Obama's Rating Falls To 50% In Tracking Polls

Given the relentless crazy hate from the right and the constant whining from the left, both magnified by the media 24/7, I am surprised his number is that high.

He's getting hit from both the left and the right, and this is having a negative impact on his numbers. His base is divided while the GOP base is united. Health care reform is an incredibly complex issue to tackle, but if Obama can get a strong bill passed this Fall, history will be kind to his legacy.

Another factor is that the GOP reign of 30 years in this town has hard-wired the American people to reflexively buy into GOP talking points and frames. It will take a decade or more of Democrats in power to swing the pendulum of sanity back to equilibrium.

This is a manifestation that the left is not impressed with his centrist policies and almost complete lack of "Leadership" on Health Insurance reform.

A lot of the erosion is from Democrats upset that he hasn't pushed harder for healthcare.

Once healthcare reform passes this fall (and it will) that will change.

Once the economic recovery reaches main street next spring (and it will) independents will come back.

The mid-terms won't be a repeat of 1994; It will be a repeat of 1934, when Republicans lost 9 senate seats and 14 house seats.

Oskeleoskie,

I don't think the president's decline in support is that simple? President Obama bares some responsibility for his declining numbers. The erosion of support is not coming from the right, its from coming Democrats, liberals and left leaning Independents who sees a great leader compromising core principles for bipartisanship.

This administration will be marked by extremes. The highs of the early days, the dog day lows once folks see that miracles aren't going to happen overnight, back up to highs when there are more tangible, dramatic results.

Ugh. Did I accidently stumble onto the Drudge Report?

Brilliant campaigner. Terrible president so far.

So, during these trying times, who would you want running the country? McCain/Palin, Mitt, Huckabee, Rudy? Do you realize what kind of an economic, diplomatic, and ethical quagmire we would be in. The GOP party of NO and no new ideas would be wringing its hands saying let the free market save us.

An August 16-19 2001 Gallup poll showed Bush's approval rating at 57% -- and he had just passed a tax cut (gave money away). Only 7% higher than Obama's is now and Obama has faced the worse economy since the great depression, had two wars to contend with and he's battling the nation over reforming health care - very personal and effects ALL Americans.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/4813/Bush-Job-Approval-Rating-Unchanged-57.aspx

So let me see if I have this correct.

The nation is in the midst of a recession that is only just now seeing small, tiny glimmers of recovery that have no real impact as yet, and unemployment figures stand higher than they have since the Great Depression, with hundreds of thousands have been out of work for more than six months. The Congress passed an unprecedented stimulus package requiring nearly $800 billion, which is seen as largely unpopular in many quarters.

The automotive industry collapsed, requiring a huge and unpopular infusion of federal funds. The banks were on the brink of seizure, requiring billions of dollars of huge and unpopular federal funds.

The President has taken on tackling a problem that has no GOP support whatsoever, and has resulted in conservative and progressive Democrats in Congress at loggerheads in a highly visible and highly complex legislative effort that scares the ever-living shit out of the elderly.

There have been a series of highly publicized and highly negative Town hall meetings, resulting in weeks-long images of the President of the United States being compared to Hitler, weeks-long stories about teabaggers screaming socialism, communism, fascism, and weeks-long media coverage of the President being attended to at rallies by people, no kidding, carrying firearms and calling for the President's mortal demise.

The President's own citizenship has been repeatedly challenged in sensational stories peddled by national voices who broadcast their messages of complete and utter opposition to the President on 24 hour news channels day in and day out.

The President is a black man in a nation where elements of bigotry are all too visible. He is named "Hussein" in a country on its teeth with xenophobia over all things Muslim. And he has been on vacation for a few days and out of the public spotlight.

And he still has 50% approval?

Stunning that it's not much lower in this environment.

Chill, my friends. This too shall pass.

**When decisions were being made in the last presidential election, one factor weighed heavily in many voters' minds: the truth factor. Bush et al had lied repeatedly on issue after issue; people had become exhausted simply trying untangle the lies and discover something approximating the truth. Obama benefited - many people believed he could be trusted, he would tell them the truth.
**The truth is the truth has been obscured in the health care 'debate', and Obama has done his part to obscure it.
**More and more, it appears that the 'change we can believe in' is simply more of the same - special 'deals' with Big Pharma, nods to the insurance industry (we wont really change anything -wink, wink), dropping and watering down the public option by substituting 'coops' (with the 'public option' already acknowledged to be an inadequate vehicle to create change). etc. etc. etc.
**Credibility is critical in the face of the opposition's continuing lies, but Obama has not come forward with the real truth about (1) the lack of competition currently (e.g, big market monopolies by hospitals and insurance companies), (2) the cost of not negotiating prescription drug prices, (3) the rationing of health care based on income, employment and previous condition, (4) the huge non-health care related expenditures by insurance companies - 'administration', 'profits', enormous salaries. It's not talked about; it's like all this doesnt exist.
**The realization that we are not going to get the truth (i.e. the facts) from Obama has been a sever loss for Obama, for health care reform and for the country. The loss of approval, I believe, stems from the disappointment that truth - i.e. facts - are not going to be a hallmark of Obama's administration; folks believed, but were not treated like adults (i.e. told the truth) and were not trusted to respond rationally to the facts. Because neither side spoke the truth, the side with the most experience and best techniques won - the Republican Noise Machine beat the Democrats halting and stumbling, waffling and dissimulating efforts to do something - what ever it was.
** Until Obama is willing and finds advisors who can help him 'change the terms of the debate' - i.e. talk openly and candidly about the facts - Obama's approval ratings will continue to decline, 'health care reform' and his diminishing credibility will contribute to significant democratic loses in the next elections.

