For the first time, independent voters—who delivered Mr. Obama the White House and Democrats control of the Congress—disapprove of the job he is doing, 46% to the 41% who approve. In July, 49% of independents approved of the president, against 38% who disapproved.
New doubts about the president have coincided with new hopes for Republicans, who appeared flattened by the election nearly a year ago.
As the 2010 election cycle heats up, independent voters now favor Republican control of Congress by four percentage points.
“For a party walloped two cycles in a row with independents, I think those are very important stories,” said Bill McInturff, a partner at the Republican polling firm Public Opinion Strategies, who conducts the Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll with Democratic pollster Peter Hart.
For the first time since 1997, more people say government is doing too many things rather than not doing enough (49/45) and more are worried about the exploding deficit than the need to “boost” the economy with new spending (62/30, up from 58/35 in June).
All this with a 41% sample of Democrats to 29% Republican. Not a good sign for Obama but a great sign for this country but still only a small signpost. The 9/12 rally was more indicative of the downward popularity of Obama then any poll can be since polls are polls, and they can be spun a number of different ways.
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Good to hear. I’m an Independent who voted straight Republican this past election. I’ll never vote Democrat again. Ever.
I wonder if there are any new poll numbers on 0zer0’s disapproval ratings and/or the so-called health care plan after his media saturation this weekend? I predicted that his numbers would be even worse following his attempt to lie his way into support for his boondoggle.
Did you read the article on CNN? Borger wants Obama to became “BOSS OBAMA” Can you believe these peole! The President cannot even kill a fly, he has skinny legs and no muscles! Maybe Rahm or van Jones, but Barry…Can you picture him fist fighting the guys after school? He probably called his mom.
This is not so much a case of approval as much as it is disapproval. Failed Domestic and Foreign Policy has a way of doing just that.
@URI: Rahm? You mean the ballet dancer? He would have had to call his Dad. I would think that might have been the thing that turned him into an adult bully, misusing his power.
As for 0zer0, Mommy wasn’t around that much…unless you count the school he attended in Indonesia where Step-Daddy enrolled him as a Muslim. I doubt he had any fights with his own kind. Now, Vanny…there’s a street thug for you.
Nate Silver also notes
The other, and perhaps more salient, difference between Rush and Beck, is time. Rush is practically an conservative institution, whereas beck is just getting started having come from a news cable channel that hardly anyone knew even existed. Secondly, Rush may be more anti establishment than Silver thinks. If one recalls his comments regarding John McCain campaign they were pretty bad. …of course, they aren’t as bad as Beck’s recent comment: “McCain would have been worse then Obama”. Furthermore, how anti-establishment can Beck be if, as he stated himself, he might have voted for Clinton if McCain got the nomination.
In any case, some more time will permit us to gain a closer look to discover if Beck is really just riding an anti-establishment wave or if he is another flavor of GOP conservativism; it can’t be both. My thinking on the matter is he needs more of a public viewing, as so few people, according to the poll, even know who he is. Presently, I’m persuaded that they are cousins in the same extended family with similar goals yet deploying different tactics.
@herman:
Cleanup on Aisle 11.
Watch the disapprovals drop again, CBO just confirmed the boy wonder lied to the seniors about medicare in the big speech to Congress.
I chuckle when I hear some news guy or read an article about “obama’s poll numbers drop….though his personal ratings remain high”…..the lefty media just can’t stand his fall.
I heard Beck’s comment about McCainbeing worse for the country than obama – even though I voted for McCain at the time – it was a really tough thing to do, and in retrospect – I do believe Beck is correct. I liken it to the case we now have in New Jersey – the real conservative (Steve Lonegan) was knocked out in the primary (in great part because the republican establishment didn’t stand behind him and chose a RINO instead), and now we are stuck with a far left Corzine vs. RINO Chris CHristie. I don’t think that Christie would do much more as governor than the current imbecile – the only thing that will happen is that in a few years ALL the problems will now be republican problems and subsequently hurt us long-term. As bad as obama is, at least he is creating negative democrat issues (along with his cronies in congress), and at least McCain isn’t out there doing some of the same – he is a RINO for sure.