rssBarack Obama: Still Popular
Monday, February 09, 2009 at 9:46 am
- 30 Comments
One reason why Republicans so often cite Rasmussen Reports is that other pollsters have consistently shown much more — and more resilient — support for President Obama and his policies. The new Gallup Poll is a kidney punch to Republicans: by a two-to-one margin, people side with the president over them on the stimulus. Sixty-seven percent of voters approve of the way Obama has “handled the government’s efforts to pass an economic stimulus bill,” with 25 percent disapproving. By a margin of 48 percent to 42 percent, they approve the way the Democrats have handled it. But 58 percent oppose the way the Republicans have acted over the past month, with just 31 percent in support.
I’m not surprised by this: I think Republicans have acted (and prematurely popped open champagne) on two assumptions that aren’t true right now.
The first is that voters rejected them in 2006 and 2008 because they spent too much money; the subtext is that voters oppose big government spending, and reward the party that cuts it down. This seems like a tautological argument that’s not backed up by history — how much did former President Ronald Reagan cut spending, after all? The second false assumption is that Republicans are winning the spin war because their arguments are leading newspaper articles, columns and TV broadcasts. There’s a Republican senator or congressman making the anti-stimulus case on cable at basically any moment.
The problem: So what? If a tree falls down during MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” does it make a sound? Americans don’t actually watch these shows, and they’re not coloring their opinions of the president.
UPDATE: Byron York sees another story:
Fox News Channel was up 23 percent in total viewers in the two weeks after the inauguration, compared to the two weeks before. In the same period, CNN was up just 5 percent, and MSNBC was down 1 percent. While you can’t conclude too much from that — research shows that Fox has a pretty diverse audience, with more Democratic viewers than CNN has Republican viewers — it’s clear Republicans are no longer averting their eyes. They’re in a good fight, and they like it.
They’re still losing, but now they’re doing it with more people watching.
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30 Comments
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 8:51 am
So a poll says Obama has much more resilient support than Republicans. Really? Obama has been in office 2 weeks now and he has “resilient” support. No. This is just more media worship of Obama by people who can't find real news to write about. Obama is a fraud – that is going to be the permanent analysis held by the masses soon enough. Even those who were fooled by him can smarten up at least I hope they can.
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 9:56 am
So citing an independant poll is now “media worship”. And our president is a “fraud”. Behold the modern GOP in all its glory ladies and gentlemen. Enjoy your richly deserved time in the political wilderness while we clean up your mess.
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 9:58 am
not bitter, are you? the fraud is the repugs in the congress led by the McCain, who is truly showing his colors. Boy, did we get lucky
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 10:14 am
I've been clicking into Fox more often these days…but then I also slow down to check out car wrecks.
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 10:32 am
OK, Lyn, guns are to the left, religion to the right.
If you'd prefer instead to cling to your antipathy to people who aren't like you, we got you a room down the hall, all to your self.
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 10:44 am
The problem with your analysis is that people's approval or disapproval of the “handling” of the stimulus does not necessarily indicate support. Much of the disapproval of the Republicans probably comes from people thinking they're not doing enough to stop it.
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 12:21 pm
Good line, but I’m thinking maybe we ought not use too broad a brush. Most of my neighbors like guns, religion or both, but they aren’t struggling with the concept of supporting a new President. You can spot the dead-enders around here by the tiny flecks of foam at the corners of their mouths. But it is seriously weird, its almost as if, after 2000, some Republicans think if they came within 3 or 4 million votes of the winner, it was a tie. It really is sort of disturbing.
Pingback posted February 9, 2009 @ 1:16 pm
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Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
The sad part is that the Republican Party, of which I am a member, will stay out of the decision making power seat due to their inability to grasp this truth. The blow hards hog the cable/news programs looking for their 15 minutes while the United States suffers. I am not sure how they think this is going to help our party.
If they were even telling the truth one might find some reason for their idiocy but so many have been aught lying regarding the truth about the stimulus that it is just frightening.
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 1:32 pm
Apparently Mark, who posted below, is unable to understand what the polls showed. The American people, NOT PARTIES, gave the President a 68% approval rating for HIS stimulus. Stop the spinning Mark.
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 4:10 pm
Like the mess your party started? This whole problem started when you bleeding hearts demanded that all people have access to mortgages, regardless of ability to repay one(Community Reinvestment Act). Then, to get banks to issue those mortgages, you tell the banks that Fannie and Freddie(semi-government entities) will buy the risky assets off their books, and now kaboom. And yes, I know that some Republicans are just as guilty by helping Democrats block stricter regulation of the situation. It was a cash cow for too many well connected people's campaigns(see Dodd, Christopher and Obama, Barack). The richly deserved time in the wilderness stems from too much compassionate and not enough conservatism.
