Are you worse off under Obama

If not you may be the exception. According to Bloomberg news .

More than 50 percent of Americans say they are worse off now than they were two years ago when President Barack Obama took office, and two-thirds believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, a Bloomberg National Poll shows.

The survey, conducted Dec. 4-7, finds that 51 percent of respondents think their situation has deteriorated, compared with 35 percent who say they're doing better. The balance isn't sure. Americans have grown more downbeat about the country's future in just the last couple of months, the poll shows. The pessimism cuts across political parties and age groups, and is common to both sexes.

Read it all here.

Fun Poll Results

In the Washington Post by Marc A. Thiessen.

Democrats and the 'evil eye'

Much attention has been paid in recent days to a poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life showing that 18 percent of Americans incorrectly believe that President Obama is a Muslim. But the results of another Pew poll on religion released last December were far more shocking. It turns out that 36 percent of Democrats claim to have communed with the dead, and that 19 percent believe in casting a curse on someone using the "evil eye." Think about that: According Pew, more Democrats believe in the "evil eye" than Americans believe Obama is a Muslim.

The fact is you can find 20 percent of people anywhere who believe in almost anything. As The Post's Aug. 22 Outlook section noted, 20 percent of Americans believe that space aliens have made contact with humans on Earth.

The poll on Obama's religious affiliation probably would have been a one-day story had the White House not launched a surprisingly aggressive defense of the president's Christian bona fides. The White House immediately put out a statement declaring "President Obama is a committed Christian, and his faith is an important part of his daily life." We soon learned from White House officials that the president reads a daily devotional on his BlackBerry each morning and that he dialed three Christian pastors to pray with him on his birthday. The White House even made one of those pastors, Joel Hunter, available to the media to discuss Obama's Christian journey.

Clearly the White House is worried by the poll results. And it should be worried -- but not for the reasons it seems to think. It should be concerned that, after watching the president in office for a year and a half, many Americans still don't know who Obama really is -- and that a growing number have concluded that he does not believe what they believe.

Rather than trying to convince Americans that Obama is indeed a practicing Christian, White House officials should be doing some deep thinking about why the president's job approval rating has flipped -- with most polls showing that more Americans now disapprove of his performance in office than approve of how he's doing. Strong majorities now disapprove of his handling of many of the issues driving key congressional races in 2010 -- such as the economy, health care, the deficit and immigration. A recent Democracy Corps survey found that about six in 10 likely voters believe President Obama is "too liberal" and that he is a "big spender" -- and 55 percent say that "socialist" is a fair description of him.

Obama should be a lot more worried that more than half the country thinks he's a socialist than that a small fraction of the country believes he's a Muslim.

After just 19 months in office, Obama has so alienated the American people that some of his fellow Democrats are now distancing themselves from him as Election Day approaches. Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) is airing a television ad in his reelection campaign in which he declares, as an image of Obama appears on the screen, that he does not work for the "Washington crowd." Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes decided to campaign 100 miles away rather than welcome the president to his state, declaring, "I'd rather be with these folks, if you want to know the truth. I'm not running for governor of Washington, D.C. I'm running for governor of Georgia." Even Obama recognizes that he's become radioactive. At a recent White House lunch with Democratic House members in tough reelection fights, he promised to help their campaigns -- by staying away.

These Democrats don't want Obama to stay away because people think he's a Muslim -- they want him to stay away because people think he's taking the country in the wrong direction. They know that come November, voters will be making decisions based on their negative perceptions of the runaway spending he has unleashed, the failure of his stimulus to create jobs or improve their lives, and the health-care bill he rammed through Congress. Making his religion more conspicuous will not change this. The problem for Obama is not that Americans do not know about his faith in God -- it's that they do not share his faith in government.

Do You Have Confidence in the President?

I didn't think so.  Neither do many others.  This is from American Thinkers Blog.

American's confidence in Obama at an all time low
Rick Moran
A new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll out today shows the public becoming increasingly disenchanted with President Obama and his ability to address the crisis in the country:

