Obama’s Approval Continues to Crater!

Er, yeah. A few things to note:

1) This is a poll of what Rasmussen calls “likely voters”; not the general public, not registered voters, but “likely voters”. In that sense, it would be more accurate to say “Obamacare is not popular among Rasmussen’s defined universe of ‘likely voters’” as opposed to saying “Obama is not popular with the American people”, or “Obama’s Approval continues to crater.” I bet he is not popular in Alabama, either; but that ain’t “America” any more than the select universe Rasmussen polls is.

2) I am not sure that Rasmussen explains WHAT the “likely voters” are likely to vote for. Is this subset the group of people who are “likely” to vote in the 2010 congressional cycle, or the 2012 presidential race? Or is it defined based on the fact that they voted in 2008? And should we even care a year or three years out WHAT they are “likely” to vote for? Especially since you are measuring issues today based on what next year’s supposed “likely voters” think? Why not just say “left handed people support Obamacare at such and such a rate”? It would tell you as much as this “likely voters” stat tells you.

To the extent that conservatives use the Rasmussen polls to reinforce the “Obama is not popular” and “the public option is not popular” memes, you are engaging in a process of self-delusion and cherry-picking to reinforce your own wishful thinking.

@B-Rob, the “likely voters” that you speculate about are the same “likely voters” that overwhelmingly approved of BO just 8 months ago, when he was proclaimed to be one of the most popular presidents in history. I’ll bet you didn’t have a problem with the “likely voters” definition then. That said your entire post is without merit.

@ Mike’s America –

I have a question:

If you were given the choice between the U.S. having unemployment at 10.2% next October 30 (meaning we are still in the doldrums) or at 7% (meaning the economy has definately turned around) — which would you prefer?

CRAP back with pointless points and tunnel vision again, I see. Why Rassmussen? Of the big three pollsters, Gallup, Zobgy and Rassmussen, the latter is the one with the best accuracy stats. Zogby second.

Zogby’s most recent “job approval” type poll was last conducted Oct 16th. To show the idiocy of the participants, they asked the same question two different ways, and got two wildly different results.

“Overall, do you approve or disapprove of Barack Obama’s job as president?”

Approve 49
Disapprove 51

“Overall, how would you rate President Obama’s performance on the job?”

Excellent (22) plus good (23) = 45
Fair (11) plus poor (44) = 55

Taking the Zogby extremes only, twice as many responders believe Obama is doing a poor job as those who believe he is doing an excellent job.

Gallup’s Nov look at the Zero’s approval shows the favorability trend dropping 21 points from inauguration. Conversely, his disapproval ratings have risen 33 points, from approx 11 to 44 in that same time period.

All polls note he’s losing support by larger margins than he’s clinging to it. Couldn’ta happened to a better fellow.

But then, I’m not a fan of polls. The only one that counts for me isn’t conducted until Nov 2010.

@ MataHarley –

I ask you the same question I asked Mike:

If you were given the choice between the U.S. having unemployment at 10.2% next October 30 (meaning we are still in the doldrums) or at 7% (meaning the economy has definitely turned around) — which would you prefer?

B-Rob: Fair is CLEARLY not a disapproval.

Whatsamatter, guy… don’t like how the wide spread between the extremes of approval v disapproval plays out? Only an attorney can play the nuance game and expect it to alter the truth that the POTUS is losing support by a wider margin than he is maintaining it.

Note carefully: Those in the “fair” category are maintaining the status quo, as well as the “good” category from March in the Zogby data you are contesting. These are responders that were neither over or under whelmed by Obama.

However what you truly fail to accept in Zogby’s history is that the “excellent” approvals have dropped 8 points from March thru October (they have nothing more recent). The disapprovals have increased 10 points in the same period.

So I will repeat, trying to override your “it all depends upon what the meaning of “is”… is” attempt at whitewashing polls, Obama is losing support at a greater rate than he is hanging on to it. Increasing disapproval and losing approval is a mean downslide of notable proportions.

Oh my, what have we here?

Barack & Sarah’s reversal of fortune

Here’s a couple of really, really fun excerpts from the article:

What a difference a year makes. And the winds of change are still gaining speed.

Obama’s fall from grace has been dramatic as he pushes unpopular policies from a health-care overhaul to 9/11 terror trials in New York. His approval is below 50 percent, and the man who rode the wave of public anger is now the focus of it. Even deep-blue states like New Jersey are falling out of love.

He has redivided the nation he promised to unite, and those who strongly oppose him outnumber those firmly in his corner. Independents and moderate Democrats are jumping ship, having concluded he was not honest about promises to govern from the center.

Even more surprising, Palin is the darling of discontent. Her book, “Going Rogue,” is a publishing sensation, selling 600,000 copies in two days. Thousands of people camp out overnight to buy the book and get her autograph.

She’s becoming the phenomenon Obama was a year ago.

This flip-flop in fortunes stems from many factors, war and recession chief among them. Yet ultimately, Obama has mostly himself to blame.

He’s aligned himself with the left wing of his party instead of the ordinary Americans who identify with Palin. His Ivy League eloquence seems tired next to her wrong-side-of-the-tracks passion.

That she could quit her job as governor and still rise from the dead is a testament to fury at Obama and his policies. She is probably not a viable 2012 candidate; then again, he’s not looking so hot himself.

His slide is prompting some beleaguered supporters to argue that expectations for his presidency were naively high. Laugh out loud at that one.

He set those expectations with messianic-like promises, such as the claim his election would mark “the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.”

Oh, and the phony stimulus job stats don’t pass the smell test.

Recent events perfectly capture his problem. Still undecided after reviewing Afghan policy for over three months, Obama opted for a bowing-and-scraping trip to Asia.

The long visit was a waste of time and showed “disturbing amateurishness in managing America’s power,” writes Leslie Gelb, a foreign-policy expert whose book aims to help guide Obama. Apparently, the president didn’t read it.

Obama then marked his return home with his 25th golf outing and a promise that “I will not rest until . . . businesses are hiring again and people have work again.”

He should get his rest. It’s the golf he should give up.

His choice of words at the Monday photo op was also revealing. His obsession with health-care bills surfaced as he saw an “urgent need for us to get to the finish line,” before conceding that most people are focused on “jobs and the economy.”

Indeed they are. So why isn’t he?

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/barack_sarah_reversal_of_fortune_qwYN01s0X8byDUCjy3tcPP/1#ixzz0XtK1lJQS