The problem with this news is that it is coupled with all the crazy town hall meetings where there is an appearance of mass opposition to the health care reform. One must remember that Obama was elected on several promises, one of which was to reform health care. As this goal appears to become unreachable, people who supported him will turn against him for squandering the popularity he had at the beginning of his term because he wanted to make nice by chasing the nebulous goal of bipartisanship.

I hope that Obama realizes that bipartisanship is dead, and that he needs to ignore those who are against health care reform and pass the bill without the Republicans and Conservative Democrats. Once he annihilates the opposition to Health Care reform, his numbers will go back up and he will be admired for the iron fist that he showed he could wield.

Two things about Obama so far.

1. Too wishy-washy

2. No Fight

Is this the Drudge Report? Who cares.

What is important for Obama is if the economy turns around and he passes a good health care reform bill. If these things happent then his poll numbers will increase.

when did the media start paying attention to approval ratings again? Oh, when the status quo began to be challenged.

This game that we're playing right now is a game that most people DON'T play. Most people are sitting around asking "what's in it for me?" Same as all the fascist megacorporations (energy, insurance, etc). That's why Dem pols are having trouble, the waters are muddied and people are having trouble separating the two. The meme: "Coming down hard on industry? That means more trouble for the little guy."

The kicker that the Right intentionally mis-characterizes INVESTMENT as SPENDING.

That is why you hear a lot about the $1T price tag, but you never hear that the public option creates OVER $1T in savings.

We ARE turning this thing around. The more people understand the concept of investment and ROI, the more people will support the Prez on HCR, and thus, the more people will support the Prez. Good examples of ROI are Clunkers and Stim monies that have been disseminated (there have been a few awesome articles about the success of those progs recently, if anyone's interested, I'll try to find em and post links... the clunkers article was newsweek).

Freerider/Oksleoskie/ CT,

Let me be clear. I support this president. But i also threw my heart behind Obama candidacy because i for some odd reason i though he was sincere. I honestly thought he wanted 'change' as much as i do. A clean break from the Bush regime. But so far the president has been consistent with inconsistencies. Jbentiey4, is absolutely correct. Obama is too wish washy and has no fight in him.

Coddling banksters and war criminals and pissing on his base will do that to your poll numbers.

Here is the problem he is facing; and is at the core of the decline; especially among independents (I keep saying this, but it never seems to REALLY get through).

The American People fired the Republicans.

We have had two WAVE elections in the last two cycles and now have:

1. A left of center Democratic President

2. 257 Democrats in the House

3. 60 (59 now but you get it) Democrats in the Senate

They were ALL elected, to get results and get things done for the American People. Healthcare, Economy, Iraq, Environment, etc. etc.

Instead, anything they do seems like pulling teeth. And seems to take forever. The normal person is thinking "How can this be? Didn't we give them enough for all the fighting to stop? And get things done? We're tierd of the fighting. Just get it done."

People are naturally upset about that.

And the Democrats in general, and Obama specifically, are losing support among many independents because of it.

Unless the Democrats can come together and get things done as a unit, they won't last long.

Let's face it... whether we like it or not, stuff like the Birther conspiracy and the Deather hoax has taken its toll, and it's reflecting in this. As others have pointed it, it's fun to think this is a result of liberals holding Obama's feet to the fire on health care reform, but the polls simply don't reflect that. This is independents drinking the Kool-aid that they were inevitably going to drink at some point, with an intellectual, black, liberal President and all.

This is what happens when the economy continues in the deepest tank in 50 years+ and a 60% President tackles a huge issue like Health Care Reform letting the 25% Congress play with his political capital

obama just needs to start being a leader and stop being negotiator in chief. also, he needs to add better political thinkers to his strategy team, and i do not mean more clintonites. but most of all he needs to walk america thru on how he would like to transform the healthcare system - from where currently are as a country to the system he would like in place. i am sorry, i do not know what type of system he wants - i know what some of the components are but i do not have a vision of where he would like to take the country and i think its important. lastly, i do not think the deal with the pharmaceutical industry helps