Obama, Health Care poll numbers cratering
Yesterday it was Gallup, which showed Obama’s approval rating at the lowest level of any president at this point in a first term since WWII. The White House promptly likened Gallup to a 6 year-old with crayons (how very adult). Today it is Quinnipiac with another all-time low.
First the president’s numbers.
American voters give President Barack Obama a split 46 – 44 percent job approval, his lowest ever . . ..
“President Barack Obama’s job approval rating continues to slide and it’s evident the deterioration stems from voter unhappiness over domestic policy matters,” Brown added.
American voters disapprove 54 – 41 percent of Obama’s handling of the economy, down from a 52 – 43 percent disapproval November 18 and his worst score ever on this issue. The biggest shift is among Democrats who approve 71 – 24 percent, down from 77 – 18 percent three weeks ago.
The biggest drop in Obama’s overall approval is among independent voters, who disapprove 51 – 37 percent, down from 46 – 43 percent disapproval.
Talk about a hideous trend line. First of all, he could hardly lose any more Republicans. But look at the Democrat support. He lost 12 points among Dems in three weeks. That is his own party. You really have to try to piss off that many people in your own party. Then there is the perennial problem of the Independents, who deserted the Democrats in droves last month in Virginia and New Jersey. Obama was already at a 46-43 disapproval. Then he lost another 11 points.
Then we go to the issue of health care.
[B]oth the health care reform package that he wants Congress to pass and his personal rating on handling health care now win support from less than four in 10 Americans, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.
Voters disapprove 52 – 38 percent of the health care reform proposal under consideration in Congress, and they disapprove 56 – 38 percent of President Obama’s handling of health care, down from 53 – 41 percent in a November 19 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh- pe-ack) University.
This is now another poll showing that, in fact, the American people do not support ObamaCare, by a substantial 14 point margin. And though lefties will quickly point that the public still trusts Obama and the Dems more than Republicans on the issue, it doesn’t matter. They said the same thing last month, and the Dems got their clocks cleaned in the elections. People will vote to stop a political party whose policies they don’t like. They know one thing about Republicans. If nothing else, they will at least try to stop the Democrats.
Exit question: With Obama rapidly becoming the most unpopular president in modern times and the public opposed to his domestic agenda by very large margins, when will some graybeards in the Party come forward and try to save their Party from oblivion next November?
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cratering? i think GWB’s poll numbers cratered, and they stayed in that crater a very long time. he’d have invaded iraq for numbers as good as these. oh wait, he did… didn’t he?
Speaking of Bush’s numbers (by the way, he’s not the president anymore, not sure if you heard the news) from today’s PPP poll.
Obama is a fast study on how to get your numbers down.
In response to another comment. See in context »I think it worth noting that when FDR pushed through Social Security, his popularity was dramatically impacted. He was criticized for being a “traitor to his class” on the right and further criticized for accepting a deal that left too many people out of the initial incarnation. Those who have a interest in improving the society over the day to day bickering over short-term politics, tend to be the people who leave a true mark.
This is not unlike what Obama is currently experiencing. The ‘right’ hate what he’s doing because they believe he is leading the country to socialism But, lets’ be honest with one another, What is being done may ultimately have a negative impact on the for profit health care industry but it is hardly a step towards socialism any more than Social Security or Medicare was such a step – and we appear to have survived both well enough to allow Wall Street to continue to run the nation.
The progressives are unhappy because they believe Obama has failed to step up and defend the elements of reform they deem vital.
I’m not all that happy with how he has behaved either, but if we make progress to bring health care to more people, then we will have really accomplished something.
Our children will not remember Obama’s slipping poll numbers at the end of 2009. They won’t remember the 2010 elections no matter how they turn out.
THey may very well be studying the progress made in health care that result from the great debate of 2009 and 2010.
That is what matters in ‘real life.’
They seem to remember 1994. It is the Dems who seem to have forgotten.
In response to another comment. See in context »Mr. Dupray,
You asked: “With Obama rapidly becoming the most unpopular president in modern times and the public opposed to his domestic agenda by very large margins, when will some graybeards in the Party come forward and try to save their Party from oblivion next November?”
Poll numbers come and go and it is a long time until November 2010. A lot can change, maybe the economy gets better or worse, things improve in Afghanistan or deteriorate, maybe health care reform passes or it fails. All of these are variables that will impact the election.
However, that is only part of the equation. As I have noted before, you cannot beat something with nothing. Let us say things get worse in the economy, Afghanistan, and health care reform Mr. Obama’s numbers approach Mr. Bush’s record low approval ratings in the low 20’s. What will be the Republicans platform? What will they say about Afghanistan, unemployment, and health care? They have no alternative program, just the same old 1980’s formula “Cut Taxes, Increase Military Spending”. FDR and the Democrats controlled the White House and congress through the worst times in US history. Why? Because they had a program that addressed the needs of the majority of Americans and everyone knew that the Republicans had nothing.
You guys all said the same thing about the polls before this year’s elections. Too far off, Republicans offer no alternatives, yada, yada. And the Dems got pasted.
Yes, anything can change – for the worse or better. That said, the polls continue to worsen for the Dems from what they were even before the elections in Virginia and New Jersey and I haven’t heard any Democrat who sounds like they learned a single lesson. And those were election results, not polls.
In response to another comment. See in context »pasted? you seem to have an imaginary relationship with the real world. if you’re expecting the few 2009 elections to be any indication of 2012 you have short memory and a poor understanding of politics and history. compare obama to reagan… you might remember him from when the GOP had both a heart and a brain. reagan similarly inherited a messy economy and he similarly embarked on record deficit spending to pull the country out of a serious recession… it didn’t take effect immediately however and his poll numbers plummeted. only when the economy returned, the inflation was cut, and unemployment eased did his approval rating start to rise… and he won re-election with a fine mandate.
obama is on that same path. you’re too blinded by partisanship to see the similarities.
In response to another comment. See in context »Heh. You forgot that little matter of Reagan’s tax cuts. I won’t hold my breath for Obama’s version.
In response to another comment. See in context »right, the irresponsible tax cuts that led to his deficit along with privatizing most of the defense department budget. and i can understand your concern what with all of obama’s tax hikes. wait. there haven’t been any tax hikes… even on the wealthy. hmmm. looks like the tried and true GOP dogma isn’t cutting your way these days.
come back to us when your party has a leader.
In response to another comment. See in context »Mr. Dupray,
You wrote: “You guys all said the same thing about the polls before this year’s elections. Too far off, Republicans offer no alternatives, yada, yada. And the Dems got pasted.”
I would only note that the Democrats GAINED seats in the 2009 special elections. More more to the point, there was no poll in November of 2008 predicting either the Democrats gaining seats in Congress or losing Governor’s seats. I add that in November 2007, no poll predicted an landslide for Mr. Obama.
In regards to the “no alternative” issues, it is is still a point, you still cannot beat something with nothing.
In response to another comment. See in context »Are you concerned or thrilled?
I am all for health care reform, just not Socialism. So if this incarnation of reform fails, I will be thrilled.
In response to another comment. See in context »The problem I have with these polls is that they assume that people don’t want strong healthcare reform when they disapprove of the current sham of a bill being mulled over in Washington. It’s more likely that it represents our disapproval of the abhorrent behavior by a majority of Congress, who are clearly working hard for the insurance companies and lining their own pockets while leaving us with little actual reform and more sweetheart deals for insurance and drug companies. Americans are disappointed with the President because he’s not standing up to them to hammer through REAL reform. You can’t expect real change if the most you’re willing to do as president is be a cheerleader. I voted for real change. I’m still waiting for any semblance of that to show up.