It all looked so effortless in November.
In February, it looks different.
President Obama's latest Gallup approval numbers still look OK, as long as one doesn't take the historical view and compare them to others' numbers. The LA Times's Andrew Malcolm notes that his initial 68% approval has slipped to 63%, which is average after one month. Worse, his disapproval has risen from 12% to 24%. Not only has it doubled, but it's half again higher than the 16% average for one month.
For what it's worth, Malcolm notes that the lowest approval after one month belonged to Reagan (55%) and the highest to Carter (71%). [Readers may insert their own wry observations on the obvious.]
And for what it's worth, Obama's approval percentage is about the same as Dubya's, but his differential between approval and disapproval is worse.
We don't blame Obama for all this. These are tough times. Obviously, his bad poll numbers are the consequence of Bush's ineptitude. It may take decades for Presidents to recover from Bush's awfulness and get the all-important poll numbers back where they belong.
8 comments:
"Obviously, his bad poll numbers are the consequence of Bush's ineptitude. It may take decades for Presidents to recover from Bush's awfulness and get the all-important poll numbers back where they belong."
Two points - what specific actions are you defining as "ineptitude". Clearly the Bush admin was not the best in PR, but what actions would actually require "decades" to recoveer from? Also - where should the poll numbers be? Is there really an ideal value where they "belong"?
The only real poll numbers of consequence are for approval/disapproval and right track/wrong track for the president of the purple and gold school on the hill.
Anonymous: I think he was being sarcastic.
Literalists!
Based on last night's speech,I might as well just stay in the UK. Unless the R's can summon up the spirit of Gingrich, then the America I would be coming back to would be little different than the place I would be leaving.
Americans hear things like "universal healthcare" and "education for all through college" and think that these are somehow magical words which institute a previously unimaginable realities by the sheer force of being said.
But this is a world without magic, or at least where magicians are not forthcoming. Universal healthcare means nothing like the sort. All the sudden living people are reduced to an assessment of their physical condition as a liability to the taxpayer. Universal education is nothing like it. A university where everyone gets in and the administrators cannot control the cost of enrollment become very large a pre-school program. I know, I'm there.
The point is, if approval ratings are slipping now, imagine what will happen ten years from now when they realize that the Canaan they were promised is really Gehenna? I really am at a loss for the kind of power that Washington has these days—the power to so drastically change the nation with so little effort.
I know what SWNID will say, "Keep a cool head, nothing is as bad as it seems to be." That's hard advice for a time like this.
Oh ya, and Jindal sounds like Dr. Pressley when he speaks.
JB and Bryan, thanks for accurately anticipating our remarks.
Just in case there's any confusion, I wasn't the "Anonymous" person who took your comments literally.
Hmmm didn't see the sarcasm there - oh well - the Gallup numbers for the Feb 21-23 polling show approval at 59%. We'll see how last night's address...er campaign stump speech change people's minds. Probably very little since most of the decline is coming from independents.
None of these facts have stopped the ap, reuters, and other "news" services from referring to Obama as "the very popular president" or "the wildly popular presient"
Don't remember Bush being referred to that way in his first month. I could have made that last comment sarcastic and funny, but the "anonymous" would not have gotten it. However, George Bush is responsible for the difference in press coverage.
Oh wait, how will anyone know that I am not "the anonymous"?
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