Sixty-two percent of adults in the survey feel the country is on the wrong track, the highest level since before the 2008 election. Just one-third think the economy will get better over the next year, a 7-point drop from a month ago and the low point of Mr. Obama's tenure. 
Amid anxiety over the nation's course, support for Mr. Obama and other incumbents is eroding. For the first time, more people disapprove of Mr. Obama's job performance than approve. And 57% of voters would prefer to elect a new person to Congress than re-elect their local representatives, the highest share in 18 years.
[...]
Some 30% in the poll said they "do not really relate'' to Mr. Obama. Only 8% said that at the beginning of his presidency. Fewer than half give him positive marks when asked if he is "honest and straightforward.'' And 49% rate him positively when asked if he has "strong leadership qualities,'' down from 70% when Mr. Obama took office and a drop of 8 points since January.
Just 40% rate him positively on his "ability to handle a crisis," an 11-point drop since January. Half disapprove of Mr. Obama's handling of the oil spill, including one in four Democrats.
The precipitous drop in Obama's leadership numbers is quite significant. Coupled with the "honesty" factor, they show a public becoming distrustful of what the president says and does. The drop is most significant among independents who seem to be abandoning the president in droves.
The poll also shows a widening gap between the GOP and Democrats with 45% now wanting to see a Republican majority in Congress.
Hat Tip: Ed Lasky, who adds:
Do you think it might have something to do with being in the hands of people who lie to us, ignore our wishes, engage in tricks and bribes to get legislation passed that most Americans don't desire? The fact that we are looking at being stuck with a debt that will be a drag on us for decades (regardless of the current state of the economy)? Do you think having a President who is a hypocrite who name-calls and finger points and hectors us makes us cheerful and optimistic?
How about a President who is ashamed of America and apologizes for our history when he is overseas? How about having an Attorney General who calls us a nation of cowards on race, a First Lady who was never proud of America until her husband was nominated to be President? How about an administration that will push tax raises while enacting a raft of anti-growth initiatives? How about a President who lets our adversaries run roughshod over our allies and us?
Any of those facts induce cheer and optimism? Everyone liking that changey-thing?
The cure comes in November-one hopes.

Polling Observations from the LA Times

It's hard to believe they didn't know this all along:

More Obama change to believe in: Americans now see him as a partisan Democrat

One of the 2007-08 Obama presidential campaign's changes that Americans believed in by the many millions was his oft-repeated promise to work with all sides no matter what and change the harsh political tone of Washington.

Hard to believe, indeed. But wait, there's more!

Good luck with that tired professed aspiration. George W. Bush promised the same thing a decade ago. That worked well for several minutes.

Well, Bush is gone and the majority parties have switched places. Now Democrats run the whole D.C. show.

And after almost 17 months of Democrat Obama's White House administration, it appears Americans have given up on his promised bipartisanship, or even on less partisanship. It's an impressive squandering of good will from his inaugural glow.

A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds 61% of likely voters believe the nation's capitol will see more, not less, partisanship during the next year. Which includes, of course, the unfolding midterm election campaigns leading up to Nov. 2.

The figure expecting increased partisanship is 50% higher than during the early days of Obama's term when only 40% were pessimistic about political cooperation.

Meanwhile, another new poll out this morning from Gallup finds Obama's approval among Hispanics has slipped 12 points just since January, apparently due to unhappiness with the president's unwillingness to pursue comprehensive immigration reforms this year. Only 57% of that core Democratic audience now approve of Obama, a steady decline in 2010.

The Rasmussen survey found 52% now think Obama is governing as a partisan Democrat; 61% believe his party's majorities are governing Congress in a partisan way under the deficit-stimulating leaderships of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Independents think both Republicans (54%) and Democrats (61%) are acting in partisan ways.

Also, 19% of the 1,000 surveyed last week said they believe there will be more political cooperation in Washington during the next year. But they've probably sobered up by now.

-- Andrew Malcolm

The Polls say they really, really like the Tea Partiers

This is good news
Most Say Tea Party Has Better Understanding of Issues than Congress
In official Washington, some consider the Tea Party movement a fringe element in society, but voters across the nation feel closer to the Tea Party movement than they do to Congress.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of U.S. voters believe the average member of the Tea Party movement has a better understanding of the issues facing America today than the average member of Congress. Only 30% believe that those in Congress have a better understanding of the key issues facing the nation.
When it comes to those issues, 47% think that their own political views are closer to those of the average Tea Party member than to the views of the average member of Congress. On this point, 26% feel closer to Congress.
Finally, 46% of voters say that the average Tea Party member is more ethical than the average member of Congress. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say that the average member of Congress is more ethical.
Read it all, it will make you feel better.

The Pollster the Dems Want to Believe

Yesterday the Washington Post had pollsters who were warning Democrats against the healthcare bill.  Today they have an editorial by the one they apparently listen to.

Most Americans want health care reform

By Joel Benenson

It is ironic that Democratic pollsters Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen felt "compelled" to "challenge the myths" about public attitudes on health care by simply restating one of the most commonly stated -- and patently wrong -- Republican myths [Washington Forum, March 12].

No pollster, including me, could look at the recent data and responsibly say anything other than that the American public is closely divided when it comes to supporting or opposing various health-care plans. The most recent Washington Post poll (from Feb. 10) shows a narrow gap between support and opposition: 46 percent favor; 49 percent oppose. This data is consistent with eight of the 12 most recent independent public polls reported on Pollster.com.

