"Poll Finds Edge for Obama Over G.O.P. Among the Public"

[Clio the Leo]

Poll Finds Edge for Obama Over G.O.P. Among the Public

By ADAM NAGOURNEY and MEGAN THEE-BRENAN
Published: February 11, 2010

WASHINGTON — At a time of deepening political disaffection and intensified distress about the economy, President Obama enjoys an edge over Republicans in the battle for public support, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

While the president is showing signs of vulnerability on his handling of the economy — a majority of respondents say he has yet to offer a clear plan for creating jobs — Americans blame former President George W. Bush, Wall Street and Congress much more than they do Mr. Obama for the nation’s economic problems and the budget deficit, the poll found.

They credit Mr. Obama more than Republicans with making an effort at bipartisanship, and they back the White House’s policies on a variety of disputed issues, including allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military and repealing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

The poll suggests that both parties face a toxic environment as they prepare for the elections in November. Public disapproval of Congress is at a historic high, and huge numbers of Americans think Congress is beholden to special interests. Fewer than 1 in 10 Americans say members of Congress deserve re-election.

As the party in power, Democrats face a particular risk from any wave of voter discontent; unfavorable views of the Democratic Party are as high as they have been since the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994, though Republicans continue to register an even worse showing. The percentage of Americans who approve of Mr. Obama’s job performance, 46 percent, is as low as it has been since he took office.

Still, the poll suggests that Mr. Obama and his party have an opportunity to deflect the anger and anxiety if they can frame the election not as a referendum on the president and his party, but as a choice between them and a Republican approach that yielded results under Mr. Bush that much of the nation still blames for the country’s woes. That is what the White House has been trying to do since the beginning of the year.

For all the erosion in support for Mr. Obama, Americans say he better understands their needs and problems and has made more of an effort to be bipartisan than Congressional Republicans, the poll found.

“It feels like an attempt to sabotage the majority and to regain control of power rather than working on a compromise,” John Smith, a Republican from Greenville, S.C., said of his party after participating in the poll.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/us/politics/12poll.html?hp

[TwilightGardener]

1. LOL--unrec's from the anti-Obama trolls right out of the gate.

[Clio the Leo]

3. That was pretty funny, wasn't it. NT

[impik]

6. At this point, i don't even know if they read anything. They're in auto-unrec mode. They will take

Palin over Obama. Poor, bitter people.

[Go2Peace]

8. Wouldn't have anything to do with the spamming of multiple posts saying the same thing?

Everyone here knows that Obama has made some smart moves with the GOP and is gaining some political capital from it. But sometimes the spammed posts over and over gets a little tiring to read. Everyone recognizes who fills the lists with these posts. I am not surprised that some might just unrec when they see the names?

[Arkana]

2. They forgot to add "...despite our best efforts to tear him down for our corporate masters."

[Beetwasher]

4. Funny, The Don't Give You The Data Until The Last Para, Just Say He Has "An Edge"

An "Edge" makes it seem like he has a small lead over them:

"He scored better on other measures, particularly in comparison with Republicans; 60 percent said the president understood their problems, compared with 42 percent who said the same thing about Congressional Democrats and 35 percent for Congressional Republicans."

That's not a fucking "edge" it's a chasm.

Adam Nagourney is a fucking dickweed, hack.

Notice most of the hard data in the article supports the things that are NEGATIVE for Dems and Obama.

[Mass]

5. Thanks, this is what I was wondering. Good old Nagourney!

[Mass]

7. The internals, that Nagourney carefully avoids explaining , are interesting.

Foreign policy:
Approve 47 Disapprove 32

Economy
Approve 42 Disapprove 52

Terrorism Approve 55 Disapprove 34

Now, why is it that the media are harping on terrorism and Bond, but the American people are a lot smarter.

Congress, on the other hand, has a lot of work to do.

Also, overwhelming support for repealing the Bush tax cuts and refusal to cut education and healthcare costs.

I find these internals fascinating, and am sure the media will not spend a lot of time on them.