Obama Starts With High Approval Rating
According to Gallup, President Barack Obama starts with an approval rating of 68%; a great starting point for any incoming president, but especially for one elected after the public grew tired of his predecessor who left office with an approval rating of only 20%. Obama’s high approval ratings show that the public is generally positive about him and it is an indication that the public’s disapproval of George W. Bush did not automatically mean they were fed up with the government in general.
Although 68% is quite high it is not extraordinary; both President Bill Clinton and President Ronald Reagan left office with the same approval ratings. Many approve of Obama right now, but he hasn’t done much yet. As Joe Gandelman points out for The Moderate Voice, expect these numbers to drop in a couple of months when Obama has made decisions that angered liberals, moderates or conservatives. Or all of them at one point or another.
Still. Obama’s current approval ratings should give him a lot of leverage when dealing with Congress. Every politician looks at the polls before taking a decision. Obama is by far the most popular politician in the country. If he attempts to push through a plan, while having high approval ratings, a potential dissenter in Congress has to be a principled person not to give in and let Obama has his way.
Interesting is that Rasmussen’s latest poll gave different results: ‘The 44% who Strongly Approve is just a point below the highest rating for Obama as either President or President-elect. The 18% who Strongly Disapprove is the highest negative for Obama November 30. The number of political conservatives who Strongly Disapprove has increased from 29% on the morning of Inauguration Day to 34% today.’
The Rasmussen poll indicates that Obama may face trouble if he tries to implement too many liberal policies. 49% of Americans believe him to be more liberal than they are. Many still support him, but if he governs like the left wing of his party wants him to, his approval ratings will drop instantly.
Furthermore, ‘fifty-nine percent (59%) worry that Congress and the President will increase government spending too much while only 17% have the opposite concern and are more worried that the politicians will cut taxes too much.’ This too shows that Obama can get away with quite some for now, but that the public is watching him carefully. If he continues to spend big, he’ll face criticism.
The latter is, of course, good news for Blue Dog Democrats and Republicans in Congress. They need more polls with similar results to convince Obama not to play ball with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.
Keep an eye on the polls; they’ll tell us a lot about what we can expect from the new president.
This means that, not only was Obama’s election statistically underwhelming, his initial approval rating is average as well ? even with the MSM adulation. He’s just another politician. A 68% in any class amounts to a D+ grade, at best. He is no more sublime than any other president we?ve ever had.
So when you hear someone overstating Obama?s victory margin and approval rating as a means for arguing in support of a liberal mandate, see it as the manipulative tactic it is. They merely want you to think that everyone agrees with them and that there must be something wrong with you if you?re not in the Obama fan club. The nearly 60 million people who voted for John McCain constitute the largest dissenting voter population in American history. Do not mistake Obama?s statistically run of the mill victory and approval rating as a mandate for his liberal agenda.
To see that statistics and facts behind my arguments:
http://sethopinionmatters.blogspot.com/2009/01/reality-check-obamas-not-that-loved.html
Seth is statisculating.
The significance of Obama’s numbers are the contrast with Bush and with the Congress, not with the historical record.
It is clear that people want to find a way to work together and to get ourselves out of the mess we are in.
It is also clear that people want to get us out this mess in ways that are fair and that minimize the downsides, like damage to the environment, exploitatiion of others, etc.
Seth’s faux cynicism and cracks at the “adulation” of the MSM show that he is more interested in using his numbers to make a point than to describe what is happening in the real world.
Too bad for Seth, with Limbaugh and the other right wing blowhards there just isn’t much room for that schtick.