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Poll: Obama Getting Bad Reviews So Far On Handling Of Gates Incident
A new Rasmussen poll out this morning shows that President Obama may have some work to do with the American public at today's "Beer Summit," with an overall negative review of his handling of the Gates-Crowley situation so far:
How do you rate the way the President has handled the situation over the past week?
13% Excellent
17% Good
18% Fair
44% Poor
8% Not sure
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Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
I find the choice of answers interesting in framing the desired outcome. Why divide the postive into three different subgroups: excellent, good, or fair; yet the negatives have only one choice: poor. So if the choices were "good" or "poor", I wonder what the results would be? Based on this it looks like 48 positive, 44 negative. That paints a far different picture, doesn't it?
July 30, 2009 12:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rasmussen strikes again...
July 30, 2009 12:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
You might be right, but I doubt all of the "fair" would break for "good" given a choice between "good" and "poor". In fact, I'd wager that a good portion of them would break for "not sure". OK, I wouldn't really wager that because I know I'm horrible at predicting how the "everyday person" feels about things.
I also think that a large portion (but not all) of the "poor" response would say that about anything Obama related.
July 30, 2009 12:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed but you don't need good or poor. A simple pass or fail will do. This is what the Republicans really want. Answers that are in black and white.
I wrote a post yesterday how Rasmussen manipulates his polls to set the outcome as to benefit the GOP. Truth is there is nothing believable about his polls period.
July 30, 2009 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
A Rasmussen poll supporting the right-wing narrative? I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you!
July 30, 2009 12:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
A Rasmussen poll with bad numbers for Obama. Color me stunned.
July 30, 2009 12:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
This poll says nothing. What does poor mean? He should have apologized or he shouldn't have "calibrated" his words, but stick to his original opinion? Does it mean he should have said nothing or he didn't say enough?
July 30, 2009 12:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
exactly. i would say "poor" because he should have just stuck with saying the cops acted stupidly. all this monday morning quarterbacking is the white house acting stupidly.
but that's not what rasmussen is hoping people will think when they read the poll. he's a schmuck.
July 30, 2009 12:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Better yet, what does "fair" mean? Just OK, not bad, with impartiality?
July 31, 2009 8:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
Why do a report on a GOP paid for survey from this group that has a history of bullshit surveys and numbers. Boycott them TPM!
July 30, 2009 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd sure like to see someone compare the smaller percentage of Americans, who believe that racial profiling actually does take place in this country (and is not some unbelievable "reverse racist" concept), with the percentage of actual African-Americans in this country.
Because one pretty much mirrors the other. It is not for nothing they are called a "minority". But, as exactly happened in the O.J. case, you have a loud majority, simply outraged at "reverse racism". And a virtually perfect line of demarcation at the minority opinion, which virtually perfectly reflects a different race.
In all the stupid-ass polling we get jammed down our throats every day, funny, but no one ever sees fit to point this out.
And ironically, that alone proves that President Obama is right to have opened this messy can of worms: as long as our national sociological division is THAT sharp, and THAT racial in nature... we got a problem, folks. Pretending it isn't there is not an option.
July 30, 2009 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
You've made excellent points, when you consider all factors 44% is not that bad a number.
July 30, 2009 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sigh. Looks like the Machines changed something in the Maxtrix 'cause I'm having deja vu.
Rasmussen put this poll, like all of its polls, through its "likely voter" filter. All "likely voter" models, and Rasmussen's in particular, skew Republican this far out from an election.
This is very con-veeeen-ient for Rasmussen.
It means their polls become more accurate the closer you get to an election, so they don't lose their reputation for "accuracy" but this far out from the next election, they produce wildly inaccurate crap results that are very pleasing to their primary market, conservative politicians and media, which makes it more likely conservative politicians and media will use them when election year rolls around.
If I posted something like this once, I did it a hundred times during the run up to the primary and general election season. You can find the same thing on Pollster.com or any other site about the business of polling. Anyone who took a a single three hour course on survey research methods in college should know it.
