Poll: Majority says Obama has met expectations

[babylonsister]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/113769-poll-majority-say-obama-has-met-their-expectations


Poll: Majority says Obama has met expectations
By Eric Zimmermann - 08/11/10 01:55 PM ET


A majority of Americans believe President Obama has met their expectations, according to a new Wall Street Journal poll.

Fifty-eight percent of Americans say Obama has performed as they thought he would, with 12 percent saying he has exceeded their expectations. Just under a third, 29 percent, believe he's done worse.

Congress, however, didn't fare as well:

When it comes to Congress, respondents were more critical. Nearly one-third, 32 percent, said this year has been “one of the worst” congressional sessions, and 28 percent said it was “below average.”

About three in 10, 31 percent, rated congressional performance as “average,” 5 percent rated Congress as “above average,” while 1 percent rated this Congress as “one of the best.”

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. Actually this isn't bad

[Kdillard]

2. Interesting.

[Milo_Bloom]

3. Wow, what a meaningless poll.

Unless you know what the expectations were of the 58% this could be very good or very bad.

[progressoid]

5. Yeah, my expectaions of George Bush were pretty damn low.

So I suppose he met my expectations.

[ibegurpard]

6. indeed

[Common Sense Party]

7. And since it's Congress and not Obama up for re-election this fall,

this is particularly bad.

[Imajika]

4. Errr, this question is sortof useless

Right wingers that hate Obama could very well answer that he met their expectations as well. They expected they'd hate him, and he lived up to their expectations.

What matters is the approval number. If it is anywhere near 58% that would be awesome.

[Common Sense Party]

8. It's at 43%

[Imajika]

10. Well, that is more inline with reality...

The President is probably at around 45% approval if you average most major polls. Not great, but considering the nightmare he inherited and the impatience of the American people I would say that really isn't too bad.

The expectations question is not particularly useful imo.

[DCBob]

9. Polls on congress are stupid since congress is the combined effect of both Repubs and Dems..

it will never be high just by the nature of the way congress works or rather doesnt work.

[Andy823]

11. That's pretty good

Since we pretty much know the majority of those in the 29 percent group are republicans and tea party types, that's really pretty good. As for congress I tend to agree, they could have done a whole lot better. I think democrats would have done much better in the polls if they had forced congress to stay in session and made republicans vote on helping those on unemployment who are out of benefits the 99er's I think they call them. Right now republicans have alienated a lot of groups. Voting no for unemployment extensions ticked of a lot of people who needed that extension. Calling the bill to help keep teachers, police and firemen working a "bailout" and a bill for "special interest" groups, didn't help them out with those groups either. The illegal emigration issue has pretty much shot their Spanish vote. The Muslim vote is pretty much vanished. There have been attacks on single mothers. There support for keeping the tax cuts for the rich which may cause everyone to lose their tax breaks instead of just those making over $250,000. And I am sure there are other groups that the have or will alienate before the election.

I think people are fed up with congress, but I also think most of them are more fed up with republicans than democrats. The democrats have a ton of ammo to go after the republicans with, and they need to start going on the offensive now before republicans go after them. Make the republicans answer for what they have said and done. Make them defend themselves and keep them on the defense from now till November.

If a majority of Americans think the president has met or exceeded their expectations that to could help come November. Republicans want voters to forget just how bad it was under the last republican rule, and they hope that they can spin it so people chose "them" as the party of change, even though they don't have a plan, they hope people are to stupid to realize it! I heard a reporter on CNN yesterday who said that voters have to make a choice, they have to decide what they want. They can't complain about the deficit, want "more" stimulus, and less taxes while keeping all the public services they are used to! It boils down to the fact we need more revenue to lower the deficit and get working on more jobs. People have to remember that if republicans get control of congress "NOTHING" will get done! The will block everything the president wants to do in order to make him look bad in 2012. Is that what they really want? I don't think so, but that's what they will get!

[nevergiveup]

12. A majority of people usually approve of their own congressman

but hate congress. Approval polls on congress are meaningless.

[old mark]

13. This is the only number the administratrion is interested in -its own approval rating.

The left is worthless and will vote for us anyway.


Fired Up!!??!!

mark

[30rock]

14. the problem with the poll question

Is that if a Republican was expecting Obama to be awful (in his opinion), and the same Republican now believes Obama has been awful (as expected), then that person is part of the 58%, because his (negative) expectations have been met. So as another reader said earlier, this is kind of a useless question.