The Official Obama Approval Ratings Thread

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I love how Rasmussen broke Pbrower's heart.  Way to go Ras!

Real heartbreak would come from the Tea Party Movement achieving power in America and establishing a perverse syncretism of absolute plutocracy with Christian Protestant fundamentalism.

Looking at socialist authoritarian alternative we have with Obama, we can only hope so.

Can we settle down, children?  There will be no theocracy with the Tea Party or socialist authoritarianism with Obama.  Do either of you know ANYTHING about the United States?  The differences between the two parties in America in the grand scheme of things is minimal at best.  

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I love how Rasmussen broke Pbrower's heart.  Way to go Ras!

Real heartbreak would come from the Tea Party Movement achieving power in America and establishing a perverse syncretism of absolute plutocracy with Christian Protestant fundamentalism.

Looking at socialist authoritarian alternative we have with Obama, we can only hope so.

Can we settle down, children?  There will be no theocracy with the Tea Party or socialist authoritarianism with Obama.  Do either of you know ANYTHING about the United States?  The differences between the two parties in America in the grand scheme of things is minimal at best.  

Barack Obama presides over the biggest government in American history, at least from the standpoint of government ownership and operation of businesses. I believe that he would love to sell off the socialist sector of the US economy, ideally for profit that would manifest itself in a pay-off of much of the National Debt. It isn't he who started the process; it began when Dubya, supposedly the most pro-business President in a long time, signed off on it on behalf of the Secretary of the Treasury, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission,  and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. 

The Democratic and Republican Parties used to be similar, as shown when the Democrats had Jacob Javits and the Republicans had John Stennis. The big difference was what agricultural interests they represented -- southern agricultural interests and Big Labor  being largely Democratic and northern agricultural interests and non-agricultural business of all kinds decidedly Republican, with Big Business largely Republican. They have gone much more ideological, clearly Left and Right.

National health care is hardly socialist if just about every country has it. Every country that I know of has government ownership and operation of schools, roads other than expressways, and the postal system. America remains one of the least socialistic countries in the world.

I look at the Tea Party Movement and I see something uncharacteristic of the sorts of conservatives who used to predominate in the Republican Party -- crass demagoguery, including contempt for educated policy-making. I also notice the deep=pockets funding from the usual supporters of right-wing causes.  Ordinarily such indicates a fascist cause -- radical populism in the ultimate service of entrenched elites.

I used to believe that the only fascists in America were the people who burn crosses or strut around in brown or black shirts while shouting "White Power!" -- pathetic relics of discredited causes as impotent as they are unpopular. I now believe otherwise. Every country has some characteristics within its culture amenable to some sort of fascism perfectly fitting the culture. Just as Italian fascists would adopt a mythologized view of the Roman Empire that the Japanese might find tolerable only at a safe distance and Japanese fascists would attempt to revive the ethos of the samurai which has no relevance to the culture of any other culture, American fascists would reach into the American past to find cultural ephemera fit to the movement. The American Revolution led by people whose core beliefs now seem the antithesis of fascism?  Such is the source of the accoutrements of the Tea Party Movement.

Demagoguery is dangerous whether of the Left or Right.     

I can't stand the Tea Partiers either but the most radical of their positions will never take hold in the United States.  You should focus more on what would actually happen should the Tea Party candidates win rather than the "ideal" America that is only ever going to be realized in Teabaggers' dreams.  These dozens of millions of people who rely on Social Security and Medicare are not going to vote for its destruction and would throw anyone out of office who tried to implement such a policy.  Christian theology will not define American policy because even most Christians in the United States are against that. 

Let's fight the tangible battles.  I hate the Tea Party/right wing because of the insane anti-intellectualism that has become to define them.  THAT'S tangible.  THAT I can see happening right now.  I'll start there before I rally against Joe Miller's Dream America. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I love how Rasmussen broke Pbrower's heart.  Way to go Ras!