In light of this data, it is irresponsible, and wrong, for Schoen and Caddell to assert that a "solid majority of Americans oppose" health-care reform.

In fact, two recent polls, including one with the most negative ratings on health care, reveal through follow-up questions that a significant number of people who oppose current plans do so because they don't go far enough rather than because they go too far. Not only is it absurd to suggest that these people would rise up against Democrats for passing the president's plan, it is far more likely that they would join others who support the plan and punish those who tried to block reform or voted against it.

Let's take the CNN poll from early January -- the most negative independent poll on health care and one that predated President Obama's proposal. Only 40 percent supported the bills passed by Congress, while 57 percent opposed them. But in a crucial follow-up question, a net of 10 percent of all Americans opposed the bill because it was "not liberal enough." If one makes the reasonable assumption that these people are far more likely to side with supporters of the president's plan than with Republicans who are obstructing it, the results would show that 50 percent favor the plan or want a broader one, while only 45 percent oppose the plan.

Similarly, a more recent poll by Ipsos showed that among the 47 percent who initially said they "opposed health care," more than a third of opponents said they "favor" reform overall but think the current plan doesn't go "far enough." Shifting these people to the group in "favor of reform" would reduce opposition to current reforms to under 40 percent.

I printed all of the editorial yesterday. Today I'm doing just a part. To read the rest go here.

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll

From Rasmussen Report

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 22% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-three percent (43%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -21. That matches the lowest Approval Index rating yet recorded for this President (see trends).

Forty-two percent (42%) of Democrats Strongly Approve while 72% of Republicans Strongly Disapprove. Among those not affiliated with either major political party, 17% Strongly Approve and 45% Strongly Disapprove.

Fifty-seven percent (57%) believe that passage of the proposed health care legislation will hurt the economy. Just 25% believe it will help.

Sixty percent (60%) of parents believe that textbooks used by their students are more concerned about political correctness than accuracy.

Republicans hold a seven-point lead over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

For more go here.

Poll Data

From Powerline, by John

Current poll data are brutal for the Democrats. In the Rasmussen survey, President Obama's approval index, the difference between those who strongly approve and strongly disapprove of his performance, has hit a record low of -15. Overall, voters disapprove of Obama by 54-45%. That's no doubt in part because voters have also turned decisively against the Democrats' health care proposals, opposing them, currently, by 56-38%.

Meanwhile, voters now favor Republicans over Democrats by seven points on the generic ballot, 44-37%.

Byron York examines the numbers behind Obama's slumping Gallup rating and finds that Obama is now at 39% with whites and below 50% among all those who go to church. Pluralities of all of those who are over 29 years old or earn more than $2,000 a month disapprove of Obama's performance. Looking at it positively, you could say that the President is still hanging tough with the pivotal young, poor, atheist voting bloc. Michael Barone, meanwhile, asks whether Democrats are beginning to desert their sinking ship.

Is that premature? Sure. But there is no doubt that if the 2010 election were held tomorrow, the Democrats would be slaughtered. What do they plan to do between now and November 2010 to turn that around? Jam an unpopular health care bill down the voters' throats, enact a job-destroying tax on carbon that most people now believe is founded on a myth, and raise taxes. [UPDATE: I should have added, they're also freeing Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four confederates into the federal court system--that'll generate some helpful headlines over the next year--and now they're also talking about bringing back "comprehensive immigration reform," which prior to the Obama administration was the most unpopular thing Congress had done in a long time. It's a perfect storm of legislative malpractice.] Beyond that, they are crossing their fingers and hoping that the extraordinary vigor of the American economy will survive all of the damage they have inflicted on it, and will rally by November.

That could happen, of course. But it seems like a rather poor bet.

Also by John:
A Sickening Story

You could call this pre-September 11 thinking, except that there never was a time when it would have been sane:

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq -- the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com. ...

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors -- and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers. ...

The source said intelligence briefings provided to the SEALs stated that "Objective Amber" planned the 2004 Fallujah ambush, and "they had been tracking this guy for some time."
The Fallujah atrocity came to symbolize the brutality of the enemy in Iraq and the degree to which a homegrown insurgency was extending its grip over Iraq.

The four Blackwater agents were transporting supplies for a catering company when they were ambushed and killed by gunfire and grenades. Insurgents burned the bodies and dragged them through the city. They hanged two of the bodies on a bridge over the Euphrates River for the world press to photograph.

Intelligence sources identified Abed as the ringleader, but he had evaded capture until September.

Our armed forces have become exquisitely sensitive--toward Nidal Malik Hasan and Ahmed Hashim Abed, and one wonders who else. Such sensitivity comes at a price, of course. But for now, at least, that price won't be paid by those who set the policy.

