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Poll: Obama Really Popular...In Two Deep-Red States
President Obama's isn't just coming into office with really highly popularity nationwide -- he's apparently coming into office with really high popularity in states he lost by landslides last November.
Here are his approval ratings in two deep-red states, from Rasmussen:
• Texas: Approve 62%, Disapprove 35%. This includes 41% strong approval, and 19% strong disapproval.
• Tennessee: Approve 60%, Disapprove 35%. This includes 39% strong approval, and 21% strong disapproval.
For reference, John McCain carried Texas by a 55%-44% margin, and won Tennessee by 57%-42%.
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Josh
Matt
Eric
I am sure South Carolina is similar to these poll results.
As far as I am concerned, this is all Faux News' fault. Living in a red state, every place (just about) you go into that has a tv on, has Fux News on. It is so hard to "edumacate" the deluded.
January 22, 2009 5:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd wager that if Obama continues to follow through on campaign promises, stands strong and delivers the policy changes he has talked about, these numbers will go up even higher.
Even for people who don't support his policies, they will respect and appreciate him as being trustworthy and strong. And they will come to understand how important the people's trust and strength of leadership is for the health of the nation.
January 22, 2009 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Co-sign big time. If he is honest, like he has been, that will go a long way with the American people. It's a new experience and totally refreshing. Look out, as long as there are no major screw-ups, he will get a landslide in 2012.
January 22, 2009 5:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree about the general optimism. I don't think we're looking at another period like Clinton or Bush 43, where the country was bitterly split down the middle. If Obama keeps doing what he's doing, I think he has really good odds of keeping a substantial majority of people behind him.
But it doesn't have to be quite this big a majority to work -- and taking the post literally, I hardly believe Obama's approval numbers *could* get any higher. I'm not even sure I want them to! If they go any higher we'll have a frickin monarchy, and if they go *much* higher it'll be a theocracy.
January 23, 2009 9:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama will win in an even bigger landslide in 2012. The GOP better start looking for a new Bob Dole to run.
Come to think of it, what's the original Bob Dole have planned? Maybe he's available.
January 22, 2009 5:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm thinking that it will be rambo of the great northwest in 2012 and she will get slaughtered.
January 22, 2009 5:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Alaska may be North and West of the Lower 48, but it is not The Northwest. As a Seattleite, I take great offense to such conflation of geography =P
January 22, 2009 7:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, following through on campaign promises, standing on principle...voters like that stuff. That's why we have a Senator like Feingold coming from a state like Wisconsin.
I hope Obama does do these things, and I hope it's contagious.
And voters will reward them.
January 22, 2009 5:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
WTF? This was in response to MASON.
January 22, 2009 5:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Russ (Sen. Feingold) is an outstanding figure, but I regret to say he even stands out in modern Wisconsin as a pillar of clean government. We've had wave after wave of corruption roll through our once squeaky clean state. Both the Ds and Rs were behind a lot of it, though it may be getting better. I don't know why I say that other than I'm a perpetual (cautious) optimist.
January 22, 2009 6:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yee-frickin-haw, y'all.
January 22, 2009 6:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agree on 2012. Barring the completely negative unforeseen, if the economy has improved (and odds are it will) Obama can approach 60 percent. The man's potential is unlimited, given his qualities and the depth of support he starts off with. I'm loving it.
January 22, 2009 8:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wolf, these polling results can only be interpreted as a huge problem for Obama.
January 22, 2009 8:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does this come as a surprise? Slightly, but not entirely. I remember all those stories right after the election, of many people who had voted for McCain being interviewed and saying, "I voted McCain but I can't help but feel happy and hopeful with Obama winning." I heard that too many times to count.
January 22, 2009 9:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is still below 65% approval ratings in these 2 states. Why can't he close the deal???
(end snark)
I still get a thrill hearing the phrase "president Obama."
