Poll shows growing disappointment, polarization over Obama's performance

[alp227]

Source: Jon Cohen and Jennifer Agiesta, The Washington Post

A year into his presidency, President Obama faces a polarized nation and souring public assessments of his efforts to change Washington, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Nearly half of all Americans say Obama is not delivering on his major campaign promises, and a narrow majority have just some or no confidence that he will make the right decisions for the country's future.

More than a third see the president as falling short of their expectations, about double the proportion saying so at the 100-day mark of Obama's presidency in April. At the time, 63 percent said the president had accomplished a "great deal" or a "good amount." Now, the portion saying so has dropped to 47 percent.

Republicans are particularly critical of Obama's efforts in general and on big domestic and foreign issues. Just 20 percent of Republicans approve of his overall job performance, compared with 87 percent of Democrats. That partisan gap is bigger than any that Presidents Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush or Ronald Reagan ever faced among the general public. It's about on par with divergent ratings of George W. Bush across his second term.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/16/AR2010011602828.html?wprss=rss_politics

[FrenchieCat]

1. He's just a big pile of shit!

[cliffordu]

8. I know I hate him cause he gave my dog a stomach ache.

[RoyGBiv]

16. Made my cat start eating butterflies ...

Think of the butterflies.

[cliffordu]

43. OMFG. The poor poor butterflys

[RoyGBiv]

2. Republicans are particularly critical ...

Shocker.

Meanwhile, his support among liberals remains high.

[MercutioATC]

3. Liberals don't decide elections...

...neither do conservatives.

Independents decide elections.

[RoyGBiv]

5. And?

According to my calender, Obama is not up for reelection until 2012.

[MercutioATC]

6. Ok. We'll be completely unconcerned until 2012.

Keep in mind, even liberal support could change in 24 months.

[RoyGBiv]

15. I'm not unconcerned ...

I just choose not to revel in my own pathetic desperation.

[MercutioATC]

38. I'm simply pointing out that your statement doesn't have much practical value.

I'm hardly "reveling in desperation". Your claim that Obama's support among liberals simply doesn't address the OP.

[No Elephants]

10. It's not all about Obama.

[RoyGBiv]

14. Really!?

It's not all about Obama?

Well smack my ass and call me a totem poll. Funny me. All of Obama's nihilist critics have been telling me since before he was inaugurated that it was all about him, what he did or didn't do, and now here you are to tell me it's not ... in a thread about his approval numbers.

Is it about Congress? Obama is responsible for Congress? Oh wait, no, can't be 'cause it's not all about Obama, so it's about Congress, and Obama's approval numbers, who it's not all about, are the issue when it comes to Congress ... except it's not about Congress, but a Congressional election, so that's about him, but not, because it's not all about him, so it's about the candidate, and the candidate supports Obama's policies, but that's bad because the policies suck, so it's about Obama, but not, because it's not ... <ahem>

Yeah, I could go on for days, but I'm not going to bother.

[DBoon]

37. Congress? How about just the Senate?

How about archaic senate rules that allow a minority of senators to indefinitely obstruct anything progressive

[Hansel]

36. We all decide elections. There's nothing special about independents. nt

[MercutioATC]

40. Really?

That's your response?

Jesus wept.



Yes, we all vote. However, since a party's candidate can usually count on support from the members of that party, getting the votes of unaffiliated voters is what wins elections.

I shouldn't have to explain this to you.

[dalter2009]

12. Support from liberals is high, what are you smoking?

I am a liberal, "For democracy and the abolition of privilege", Concise Oxford English Dictionary definition of a political liberal.

Bailing out big bank fraudsters is not liberal. Expanding Bush's wars is not liberal. Keeping torture policies is not liberal. Writing a health care reform bill that is decidely a huge giveaway to the health insurance companies is not liberal. And for the record, I am not a democrat, as your party has let the Repubs trash the word because you failed to look it up and live up to it.

Brown wins because the democratic party leaders are as corrupt as the Repubs, no worse, there slimy, sleazy accomplices, especially Obama. His deeds speak.

And luckily, honest Mass voters have noticed.