And yet, it all seems to be far too nerdy and uninteresting for the talking hairdos to mention when they talk about these very important results on the cable news shows.
July 30, 2009 1:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
You are assuming the hairdos who run and host the cable news shows want their polls to reflect the public mood accurately.
July 30, 2009 1:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seems to me you take the Obama can't do anything right crowd and the cops can't do anything wrong crowd (a lot of overlap here), then throw in the he should have never backed down/ wasn't aggressive enough bunch and 44% isn't that big a deal.
July 30, 2009 5:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
If I were asked I would grade him:
FAIR on his original answer to the question at the press conference.
GOOD on his follow up phone call to the officer and surprise presser.
and
POOR on his choice of beer. Bud Light? Really? I know you're worried about being called an arugula-consuming elitist, but you could have at least chosen a nationally-marketed craft brew (Sam Adams is patriotic enough, dontcha think)?
After all this is supposed to be a "teachable moment".
July 30, 2009 1:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sam Adams is way too big to be considered a craft brew anymore. Dock Street would be a respectable craft brew for the occasion.
July 30, 2009 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ya I know Sam Adams isn't really craft brewed, but it's better than Bud.
Dock Street I've never tried, I'll have to pick some up. (Teachable moment.)
July 30, 2009 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
You may have to go to Philly for Dock Street (that's the only place I ever had it). Worth the trip, especially to the brew pub.
July 30, 2009 2:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't get me started in light beer. If you want a beer order a BEER!
July 30, 2009 5:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not for nothing, but Rasmussen isn't the only poll with bad news for Obama's handling of the Gates' situation. According to Pew, it's 49% disapprove, 29% approve, 30% don't know.
July 30, 2009 1:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oops! That's 108%! It's 41% disapprove.
July 30, 2009 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
It still does not say why they disapprove or approve. Someone can spin this poll to mean that 49% disapproved of him taking Gates' side or that 49% say that he shouldn't have said anything at all.
July 30, 2009 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
From what I can deduce, it appears that the survey refers to approval or disapproval of Obama's comments (although I personally docked him points for the beer strategy). I would imagine that asking respondents the reason(s) for their answers tends to lead to much lengthier surveys that are much harder to tabulate. Since I'm not a pollster, that's just a WAG.
July 30, 2009 2:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
I disapprove of him saying anything although what he said was right. I guess I would fall within that 44%. But I still STRONGLY support the President. What percentage pool am I in now?
July 30, 2009 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I so would be curious to see regional or racial breakouts on this question.
July 30, 2009 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why put a question like this through a "likely voter" filter since it has nothing whatever to do with voting at this point?
In any case, this just shows what a tightrope Obama is walking since the media noise machine will come down on him like a thunderbolt at the slightest misstep. Would the result have come out like this if there hadn't been all the media blabbering about it? Hardly.
July 30, 2009 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wait...48% do approve, 44% not, 8% could not care less.
That is mostly good reviews ;)
July 30, 2009 3:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh! Oh! I've got a poll!
What do you think of the Media's ability set priorities regarding the following:
1. Cheney wanting to send the army into an American city o Excellent o Shitty
2. Interviewing every birther they can drag out from under a rock, including felons such as G Gordon Liddy. o Excellent o Shitty
3. Covering every malapropism by Sarah Palin as though it made some sense
o Excellent o Shitty
4. Obama making an error in answering a stupid question during a presser about health care
o Excellent o Shitty
Please check the appropriate box and submit it to all Media sources that you can think of. Thank you. Thank you very much/
July 30, 2009 3:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why do you cite rasmussen, TPM? They are carrying water for the gop.
July 30, 2009 3:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
48% believe he handled it fair to excellent. Of course we know you're headline would never read that.
July 30, 2009 5:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Uhh....who cares?
July 30, 2009 6:50 PM | Reply | Permalink