obama is nearing his mid term, and that is usually the lowest point for the presidents, it is nothing unusual. If Obama is around 50%, not much lower, I would say he is doing quite well.
With economy turning around, unemployment falling, it may be slowly but surely upward from here on. We will have to wait and see.
But whatever happens, he has built a huge legacy for himself, he has managed to achieve what most presidents since Teddy Roosevelt wanted to achieve, but couldn't. That is to provide medical coverage to millions of people who didn't have it (much to the disgust and outrage of Republicans).
In my opinion, it is much better to make a difference for the good and serve only one term, rather than to ruin the country economically and serve two terms (as Bush did).
Rasmussen is a Republican pollster. He understates Obama's popularity by about 5% (same as he used to overstate Bush's popularity by about 5%). So I would say Obama's popularity is in the low 50s, not bad at all.
Of course they are meaningless; Congress is never up for election, like president is. Individual members of the Congress are up for election, and how they do in their constituency depends upon several factors, many of which are local. Overall approval rating has nothing whatever to do with whether a particular member of Congress will be elected.
As to Pelosi, does she really care how high to how low her approval is nationally? Why should she, the Speaker does not have to seek approval nationally. As long as her constituency is happy with here, she will be elected, no matter what her approval nationwide. And as long as Democrats have a majority, they will elect her the Speaker.
Rather than worry about her personal approval rating, she would be more concerned with getting Democrats elected to the House.
Obama's Approval Rating Lowest Yet, Congress' Declines. Obama's approval rating has hovered around 50% since November, but in the last two days has declined to the point that slightly more Americans now disapprove than approve of his performance in office.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/126809/obama-approval-rating-lowest-yet-congress-declines.aspx
http://www.gallup.com/poll/126809/obama-approval-rating-lowest-yet-congress-declines.aspx
Congressional Approval ratings
http://www.pollingreport.com/CongJob.htm
http://www.pollingreport.com/cong_dem.htm
http://www.pollingreport.com/CongJob.htm
http://www.pollingreport.com/cong_dem.htm
Wrong, his only qualification for president was that he was elected by the majority of Americans (and very likely will be elected again in 2012). That is the only qualification required to become the president.
And grade four education? You wish. Obama got a majority of educated class votes. The only group in which he did not perform well was the religious zealots.
Congress is very unpopular. Like President Obama, Congress has seen its approval rating decline in recent months. But Congress is a good deal less popular than the President. According to the Gallup Poll, Mr. Obama’s approval rating has been hovering in the vicinity of 50% recently but in December only 25% of Americans approved of the job that the 111th Congress was doing. That was a little better than the 19% that approved of the job that the 110th Congress was doing in January of 2009 but quite a bit worse than the 39% that approved in March of 2009 which was the high point for the 111th Congress.
Low approval ratings are nothing new for Congress. According to Gallup, the last time Congress enjoyed an approval rating of 50% or higher was in June of 2003. That was back when Congress and President Bush were still benefiting from the rally effect produced by the 9-11 terror attacks. In fact, since 1974, Congress has received an approval rating of 50% or higher only 29 of the 199 times the public has been asked about its performance in the Gallup Poll and a majority of those positive ratings occurred during the two years following the 9-11 attacks. Nor are low approval ratings limited to one party. The Republican-controlled 109th Congress had an average approval rating of 30% while the Democratic-controlled 110th Congress had an average approval rating of 23%.
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball Does Congressional Popularity Matter?
Current Projections
If the election were held today
Senate 2010 + 7 GOP
House 2010 + 27 GOP
The projections seem about right. However, I have a feeling that this is as good as it gets for Republicans. With economy on the mend, unemployment falling, the worst may be behind for Democrats.
I am not saying that Democrats will do well in November, historical tends are against that. However, if the improved economic situation makes even a little bit of difference, the Democratic losses may be reduced to say, 5 seats in the Senate and 20 seats in the House.
However, even with current projections, Democrats keep both the House and the Senate. So if I were a Democrat, I wouldn't be dispirited at all, but give it my best in the November election campaign.