Real heartbreak would come from the Tea Party Movement achieving power in America and establishing a perverse syncretism of absolute plutocracy with Christian Protestant fundamentalism.

Looking at socialist authoritarian alternative we have with Obama, we can only hope so.

Can we settle down, children?  There will be no theocracy with the Tea Party or socialist authoritarianism with Obama.  Do either of you know ANYTHING about the United States?  The differences between the two parties in America in the grand scheme of things is minimal at best. 

     This really needed to be said. Calling random Democrats socialists & random Republicans fascists was dead wrong back when Gore Vidal did it to William F. Buckley & it's still dead wrong today.

You have seen a greater attempt under Obama, with the auto bailouts, to increase the government role in the private sector.  And in that case you cannot make the argument it was there to stabilize a broken infrastructure (unlike TARP).

This is government INVESTMENT in private business, not OWNERSHIP.  Therefore, it is not socialism, or communism, or whatever.  I mean, almost immediately people were complaining about what the auto executives were doing with that money.  Had the government came in and told them exactly what to do with the bailout money half the country would go into a "omgz we're socialists!" panic.  You can't win. 

The kind of federal stimulus that has been going on doesn't even really compare with the complete remaking of the economy that happened under FDR.  Did THAT turn us into a communist country?  No, not at all, it only strengthened the conditions for capitalism to become more effective for more people.  Certainly the New Deal introduced a couple SOCIALIST ideas into the United States, but was that a bad thing?  Shouldn't we evaluate what works for our country rather than sh*tting all over anything and everything that could be called "socialist"? 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Things will be very different in November 2012. One will be the economy -- probably better because President Obama greatly harmed the economy.

Another will be that if we see GOP will support fiscal responsibility, unlike 2002-06 and individual freedom. We will also see if those efforts fall to Obama's veto pen.

This is what I can't stand!  What amount of influence do you think ONE MAN in ONE BRANCH of government has on the biggest economy of the planet.  President Obama greatly harmed the economy?  Do you believe that? 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Things will be very different in November 2012. One will be the economy -- probably better because President Obama greatly harmed the economy.

Another will be that if we see GOP will support fiscal responsibility, unlike 2002-06 and individual freedom. We will also see if those efforts fall to Obama's veto pen.

This is what I can't stand!  What amount of influence do you think ONE MAN in ONE BRANCH of government has on the biggest economy of the planet.  President Obama greatly harmed the economy?  Do you believe that? 

Absolutely.  He could have declined to advocate the "stimulus," opposed it directly, or used his veto pen, for that matter.

Economic stimulus is what we need right now.  You're not going to see the effects of it immediately, or even maybe for a couple years.  We tried letting the free market solve all our problems and look where that got us. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Nice to see that less Americans are blaming Barack Obama for the outcome of the economic policies of the U.S. since about 1980. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

No real surprises in the cross-tabs. Obama's approvals are worse in 18-45 than they are 45+. Who would have thought that with all the youth support Obama had in 2008?

The Youth vote has been all over the place lately.  I think it's just dueling turnout models really.

Probably.  I don't think they put a ton of college-aged people in the "likely voters" category. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Today (Rasmussen):

47% Approve (+4)
52% Disapprove (-4)

A bad sample dropped off? Anyways, it seems like Obama's median numbers might have gone up just a bit from the summer.

It would seem this is the case.  He's probably right around 47-48% in reality right now.  He's certainly moved off of the lows of 41-43%.  It would make sense considering the NYC Mosque and Gulf oil spill stories were not positive at all for him and for the first time he's actually trying to boast about the Democrats' accomplishments in Congress. 

The midterms should be very interesting. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

47-48% would seem to be the new norm. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

FOX
Generic Ballot 50-37 R
Obama at 41%

Because, as we all know, FOX is an unbiased, completely trustworthy network.

Fox's polling outlet (which is done through other firms) is not at all unreasonable.