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 4:41 pm
Now that's funny!!!!! I do watch Fox every once in a while too. It doesn't mean I go along with the none sense spewed over the air and any of the channels. I just think it's ridiculous. Bush did whatever he wanted and no one dared utter a harsh word about the man because he watched out for the rich and powerful. Obama is looking out for the average “Joe & Joanna” and everyone has something to say about every breath he takes. Including some the the “Joe & Joanna's” – who will clearly benefit from this stimulus package. And guess what, Obama would gladly do it anyway and wish you well. We have a president with CHARACTER. And I'm an even PROUDER American for it!!!!!!!!!!
Comment posted February 9, 2009 @ 9:34 pm
Mr. President Barack Obama, thank you for taking the job. Please keep on close eye on this stimulus money, there is people already planning on the use of this money with fauls pretence.
The Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa already has put a plan in motion before the vote and the money, Proposition B Solar Energy, this is not what it looks or sounds, just the fact that the solar panels as part of this Prop B will be manufacture in China, when we have manufactures in California and the USA that can produce these solar panels, keep the jobs in the USA.
He is pushing this Prop B with the notion of creating jobs and moving in to solar system, however, the only jobs are for installing the panels, not producing the equipment.
The Stimulus money should have requirements that the work and the product must be made in the USA, no portion or part can be from outside the USA.
Comment posted February 10, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
The whole world financial market collapsed because of CRT and Fannie and Freddie? Do you really believe this or this is what Hannity and Rush told you? I really feel for your ignorance.
Comment posted February 24, 2009 @ 1:59 am
You can be proud aggain to be an American.
the last 8 years where a disgrase.
Barrack Obama is givving the US and Europe hope for a better future.
“This message was from The Netherlands”
Comment posted March 5, 2009 @ 6:33 am
It is fun to watch the GOP complain about ……. bias in the media. Isn't that FOX? (we may be .. news) But then it is easier to rewrite history from the front. You skew facts at the time, instead of after. There are people who can read.
Some folks watch FOX to laugh, we need some comic relief. CPAC was great!
Comment posted March 5, 2009 @ 3:41 pm
Speaking of Barack Obama:
Barack Obama is a racial-minority individual, and in his heart and mind he inevitably does not endorse hate crimes committed by George W. Bush.
George W. Bush committed hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism (indicated in my blog).
George W. Bush did in fact commit innumerable hate crimes.
And I do solemnly swear by Almighty God that George W. Bush committed other hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism which I am not at liberty to mention.
Many people know what Bush did.
And many people will know what Bush did—even to the end of the world.
Bush was absolute evil.
Bush is now like a fugitive from justice.
Bush is a psychological prisoner.
Bush has a lot to worry about.
Bush can technically be prosecuted for hate crimes at any time.
In any case, Bush will go down in history in infamy.
Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
“GEORGE W. BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY” BLOG OF ANDREW YU-JEN WANG
______________________
I am not sure where I had read it before, but anyway, it is a linguistically excellent statement, and it goes kind of like this: “If only it were possible to ban invention that bottled up memories so they never got stale and faded.” Oh wait—off the top of my head—I think the quotation came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.
Comment posted March 5, 2009 @ 11:41 pm
Speaking of Barack Obama:
Barack Obama is a racial-minority individual, and in his heart and mind he inevitably does not endorse hate crimes committed by George W. Bush.
George W. Bush committed hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism (indicated in my blog).
George W. Bush did in fact commit innumerable hate crimes.
And I do solemnly swear by Almighty God that George W. Bush committed other hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism which I am not at liberty to mention.
Many people know what Bush did.
And many people will know what Bush did—even to the end of the world.
Bush was absolute evil.
Bush is now like a fugitive from justice.
Bush is a psychological prisoner.
Bush has a lot to worry about.
Bush can technically be prosecuted for hate crimes at any time.
In any case, Bush will go down in history in infamy.
Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
“GEORGE W. BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY” BLOG OF ANDREW YU-JEN WANG
______________________
I am not sure where I had read it before, but anyway, it is a linguistically excellent statement, and it goes kind of like this: “If only it were possible to ban invention that bottled up memories so they never got stale and faded.” Oh wait—off the top of my head—I think the quotation came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.
Pingback posted February 5, 2010 @ 8:51 pm
[...] Commenting on FoxNews’ recent ratings bump, Dave Weigel says of the GOP: They’re still losing, but now they’re doing it with more people [...]
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