Atlantic: Why Has Obama's Approval Held Steady Despite the Oil Spill?

[WI_DEM]

A recent batch of polls reveal that President Obama's job approval has remained steady over the last two months despite his presiding over the biggest environmental catastrophe in our nation's history. Why might that be?

First, consider the evidence. Checking realclearpolitics.com's presidential job approval index of major polls, Obama's job approval on June 18 stood at 48.1 percent, virtually equal to his 47.9 percent rating on April 23, the day of the spill. His disapproval rating has also changed very little on average, moving to 47.4 on June 18 from 46.9 on April 23.

Two reasons suggest themselves. First, Obama has BP to thank for his job approval stability. BP has primary responsibility for the spill and response, and the blame is readily shifted to them -- as Obama has done. A large multinational corporation is a convenient presidential punching bag. The public has by now learned much about the spill and apparently had decided that Obama does not merit sufficient blame to deserve lower job approval.

It's striking that Obama's job approval has not reached the lows of Ronald Reagan during the 1982 recession. Then, the new president fell to 41 percent approval in a July 1982 Gallup poll. Obama now averages seven percent higher than that. Has Obama reached the floor of his job approval? If so, that's very good news for the White House, because with his approval in the high forties, he remains a competitive candidate for reelection. Over the next several month's, we'll be "testing the bottom," and the results of that test will determine the fate of Obama's reelection prospects.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/06/why-has-obamas-approval-held-steady-despite-the-oil-spill/58419/

[MadBadger]

1. Thats not what Rasmussen wants you to believe!!!11!!!1!

[Jennicut]

3. Even Rasmussen has it to 45% today. LOL, they can only keep it so low for so long.

[MadBadger]

6. The Fact that they had him at 41% a few days ago made me laugh...and pull my hair out

[MidwestTransplant]

9. Rasumussen isn't there to poll he is there to set a narrative. Drudge can print it then it hits the

RW Echo Chamber.

[vaberella]

12. At this point I think Rasmussen only takes votes from Repubs and Independents. n/t

[FrenchieCat]

14. Rassmusen had John McCain winning Florida 2 days before the election.......

[Hawaii Hiker]

27. Rasmussen probably had McCain winning CA & NY

and narrowly trailing in Hawaii, LOL...

Rasmussen is as phony as a $3 bill...

[Jennicut]

2. Obama is resilient and has a good favorbility rating.

[Lil Missy]

4. Because it's not Obama's fault. It's another shit sandwich from bush/cheney regime.

[nmbluesky]

5. The Media never give Obama fair

because he is a black?
I hope I am not correct..

[liberal N proud]

7. Why would it drop?

He didn't blow up the oil rig.

:wtf:

They want so badly for a Democratic President to do as poorly as the bu$h did.

[Frustratedlady]

8. Reagan reached his low/bottom when it was learned he slept a good deal

of the time and needed prompting by Nancy.

Obama makes everyone tired by how hard he works and his hands-on approach. How many times would Bush have been at the ranch in the last two months? I doubt Obama's spent much time in bed! The SS are earning their money with this guy.

[IOKIYAL]

10. Despite All The Attacks From Left and Right And All

the crap that this country is going through with no end in sight - his approval rating is very high.

[shraby]

11. Just maybe...the American people aren't as stupid as

the Republicans think.

[Clio the Leo]

15. or the MSM, that's exactly what it is. nt

[Kalun D]

13. Why?

Because the same image machine that faked us out in 2008 is continuing to fake us out today.

In spite of the fact that the same system that allowed the worst banking theft in history is still in place.

In spite of the fact that the same system that allowed the worst ecological disaster in US history was still in place 16 months after Obama took office and is still basically in place today.

In spite of the fact that the "clean up" is just as bad of a disaster as the initial event.

Corexit is 4 times as toxic as the crude oil and makes the oil nearly impossible to recover. It's banned in BP's home country of Britian. The White House asked BP to stop using it but they refused. How come they weren't forced to stop? Because this is a corporate White House.

The booming effort is a total fail because the criminal perpetrators are being allowed to run the clean-up and government agencies like the Coast Guard are helping them by promoting their talking points and hiding the evidence.

