Obama Gets Strong Support in Poll

[question everything]

MARCH 4, 2009

Obama Gets Strong Support in Poll
Popularity Can Help President Pursue Big Initiatives; Warning Signs on Health Care


By LAURA MECKLER
WSJ

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama enjoys widespread backing from a frightened American public for his ambitious, front-loaded agenda, a new poll indicates. He is more popular than ever, Americans are hopeful about his leadership, and opposition Republicans are getting drubbed in public opinion, the new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll suggests. But there are also early warning signs showing risks if his plans don't show progress. The president's support, while still deep, looks increasingly partisan as Republicans move away from him. Americans have more confidence in the president himself than in some of his initiatives, such as the economic stimulus package, and have some hesitation about his plans to raise taxes to expand health coverage.

(snip)

To that end, the president emphasizes the aspects of his program that are easiest to support. On energy, he focuses on the upsides of alternative energy and the need for efficiency, glossing over the impact of punishing polluters. On health care, he focuses on the need to reduce the cost of care, with the need to help the uninsured always mentioned second. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R., Ohio) predicted that Mr. Obama will have trouble moving his agenda. "Everyone knows that the president remains popular, but let's be honest: The solutions Democrats are pushing are not," he said in a statement. The poll found a sharp jump in the proportion of Americans who say the nation is "generally headed in the right direction" since Mr. Obama's January inauguration, a period when economic indicators and financial markets have suggested the opposite. The survey shows that 41% of Americans say the country is headed in the right direction, up dramatically from 26% in mid-January, before Mr. Obama took office, and up from 12% before the election. The number who say the country is on the "wrong track" is still higher at 44%, but given the economic conditions, pollsters expected it to be much higher.

In the past, similarly sudden improvements in national mood were recorded only after national emergencies that prompted a rallying effect, such as the 2001 terrorist attacks. In this case, the boost is being driven by Democrats and other Obama voters who are pleased with the opening weeks of the administration. Overall, two-thirds of all Americans say they feel "hopeful" about Mr. Obama's leadership and plans, compared with 28% who say they feel "doubtful." Yet a record 70% are very dissatisfied with the economy, and half of all adults are dissatisfied with their own financial situation. Three in four say economic conditions have "a ways to go" before they hit bottom... The survey of 1,007 adults was conducted Feb. 26 to March 1 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

(snip)

Part of the explanation for the numbers is that few blame Mr. Obama for the bad economy, with the vast majority of Americans saying he inherited the situation. About half the people will give Mr. Obama at least two years before assigning him responsibility. The positive numbers are driven largely by Democrats who cheer the president's quick embrace of some items long on the party's agenda, such as an expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program and a promise to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

(snip)

The poll had bad news for the Republican opposition. By a margin of more than 2-1, Americans trust the Democratic Party over the Republicans to get the country out of the recession. Views of the GOP are near an all-time low. And more than half of all adults say that Republicans in Congress have opposed Mr. Obama's proposals more to gain political advantage, compared with 30% who say Republicans have done so because they are standing up for their principles. By a huge margin, people say there is no more bipartisanship in Washington now than in the past. For that, they are most likely to blame President George W. Bush's administration and congressional Republicans. They put almost none of the blame on congressional Democrats or Mr. Obama. The survey also found that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's favorability ratings are an all-time high, with 59% of Americans seeing her in a positive light and 22% seeing her negatively, a striking turnaround from very low ratings immediately after she and her husband left the White House.

(snip)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123612000246123253.html (subscription)

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A3

[FrenchieCat]

1. So I guess that the media attempting to blame the President

for the Stock Market performance isn't working very well.

Considering how hard they are trying, guess they will have to go back to the drawing board,
and make up some new shit.

[opihimoimoi]

2. They are trying to lay blame but its not working...They knows the Blame lies in Bush Direction

Its the Bush Recession

[question everything]

3. Which may explain the frenzy about Rush

This is the only place where can find a crowd that would blame Obama for everything.

[WI_DEM]

4. I have a feeling the American people don't agree with everything he's doing, but finally glad to

have a president who is truly trying and has ideas good or bad, and willing to change them if needed if they don't work, unlike unflexible Bush.

[uponit7771]

5. Yeap, that 15 point swing is the biggest in that categories history. Obama has the political...

...capital to go after health care.