Greg Sargent: Is overall liberal dissatisfaction with Obama overstated?

[babylonsister]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/10/shedding_more_light_on_lefts_d.html


Is overall liberal dissatisfaction with Obama overstated?


An interesting finding from Gallup: Obama's average approval among liberals for the month of September is at 75 percent -- only four points lower than the 79 percent approval Obama notches among Dems overall.

That number, of course, doesn't tell us anything about the degree of enthusiasm animating liberal approval for Obama or about whether the base will turn out in November. But it does suggest that liberal sentiment may be more in line with Dems overall than we've been led to believe.

This brings me to a point I've been meaning to make that keeps getting lost amid the endless arguments about Obama and the Dem base: The impression of dissatisfaction with Obama among the base is largely driven by specific groups of Dem base voters who are unhappy with Obama's performance on specific issues.

For instance: While liberals overall appear generally happy with Obama, that same Gallup poll finds Obama only has the support of 55 percent of the Dem base subgroup of Hispanics. And another Gallup poll out today finds that in the midterm elections Dem candidates have plummeted sharply among Hispanics, ostensibly because of the Congressional Dems' failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Another example of this: Gay advocates have been very vocal in expressing disapproval of Obama -- but that's because of his performance on specific issues, such as the failure to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell. And union members are also unhappy because Obama has disappointed them on core issues of importance to them.

The bottom line is that the constant chatter about Obama's problems with the left continues to miss the mark in a big way. Expansive claims that liberals are broadly unhappy with Obama seem overstated. What's really going on is that subgroups of the Dem base are voicing dissatisfaction with Obama's performance on issues that matter to them.

This is why the White House's ongoing gripe with the left -- that liberals and core base voters should be happier with Obama because he's racked up major victories -- also continues to be off base. Even if true, that argument is hardly going to persuade Hispanics, gays and union members who want more from the White House on their own issues.

All this is to say, again, that the whole discussion of Obama, liberals and the left has been oversimplified and dumbed down so badly that it's lost all meaning.


By Greg Sargent

[LAGC]

1. I really hope we see comprehensive immigration reform within the next 2 years.

Might be hard if the Republicans take control of the House, but Hispanics are one of the fastest growing political blocs. Democrats ignore them at their peril!

[movonne]

3. Well could they possibility want repugs in...why would they ...the

repugs hate them...kiss their ass for votes but they hate them..just ask any repug you know...

[liberal N proud]

2. I think it is overstated or was to start but now all the rhetoric has driven the whining

[K8-EEE]

4. Oh HELL yeah it is, I wonder why.

I don't remember ANYTHING comparable even when Bush was polling in the 20's. No matter what we get our daily indoctrination about how liberals/conservatives and everyone else is "disappointed" when actually his numbers are comparable to Clinton and Reagan's before their first midterms.

[caledesi]

5. Yes. nt

[Merlot]

6. Yes.