In the House, the Democrats that are going to lose the most are the centrist Blue Dog Democrats, who generally have been voting against Obama's/Pelosi's agenda. If Dems keep control of the House and lose a bunch of their Blue Dog members, they may not see that much of a difference than the way the House is run now.
Unfortunately that always happens. Parties run extremist candidates in the safe districts (in the safe districts it doesn’t matter who they put up) and centrist candidates in swing districts (since a centrist candidate has the best chance of winning in swing districts).
When there is a movement away from a party, the centrist candidates, who won in swing districts by small margins, are the ones to go. The more extreme candidates in safe districts simply get elected with reduced margins. As a result the party moves to the extreme.
That is what happened to Republican Party in 2006 and 2008. Most of the centrist Republicans (like Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island or all the Republican House members from New England) were defeated. Republican Party moved sharply to the right.
Same may happen with Democratic Party. If they do keep control of the House, it will be a much more left wing Democratic Party than it is today. With less than 60 votes in the Senate, they won’t be able to pass anything anyway.
Same will apply to Republicans, if they gain control of the Congress, they will be far short of the 60 votes needed in the Senate. The Senate filibuster, combined with Obama’s vetoes, will make sure that Republicans don’t get accomplished anything in the next two years.
Curiously, I think that Obama has very good chance of getting reelected if he has a Republican Congress. He will be able to run against the do nothing, highly unpopular Republican Congress (the Congress is always unpopular). He will be able to generate plenty of support that way.
If there is a Democratic Congress, Obama’s job becomes more difficult in 2012.
Republicans:
Congress: Republicans
note that contrary to goofy Walter's views, the disapproval numbers of Republicans is higher
True. But the numbers clearly show it is Republicans whose numbers are lower than those of the Democrats. It is no secret why there are more Dems in Congress and state legislatures throughout the country.
Read the bill: Obamacare socks middle class with $3.9 billion tax increase, why shouldn't congress and Obama not be liked.
By: Mark Hemingway
Commentary Staff Writer
04/12/10 4:04 PM EDT
One more small detail they forgot to tell you about in the health care bill:
Commentary Staff Writer
04/12/10 4:04 PM EDT
One more small detail they forgot to tell you about in the health care bill:
Taxpayers earning less than $200,000 a year will pay roughly $3.9 billion more in taxes — in 2019 alone — because of healthcare reform, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, Congress’ official scorekeeper for legislation.
The new law raises $15.2 billion over 10 years by limiting the medical expense deduction, a provision widely used by taxpayers who either have a serious illness or are older.
Taxpayers can currently deduct medical expenses in excess of 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income. Starting in 2013, most taxpayers will only be allowed to deducted expenses greater than 10 percent of AGI. Older taxpayers are hit by this threshold increase in 2017.
This is worse than a tax on the middle class. It’s a tax on the middle class who are seriously ill. And what’s the over/under on how may times Obama is going to break that “no taxes on anyone earning under $250,000 a year” pledge, anyway?The new law raises $15.2 billion over 10 years by limiting the medical expense deduction, a provision widely used by taxpayers who either have a serious illness or are older.
Taxpayers can currently deduct medical expenses in excess of 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income. Starting in 2013, most taxpayers will only be allowed to deducted expenses greater than 10 percent of AGI. Older taxpayers are hit by this threshold increase in 2017.
Last US sardine cans being packed in Maine
Thank you President Obama for allowing another industry to move out of the U.S..
For the past 135 years, sardine canneries have been as much a part of Maine's small coastal villages as the thick Down East fog. It's been estimated that more than 400 canneries have come and gone along the state's long, jagged coast.
Last US sardine cans being packed in Maine - Yahoo! News
Thank you President Obama for allowing another industry to move out of the U.S..
For the past 135 years, sardine canneries have been as much a part of Maine's small coastal villages as the thick Down East fog. It's been estimated that more than 400 canneries have come and gone along the state's long, jagged coast.
Last US sardine cans being packed in Maine - Yahoo! News
If you read that brief "The Hill" article to its very end, you see the comment from the Sen. Baucus spokeswoman saying that the health care reform bill will lower premiums and cap out-of-pocket costs, the reasons for having this particular medical expense deduction. Presumably, the deduction will no longer be needed. Sounds reasonable to me.