You can find tons of pics of failed booms but you can't find any of properly set up, properly maintained booms.

Where's the 400 workers that suddenly appeared during Obama's 3rd visit image machine photo op? I see ZERO of those workers manning these failed booms, maybe that's why they are failed. Is Obama that incompetent that he was unaware that they brought in the workers just for his benefit? Or is he just playing along?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. Because obama is not bp.

that would be my best guess

[Dawson Leery]

17. Obama's approval rating has been at 50% with the margin of error.

Most of those who voted for him still approve of the job he is doing to one extent or the other.
Mr. Rasmussen's propaganda polls are weighing down the averages for Obama and Democrats in general.
Take out Ras and the numbers still show Democrats ahead.

[mikekohr]

23. Nothing Much Has Changed Since the 2008 Election Except the Volume Of Those That Lost

President Obama will win by 6-12 million votes in 2012, depending on which loser the Republicans nominate. The divide that separated the right from the left has become more pronounced because of the vitriolic level of sore-loserism from the lunatic fringe of the radical right.. The numbers have not changed. They are in the minority. They're just louder, angrier and as clueless as ever.

mike kohr

[eridani]

18. Because they realize what a super-fuckup the Repukes would have been? n/t

[treestar]

19. Because the oil spill is not his fault and he's done what the government

can do for it and it turns out the people are not that stupid after all, not manipulated by the pundits so easily.

[Hippo_Tron]

20. IMO it's because voters remember that his predecessor completely fucked up the country

Yes, Obama's presidency has been disappointing at times. But I still don't think most people see the Republicans as a viable alternative.

[PurityOfEssence]

21. Ironically for a serial ultramoderate, there is no real middle ground on Obama

People either are for him or against him, seemingly regardless of what he does or doesn't do. It's quite a phenomenon, actually, and that's just the way it is. His most ardent partisans will stick with him regardless of how he doesn't deliver on issues that are of import to them, and vitriolic reactionaries will froth with primordial disgust no matter what concessions he makes.

Many of us on the left who are disappointed, disillusioned and downright annoyed by many of his actions are holding our tongues because we know what kind of ugliness he's up against from the right, but it doesn't make the pill much easier to swallow: we know we're sticking with someone who's systematically dragging the party and political discourse to the right in a misguided effort to find consensus with those who will never play ball, and yet we see no other course.

The feelings engendered by the man are literally transcendent, and it's an eerie shadow-land of cross-purposes we find ourselves inhabiting.

I wouldn't be surprised if his numbers hold more consistently than any other president, such are the irrational allegiances and enmities. His popularity graph will probably be more horizontal and featureless than ANY modern president.

We shall see.

(edited for punctuation)

[xchrom]

22. Well said. Nt

[JoeyT]

24. Because we have to point out that it's

Bush's fault the oil spilled in the first place a thousand times a day.
I'd actually like to see a poll on how many still think Bush was a good president. Especially in the Gulf states.

[TEXASYANKEE]

25. What's equally surprising

is that Obama's poll numbers are so good, considering almost the entirety of the news media is against him. We all know Faux is always anti-Obama, and night after night on CNN I have to watch the talking heads "wonder" how bad a job Obama is doing and is everything his fault. With a "balanced" or objective media presence, his poll numbers might be in the 60s or 70s.

[SweetieD]

26. Yes I admit the poll numbers surprise me in a good way.

I would think with all the negative press, his numbers would be affected more. But perhaps, ppl like me, have just stopped listening to the news. I know I always used to listen to the nightly news and just kept cnn on all day. Now I can't do it anymore. Everything is an Obama bashfest. I have regularly listened to tv news in almost 6 months.

[mzteris]

28. because in spite of all the bitching and moaning

and carping and fingerpointing and blaming and whining -

most Americans still think Obama is the best damn President this country has had in a very very very long damn time.

[HughMoran]

29. The average is still 48% as of today

Even with Gallup crowing about some bad numbers.

Oh, and Chuck (the fuck) Todd is all over a bad poll.

What an ass hole he is - I hate the media.