I'm sure they have a hand in how the numbers turn out.  They are a propaganda outlet not a news network. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

FOX
Generic Ballot 50-37 R
Obama at 41%

Because, as we all know, FOX is an unbiased, completely trustworthy network.

Fox's polling outlet (which is done through other firms) is not at all unreasonable.

I'm sure they have a hand in how the numbers turn out.  They are a propaganda outlet not a news network. 

Perhaps you might want to actually look up the history of Fox News's polling before you accuse them of inventing statistical claims to advance an ideological claim.  Because if you were wrong it would be pretty ironic, no?

I don't care if they had Obama's approval at 99%.  THEY. ARE. NOT. A. NEWS. ORGANIZATION.  PERIOD. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Obama approval rating October 2010 (Gallup)

45% Approve

48% Disapprove

Trends for comparison:

Carter: 49/36 (October 1978)

Reagan: 42/48 (October 1982)

Bush I: 57/33 (October 1990)

Clinton: 44/50 (October 1994)

Bush II: 65/29 (October 2002)

If Obama's doomed I guess Reagan must've gotten WRECKED.  ; )

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

a bad bad sample or a bad good sample?

A bad good sample is what he means.  I'm not too sure that 49-51 is wrong.  I would bet more on 46-47 in reality, but Obama's been campaigning and typically that is a good thing for him. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Anyone want to take bets on the over/under after the State Of The Union Address?  I bet he gets to 54% on Rasmussen. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Rasmussen Obama (National)

Approve 52%, +2.

Disapprove 47%, -2.

"Strongly Approve" is at 31%, +3.  "Strongly Disapprove" is at 35%, -1.

This is the best Obama number since July of 2009.

Democrats again adoring Obama after feeling 'betrayed'?

Perhaps people realize the end of the world didn't immediately follow implementation of Obama-backed policy?

Nah... I just think the overall mood of the country is a bit more optimistic right now due to the fact the economic and jobs situation have been moving in the right direction, albeit slowly.  Tucson and the chance to give an uplifting speech, something Obama is good at, didn't hurt his numbers, either. 

I stand by my prediction of 54% on Rasmussen after the SOTU tomorrow.   Probably the high 50s for most other pollsters. 

(is this really shocking?  This always happens with divided government)

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

PPP/DailyKos still finds something very different in their latest weekly poll:

46% Approve
48% Disapprove

50% Favorable
45% Unfavorable

Public Policy Polling, 1001 Registered Voters, MoE 3.1%, Jan 20, 2011 - Jan 23, 2011.

http://www.dailykos.com/weeklypolling/2011/1/20

Never thought I'd see the day when PPP was giving Obama his lowest approvals : P

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

PPP/DailyKos still finds something very different in their latest weekly poll:

46% Approve
48% Disapprove

50% Favorable
45% Unfavorable

Public Policy Polling, 1001 Registered Voters, MoE 3.1%, Jan 20, 2011 - Jan 23, 2011.

http://www.dailykos.com/weeklypolling/2011/1/20

Never thought I'd see the day when PPP was giving Obama his lowest approvals : P

How was PPP during the election?

They were actually quite good... but identified as a Democratic polling firm and always had the Obama MOV a little higher than a lot of other pollsters. 

Can't seem to find Nate Silver's compiled averages on fivethirtyeight.com anymore. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

The Wisconsin fiasco seems to be helping Democrats in the state.  I wonder if this effect will help Obama and the Democrats across the entire region.  I would say that completely depends on whether or not it is resurrected as an issue in the 2012 campaign.... if not it will be completely out of peoples' minds by then. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

We should have a contest... what's the bounce going to peak at?  I say 59%. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Are we gonna have an election where the Democrat is touting his national security credentials while the Republican is campaigning on the economy?  How ironic....

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Sorry J.J., but all I'm objectively seeing in the approval ratings and polls is a decent bounce that has only slightly eroded. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

It's an enthusiasm gap that is being reflected in likely voter screens.