[RoyGBiv]

13. Why did I know your post would begin with "I"

It's not about you.

The last in-depth Gallup poll showing approval of the President. I call 84% among Democrats and 80% among liberals "high." You may have different standards.

[Red Knight]

19. Party-Think

I think that a lot of this is just what we saw when Bush was president and doing a horrible job--the right still liked him. They still gave him favorable ratings and you KNOW that if it had been a Dem in office they would have eviscerated him.

The Dems are not immune to this either.

I find it hard to believe that most of the libs really support things like bank bailouts, troop surges, health care mandates, and any number of other things.

But....Obama is a Democrat and so...they support him.

Some of that is the fear that there is no where else to go or that it could be worse. Some of it is that Obama is just--well, likable in how he presents himself.

But it still amounts to "team" mentality.

He hasn't made any effort to reform the banking industry and it's only a matter of time before the bottom falls out again.

But...he's a Democrat. He's on OUR team.

This type of thinking can only help slide the party further to the right. We're all accountable.

You get what you pay for--and when there is no noticeable difference in how the Dems and Repubs govern--we will have earned it.

[RoyGBiv]

20. This is what's awesome ...

Obama's poll numbers drop, so he's a corpocrat (insert your favorite made-up word used to indicate disdain) traitor who has abandoned his base, but when they go up or stay the same among the demographic that elected him, he's just this "team" guy who we only support because of that.

You need to figure this message out and make it consistent.

And you need to pay more attention to what's actually taking place.

[icee]

27. Exactly. All shades of gray. A big blob moving nowhere...

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[suzie]

45. You want to compare Obama with Jimmie Walker and put Dennis Kucinich

in the same vein as John Wayne.

I have to say that I'm constantly shocked to see the level of racism among those who call themselves "progressives", that comes out at odd moments.

Obama as Jimmie Walker. Unbelievable.

[treestar]

28. That was the thing I noticed too

:rofl: Like Republicans would give him a fair shot. If they weren't critical of Bush, they have no ground to be critical of Obama. Hypocrites.

[yurbud]

41. Republicans are upset for the opposite reason as progressives

We want him to do more to bring Wall Street to heel and make corporate America the servant of our democracy instead of vice versa.

Republicans don't want Obama to be president at all, so especially with their rank and file there's nothing he can do to please them.

Even with GOP pols, Obama only has to look to Bill Clinton's presidency to see what the rewards of ''bipartisanship'' are--Clinton passed some of the right's babies like telecomm and welfare reform, and NAFTA and they STILL wouldn't stop talking about his penis and tried to impeach him.

Democrats know that they won't win the cooperation of GOP pols, but they don't expect to. What they are realy doing when they reach out to Republicans is reaching out to their corporate patrons and trying to convince them Democrats can carry their water as well or better than the GOP.

[FarLeftFist]

4. With the political climate the way it is and....

The RW as radical as ever I believe even if Obama was doing a great job the highest his poll numbers could go would be about 60-65% approval, the RW will not budge and never give him good grades no matter how well he does.

[FrenchieCat]

7. I made calls for Coakley earlier today, and was feeling pretty good,

and then I made the mistake of coming to DU,
and got completely demoralized. :(

I didn't think that this website was supposed to be used
to assist the other side in winning,
but I guess that it now is.

[still_one]

32. I am with you Frenchie /nt

[struggle4progress]

9. Obama's popularity dip comes with job (WaPo via Sarasota FL Herald-Tribune)

By DAN BALZ The Washington Post
Published: Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 9:10 p.m.

WASHINGTON - A month before he was inaugurated, Barack Obama pinpointed one of the biggest challenges he would face ...

"What we don't know yet is whether my administration and this next generation of leadership is going to be able to hew to a new, more pragmatic approach that is less interested in whether we have big government or small government; they're more interested in whether we have a smart, effective government," he said ...

Obama receives mixed reviews for his first-year performance, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. His approval rating stands at 53 percent, with 44 percent disapproving ...

"The president had to deal with certain things and certain issues because of the economic crisis," said Joel Benenson, Obama's lead pollster during the campaign. "These were not matters of choice. ... None of these reflect an agenda he campaigned on and, in fact, in doing a lot of them, he was very cognizant of the fact that they had big political downsides, that they weren't popular with the American people" ...

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100117/ARTICLE/1171049/-1/NEWSSITEMAP

[No Elephants]

11. I don't think this poll sounds all that bad.

Yes, his ratings have decreased from his "honeymoon" period, but that is to be expected, especially when he is dealing with Iraq and Afhanistan, the so called WOT generally, a bad economy, etc. He's still hovering around 50% approval.

And even 20% of Republicans approving of his job performance in these days of bitter partisanship is pretty damn good.

I think WAPO spun these results negatively. A story spinning the same numbers a different way is perfectly possible.

Besides, I am disappointed in many things about Obama and the Congress. Does that mean I want Republicans in the WH or controlling Congress? Nope.

[residentfan]

17. Neither do I

The Republicans will turn this country back to the days of torture and undeclared wars. The Democrats need to get their act together and start selling their agenda more aggressively by passing legislation quickly and tooting their own horn. Right now the Repubs have done a bang up job in both blocking legislation and in promoting negativity both to our President and to the Democratic congress. In turn, the Democrats have done a poor job, imho, in promoting the good things they have done for the American people since the last election. It's all about selling yourselves.

[izquierdista]

22. Turn it back?

It seems as though the Democrats haven't moved it very far away from the days of torture and undeclared wars, if any. Despite all the hoopla, I haven't seen a sea change on the order of 1932 or 1980, when the word from on top was that things were going to be different.

We are still living with the Repubs in charge, as the health insurance debate has painfully pointed out. Contrast this to the Democrat controlled years of Eisenhower. Although he was a Republican, he did not set about dismantling Social Security and the New Deal in his time in office. Obama is acting more and more like (Bill) Clinton as time goes on; let the Repubs set the agenda, and then bargain with them to get a couple itty-bitty liberal concessions.

The Democrats DO need to sell their agenda more, and it begins with actually setting one.

[Mari333]

18. the young people who came out in droves for Obama arent so happy

my sons voted for him and they are not happy, nor are the many young people I know. they are very left leaning, believe the wars are a mistake, believe in gay equal rights, need jobs, and believe in social services for the poor,
no, they wont be out in the same droves if Obama doesnt do a 180 and fast.
if 2010 goes down, Obama will be a lame duck even more.

[RoyGBiv]

21. Wrong ...

He's polling higher among the 18-24 demographic than he was a month after the election.

Try again.

[Mari333]

23. ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ari-melber/poll-young-people-back-ob_b_378859.html?&just_reloaded=1
they still disagree with him on major issues.
and support in general does not mean enthusiastic voting.
young people usually dont vote if they arent interested.
and if he doesnt make a turnaround on those issues I dont see them showing up at the polls to vote.

[RoyGBiv]

24. Oh, okay ...

So they support him, but they don't really support him.

All you nihilists really need to get together and find a consistent message. Of course, I realize that's against your basic philosophy.

[Mari333]

42. no, reality on the ground, hello

young people usually dont vote unless they are fired up. if they are not happy with major issues, why would they vote? think about it sometime.

[Almost_there]

53. Someone needs a hug...

Wow... reading this thread, looks you are really snippy. Things are NOT all friggin' rosy in the Rose Garden, and quite honestly, I think many people can see why. There has been too much of the "politics as usual" and not enough of the change, the moving of the WH and Congress in the correct direction.. I don't know where you come up with your numbers, but, 80% of statistics are just made up.. or maybe it's 90%...

There is definately polarization, the degree varies, but, the numbers DO lie, it all depends on what spin you put on them. Obama's honeymoon is over, but, his ratings will come back, but, don't take things for granted in politics.

[RoyGBiv]

55. Gallup Poll ...

... is where I get my numbers.

In my experience, the only people who seriously use some line like "X percentage of statistics are made up" don't genuinely understand statistical analysis. The numbers don't lie. The people who interpret them lie, and it is a lie to state, as has been stated all over this forum for *months*, even before he was inaugurated, that Obama's support among liberals, young people, etc. has "plummeted" or some variation of that word. It is also the height of intellectual bankruptcy to discount statistics in the same breath one uses their own, provincial experiences to try to counter them.

And I'll note something else. The *same* people who are running around claiming Obama's ~80% approval rate among self-proclaimed liberals is a "made up" statistic are also using wildly fluctuating poll numbers in the MA Senate race as an indication that Obama is a failure. These people don't truly believe statistic are made up. They don't actually care about nor understand statistics. What they do care about is finding some excuse to complain on a Internet forum, make up cute names for people they perceive to be their ideological enemies, and justify not doing anything but proclaiming at every made up opportunity "all is lost!"

Yes, the honeymoon is over, which is what always happens with Presidents. The generally uninterested go back to being generally uninterested; the ideologues go back to doing whatever it is they do; and people who think they're Cassandra come out of the woodwork to cry on everyone's shoulder and get angry when others don't cry with them.

Keep your hug. I'm fine. I've been phone-banking for the last two days and just thought I'd take a break to see what other faux outrage and arisen on DU since Saturday.

[AlphaCentauri]

54. reality is that they don't have more options n/t

[RoyGBiv]

56. Ah, I see ...

A consistent approval rating now means "no other options."

Got it.

[AlphaCentauri]

57. in a bipartisan system if you disprove one by default approve the other one

and if the other side is much worst where are they going to put their harts?

[RoyGBiv]

58. The questions are not structured that way ...

If they were, the poll would have almost no utility.

[icee]

29. I agree with you 100%, Marie, all the blivating below notwithstanding..

The young won't be out; nor will the Independents be out. I wasn't looking for a Bush-lite; I was looking for hope and change. I know Presidential candidates rarely live up to all their promises. But most live up to SOME of their promises.

[treestar]

30. Young people are generally immature

But closer to their educations where they might remember how the government is supposed to be? Just because they are young doesn't mean they expected obama to provide them with jobs and generally be their Messiah.

[still_one]

34. I don't agree that they are generally immature, at least the ones who can vote

Young people are a lot more mature than young people 30/40 years ago

I also don't agree with the OPs opinion that young people are walking away from the Democratic party

In my experience just the opposite is happening

[Romulox]

46. On the other hand, young fools grow into old fools. nt

[still_one]

33. Funny, my daughter doesn't share your sons views /nt

[hollowdweller]

25. On NPR

They interviewed two voters just now. One said that he was let down Obama had mostly the same old politicos in his admin. The other was let down that Obama's health reform wasn't liberal enough.

I think it's wrong to think this helps the GOP gain voters. I think it more hurts the dems by keeping their voters home.

I think Obama and the dems are figuring even if they turn off part of their base all the money they will get from corporations by bowing down to them will allow them enough $$ to run negative ads and make up for the voters they lost by not actually making good on their promises during the campaign.

[treestar]

31. Obama raised a lot of money directly via internet

That was revolutionary. That lessened the corporations' ability to be the only ones with enough money to allow candidates to get access to the expensive media.

So these two voters need to get a clue. They aren't the only people in the world. they just sound like self centered individuals singled out by reporters.

[Bigmack]

35. Obama's top contributor?....

Goldman Sachs.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4295398

[truthisfreedom]

39. REVISED HEADLINE: "Obama Inherits Total Bullshit, Crowd Hates Smell"

Seriously, folks.

[HughBeaumont]

44. "Before you start brewin' that tea, remember who put US in hot water."

:thumbsup:

[Romulox]

47. "Obama Inherits Total Bullshit, Crowd Objects to His Massive Bailout of Beef Industry."

Fixed it for you. :hi:

[bdamomma]

48. just imagine if McCain got in with Palin food for thought.

[BlueIdaho]

49. President Obama fails to walk on water - crowd disappointed.

What a shocker.

[TxRider]

50. Then he shouldn't have promised he would...

[SammyWinstonJack]

51. heh!

:thumbsup: :evilgrin:

[BlueIdaho]

52. What campaign were you following?