Don't give up - Keep it up

Clarice Feldman:How fast has Obama Fallen? This fast!
The Rasmussen presidential monthly approval polls show a breathtaking drop in Obama's approval ratings, something we might miss in the daily reports:
Go to American Thinker to see the graph. Hint: he's down -10 now.

Republicans vs Democrats

via Gateway Pundit:
Rasmussen reported:

For the first time in recent years, voters trust Republicans more than Democrats on all 10 key electoral issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports. The GOP holds double-digit advantages on five of them.

Republicans have nearly doubled their lead over Democrats on economic issues to 49% to 35%, after leading by eight points in September.

The GOP also holds a 54% to 31% advantage on national security issues and a 50% to 31% lead on the handling of the war in Iraq.

But voters are less sure which party they trust more to handle government ethics and corruption, an issue that passed the economy in voter importance last month. Thirty-three percent (33%) trust Republicans more while 29% have more confidence in Democrats. Another 38% are undecided. Last month, the parties were virtually tied on the issue.

Rasmussen Reports

Voters Turn Negative On All Political Labels Except Reagan

Progressive” is becoming more of a dirty word, but all political labels – except “being like Ronald Reagan” - are falling into disfavor with many U.S. voters, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

“Liberal” is still the worst and remains the only political description that is viewed more negatively than positively. Being like Reagan is still the most positive thing you can say about a candidate.

Just 15% of voters say they view the description of a candidate as politically liberal as positive, down four points from last November. Forty-one percent (41%) see it as a negative description, up five points form the earlier survey, while 42% say it’s somewhere in between.

Read it all at Rasmussen Reports.

Many of the Blogs are Reporting on the Rasmussen Reports

on the Low Approval Rating our Esteemed President

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows that 32% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-two percent (42%) Strongly Disapprove. That’s the highest level of Strong Disapproval yet recorded for this President and it gives Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -10 (see trends).

If Americans could vote to keep or replace the entire Congress, 57% would throw out all the legislators and start over again. Just 25% would vote to keep the Congress.

All in all, it seems maybe the American voters have woken up to what they have done to the country by electing a socialist leaning president.

Let's Not get Complacent About This

Obama's Approval Rating
by Mike Rappaport

It almost makes you have faith in the American people:

President Barack Obama's job approval rating has sunk to a record low of just 45%, the latest Zogby Interactive poll shows. Fifty-one percent of likely voters now say they disapprove of the President's job performance.

I say, "almost" because the American people did elect Obama just this last year. In their defense, he was running against an incredible boob. But still. I mention this poll because some have suggested that the Rasmussen poll is an outlier. It is. But the other polls are catching up.

from The Right Coast Blog

Rasmussen Reports has Good News

Generic Congressional Ballot
Republicans Now Ahead By Five on Generic Ballot

Republican candidates have now matched their biggest lead over Democrats of the past several years on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 43% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 38% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent.

The level of support for Democratic candidates is unchanged this
week, but backing for GOP candidates rose one point from a week ago. This is now the eighth straight week Republicans have led on the Generic Ballot.

These findings come at the same time that voters, for the first time in over two years of polling, say they trust Republicans slightly more than Democrats on the handling of the issue of health care.

Now if we can just hold on to this till November 2010.

Take CNN's Big Poll Now!

Here's your chance to send a message -- it's simple to do, but covers a lot of issues -- including the media, Hillary and Biden. It shows you the dismal results immediately too. Of course, Congress and the media get the lowest ratings. Kind of like used car salesmen and lawyers. Wait... Congress is mostly lawyers who are so stupid they destroy used cars instead of reselling them. (We are so screwed...)

Maybe since it's CNN, someone in D.C. will notice and the shroud of arrogance will slip just ever so slightly and a shred of reality could slip through. Though the chance is slim they'll realize all those Tea Parties truly reflected the feeling of a huge portion of the nation, there is a chance it could do some good. Take it now. You'll feel better as your disdain for what is going on is confirmed by your fellow Americans. And the maps shows results state-by-state.

And maybe CNN will notice the media scores a D average in every state, same as Congress.

Rasmussen Poll Results

Presidential Tracking Poll
40% Say Obama Has Too Many Press Conferences, 47% Say Number Is Right
2012 Match-ups: Obama, Romney Tied at 45%; Obama 48%, Palin 42%
52% of Twitter Users Concerned about Safety of Personal Information
72% Don’t Want Feds Changing Their Light Bulbs
64% of California Voters Say Illegal Immigrants Are Major Strain on State Budget
55% of California Voters Oppose State Budget Deal
Just 20% Say Health Care Is Obama’s Top Priority
53% Now Oppose Congressional Health Care Reform
BY THE NUMBERS

Still sinking in the Polls

Via Instapundit a link to Rasmussen polls showing President Obama's disapproval rating at 51%