FiveThirtyEight responds to WSJ: "Yes, Obama's Approval Ratings Are Declining. What Did You Expect?"

[camera obscura]

This is the first paragraph of a commentary by Doug Schoen and Scott Rasmussen in today's Wall Street Journal:

It is simply wrong for commentators to continue to focus on President Barack Obama's high levels of popularity, and to conclude that these are indicative of high levels of public confidence in the work of his administration. Indeed, a detailed look at recent survey data shows that the opposite is most likely true. The American people are coming to express increasingly significant doubts about his initiatives, and most likely support a different agenda and different policies from those that the Obama administration has advanced.

Scott is an extremely fair-minded guy and someone whom we have partnered with in the past. I don't know Doug Schoen, other than that he's Mark Penn's business partner. In any event, I think their lede is just wrong. Barack Obama's Gallup approval ratings, as of this afternoon, are 62 percent approve and 27 percent disapprove. Those are pretty good scores. The average of all Gallup approval ratings taken for all Presidents, going all the way back to 1937, is 54.9 percent approve and 35.2 percent disapprove; Obama is about 8 points ahead of those numbers on either side. He is notably more popular than an American president usually is, and it would therefore stand to reason that he has proportionately more power than average to advance his agenda. It is not wrong for commentators to notate this fact.

Lots more in the full article: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/03/yes-obamas-approval-ratings-are.html

[Life Long Dem]

1. What does anyone expect?

[elleng]

8. MIRACLES, of course.

.

[indepat]

2. And what were junior's ratings just before 9-11 when his "trifecta" got dumped into his lap:

did he not say later say he and Laura had a very good year (2001)? :P

[SoCalDem]

3. on the downside of 50, as I recall..

9-11 "saved" his presidency

[camera obscura]

7. In the article there is a chart showing that Bush, Clinton, Truman, and Reagan had lower ratings

in their presidencies.

[EFerrari]

4. Doug Schoen is a greasy right wing hack, that's who he is. ETA:

One of the best lying manipulators in the stable except that he's also personally repulsive.

ETA: I forgot, he was also busted for faking poll results. Here's a little bit by BoRev who writes about Latin America:

Don't Cry for Me Venezuela: Disgraced Pollster Takes Job With NYC Mayor

The world hasn’t seen the last of Doug Schoen. AP reports that the disgraced pollster is picking up some big-name clients, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

For many years, Schoen has been traveling the world setting up phony exit polls in developing nations to discredit candidates opposed by the United States. He was the tool behind the undemocratic takeovers in Serbia and the Ukraine, and was recently stopped in his tracks attempting a similar coup in Venezuela.

Here’s how it works: The U.S. pours millions of dollars into localized “social movements” who float the idea to the press and the international community that upcoming elections will be rigged. Pre-election polling conducted by Mr. Schoen shows that the current president is widely unpopular. On election day, his exit polls mysteriously portray the incumbent losing by a wide margin. When the official tallies give the opposite outcome, opposition groups hit the streets to decry the “fraud,” creating chaos and civil strife. The ensuing violence sets the stage for an armed takeover of government, and a new leader, more in step with U.S. interests, is installed.


http://www.borev.net/2006/12/dont_cry_for_me_venezuela_disg.html

[Malikshah]

5. Shades of Kermit Roosevelt circa 1953...

Lovely guy. Worked for the Dulles Bros. and Ike. Used thousands to buy the papers of Tehran, the politicians, the religious scholars, and to hire goon squads to create riots in Tehran...all to show the world the Iran under Mossadeq was on the brink...all in an effort to overthrow him to save the world from the Commies (another trumped red herring in this case....)

Schoen...there's not a level in Hell for your type.

[EFerrari]

6. I'm very surprised 538 doesn't know who he is.

And, come to think of it, he's probably at this moment working his evil on the election to be held Sunday in El Salvador. Creep of the lowest order.

[ShortnFiery]

9. I don't remember all this intensity FOCUSED by the whores in the M$M on W's Approval Ratings.

Why do you think THAT is? Could it be that "the power elite" want to WILL THE PEOPLE to give them permission to continue to redistribute wealth to the rich? ... OR perhaps not pass the Employee Free Choice Act Now?

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

10. His numbers are much better in all regions except the south

where he has a much higher negative, bringing doen the average a bit - but he's still in great shape for 2012, as of now - as he doesn't need the rw south anyway.