Obama Approval Plummets Among Americans Skeptical of Jobs Plan

[Purveyor]

A majority of Americans don’t believe President Barack Obama’s $447 billion jobs plan will help lower the unemployment rate, skepticism he must overcome as he presses Congress for action and positions himself for re- election.

The downbeat assessment of the American Jobs Act reflects a growing and broad sense of dissatisfaction with the president. Americans disapprove of his handling of the economy by 62 percent to 33 percent, a Bloomberg National Poll conducted Sept. 9-12 shows. The disapproval number represents a nine point increase from six months ago.

The president’s job approval rating also stands at the lowest of his presidency -- 45 percent. That rating is driven down in part by a majority of independents, 53 percent, who disapprove of his performance.
---CLIP

The poll hands Obama new lows in each of the categories that measures his performance on the economy: only 36 percent of respondents approve of his efforts to create jobs, 30 percent approve of how he’s tackled the budget deficit and 39 percent approve of his handling of health care.

MORE...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-14/obama-approval-drops-on-skepticism-of-jobs-plan.html

[Turbineguy]

1. I'm not sceptical of the jobs plan

I just know that the repubs will block it making it a non-starter.

Obama should start by declaring the GOP a Terrorist Organization and arrest a few prime terrorists.

[Modern_Matthew]

2. +1 nt

[tridim]

3. Americans are very skilled at blaming the wrong person.

The MSM and the GOP has trained them well.

[dennis4868]

4. Here's a post of mine from another thread....

The problem Obama is dealing with now and has done a piss poor job of handling so far is that 99% of voters do not follow politics like we do and they only look to results...they are TOTALLY UNAWARE that repubs are obstructing any progress to be made so that they can get the WH in 2012...their plan is working better than they probably ever thought it would. Obstruct = no progress and things get worse = voters blame Obama. This is THE REASON why Obama's approval #s are going down, even in California.

The Obama WH never seems concerned about the perception of things, and only results. But in politics, perception is everything. I am worried that it is too late for Obama and his people to overcome this problem.

[Life Long Dem]

6. Republicans are much lower than the Presidents polls.

[tridim]

7. That's true, but I'm responding to the poll cited in the OP.

There is no other explaination.

[ProSense]

5. This

games the questions, from the PDF:

President Barack Obama has proposed a package of tax cuts, spending on public works and aid to local
governments that will cost an estimated $447 billion. Do you think that will or will not help lower the
unemployment rate?
40 Will help
51 Will not help
9 Not sure

As part of his plan, the president has proposed a temporary cut in payroll taxes that both employees and
employers pay, at a cost to the U.S. Treasury of $240 billion. Do you favor or oppose this?
45 Favor
45 Oppose
10 Not sure

As part of it, he also has proposed sending $35 billion in federal aid to state and local governments next
year to avoid further layoffs of teachers, police officers and firefighters. Do you favor or oppose this?
71 Favor
27 Oppose
2 Not sure


So they're split on the payroll temporary cut in payroll taxes, but overwhelmingly support the aid to state and local governments.

It'll be interesting to see the results of subsequent poll because this was taken before the details of the package were announced. Also, the President making the case to the American people will help.

[alc]

8. we should be skeptical

We've heard more details about how "the stimulus worked" than about what the administration learned from it. "Things were worse than we thought" or "there weren't as many shovel-ready jobs as we thought" doesn't show me much learning and doesn't inspire confidence that they know what they are doing now.

What specifically was worse than they thought? (Economy? Banker's greed? red tape? state's cooperation?) What are they doing to improve those areas?

Why do they think they can get infrastructure jobs going quicker now? Are there more shovel-ready projects? Will governors cooperate?

How does this plan differ from the stimulus such that 1/2 the money can do more than something that "wasn't big enough"? What progress are they making on the items they "can do without congress" that we heard about a few weeks ago?

This obviously wasn't a plan to get bipartisan support. I don't see a plan that will actually create jobs even if it passes (which it can't). I can only assume it was a campaign move unless I hear some better answers to the above questions. If the economy happens to improve, they'll take credit (for starting the conversation even though nothing passed the house). If it doesn't improve they'll blame the house. But either way they aren't proposing anything that can actually create jobs. So, yes I'm skeptical.

[TwilightGardener]

9. There's not much he can do. The business world has us by the short hairs.

They will sit on their piles of cash and wait until a Republican takes office--and then the deregulation and corporate-tax lowering will start. Wages will be reset lower. Benefits will be less. Unions will be weakened or eliminated. We're all going to just sell each other lawn mowers at Home Depot.

[Nancy Waterman]

10. Approval plummets among watchers of fox news

and believers of right wing talking points

[Phx_Dem]

11. That poll differs from this CNN poll.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/14/cnn-poll-more-americans-trust-obama-on-economy-over-republicans-in-congress/?hpt=hp_t2

The survey released on Wednesday shows that although a lot of Americans are still unsure what’s in the president’s new jobs bill, they like most of the major proposals offered in the plan that was sent to Congress Monday.

“By a 43-35 percent margin, a plurality of Americans approve of the economic program Obama outlined in his speech to Congress last week, but more than one in five don’t have any view at all of the jobs bill,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

[Avalux]

12. "don't believe". Maybe they should actually read the plan, and focus on the facts.

But that would be too difficult, wouldn't it? Much easier to listen to little snippets of distortion from talk radio and TV news.

[GOTV]

13. As someone who has tried to read the plan I think it's silly to ...

... expect anyone to read the plan.