January 22, 2009 9:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
I keep telling you. Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, South Dakota, Montana and Arizona. We are coming for those states in 2012 and god willing Obama will aid in moving this country foreward so in 2012 he can make that landslide even larger than the one in 2008.
January 22, 2009 9:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
North Dakota too.
January 22, 2009 9:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Unfortunately we are not. The DNC has decided to drop the 50 state strategy and defend, because that worked so "well" in the years that wanking Rahm Emanuel ran it.
January 23, 2009 10:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Tennessee, the state where democratic governor Phil Bredesen back in the spring of 07 said Obamas values where not "Tennessee values", and then didn't help Obama at all.
Bredesen better moderate his views if he thinks these type of statements will help him get into the U.S senate. It's one thing to say a few kind words about the republicans (they are strong in east Tennessee you know), but this form of southern liebermanism can end careers.
January 22, 2009 9:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder if Texas will be in reach in 2012. Considering states like Indiana went 20% for Dubya and VA and NC at about what the spread for Texas was at this last election, you'd think with the shifting demographics in Texas it might be in play.
January 22, 2009 10:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
"John McCain carried Texas by a 55%-44% margin"
55-44 is not a landslide, in fact it's not much higher than the margin by which Obama carried the country as a whole. And the previous comment about demographics is spot on. Texas is changing, and that has big political implications, just as it did in California 20-25 years ago.
It's still early in the game, but for the Republicans, the numbers have got to be scary: If and when Texas goes, the GOP is basically finished as a national party for the next decade, if not longer.
January 22, 2009 10:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I couldn't disagree more. There's nothing that says the pendulum can't swing back. More than anything, retaining power is about economics and competence... and maybe even a certain semblence of integrity, even if we know it's all a facade. As Obama stated at his inauguration, most Americans are far less red or blue than either party... they don't care about the philosophical arguments over big vs. small government, or entitlements and so on. Americans just want government that works.
So, as long as it's working, the party in power satys in power. When things fall apart, the other party gets the nod. Only a few years ago, the R's were licking their chops, dreaming of a 'permanent' majority. (How quickly we forget.) So, for as long as the Democrats can demonstrate competence, and nudge the economy at least modestly in the right direction, and avoid too many personal scandals, they'll retain power. As soon as they start getting arrogant, assuming they're God's gift to America... then their days are numbered and the R's will get another shot.
It will happen soooner or later. The only question is when. The Dems are in control of their own destiny; what remains to be seen is what they'll do with it. (I have tremendous confidence in Obama, but far less in the Democratic party as a whole.)
January 22, 2009 10:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
True indeed, if we show the American people that our policies can better their lives we can usher in a new generation of Democratic control. If we don't, we will lose our majorities. There is no such thing as a permanent majority. In politics, nothing is permanent.
January 23, 2009 9:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Texas will turn blue soon, it's in the air but with the DNC dropping the 50 state strategy to punish Howard Dean, it's going to take longer and after all partisan political games and retributions are soooo much more important than acknowleging huge success.
January 23, 2009 10:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
The real significance of these numbers is that Republican Senators and Congressmen in those states will be starting to look over their shoulders and will think twice about gratuitously obstructing Obama's initiatives - especially any group III senators up for re-election in 2010. Clowns like McConnell and Cornyn are safe for a while and can continue to bloviate, but they're going to find they're talking to a smaller and smaller crowd of followers. The Lily Ledbetter bill passed 61-36 (so much for worrying about D's not having a filibuster-proof majority) with 4 R's voting for it. I expect the number of R's voting with the D's to grow.
Cornyn, McConnell and Boehner are on the road to irrelevance. The best they can do is slow things down a bit, but they're powerless to stop this train.
January 23, 2009 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think it's great that these states are getting behind the new leader of the nations, I think it speaks a lot to the country's willingness to change. If you look at different news sources they all say that Obama really needs to use this popularity to his advantage in the early days of his administration. To look at how all the different news stations are covering this story visit:
http://newsy.com/
January 26, 2009 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink