The NYTimes poll shows Obama losing support among key groups:
The poll, which was conducted after Mr. Obama’s economic address to Congress last week, contains considerable warning signs for the president. The poll found a 12-point jump since late June, to 43 percent, in the number of Americans who say the economy is getting worse. And for the first time since taking office, his disapproval rating has reached 50 percent in the Times and CBS News polls.
“I don’t disapprove of Barack Obama as a person, but as a president he has disappointed me greatly,” said Ann Sheets, 69, a Democrat from Chattanooga, Tenn., speaking in a follow-up interview. Ms. Sheets added, “I’m realistic enough to know how difficult it is and I am not against compromise, but I voted for a backbone. You have to draw some lines in the sand, and I don’t think he has done that.”
The poll found a 43 percent approval rating for Mr. Obama. It is significantly higher than Jimmy Carter, who had an approval rating of 31 percent at a similar time in his presidency, according to the Times and CBS News poll, which showed Ronald Reagan with an approval of 46 percent and the elder George Bush at 70 percent.
The president’s support has fallen to its lowest levels across parts of the diverse coalition of voters who elected him, from women to suburbanites to college graduates. And a persistent effort over the past year to reclaim his appeal to independent voters has shown few signs of bearing fruit, with 59 percent of this critical electoral group voicing their disapproval.
While Mr. Obama has not yet succeeded in winning over independent voters, who comprise the most influential piece of the electorate, neither have Republicans. The field is largely unknown to independents, and few have a favorable opinion of any of the candidates.
[…] The poll was taken as Republicans hopefuls are drawing sharp distinctions with one another in a series of nationally televised debates.
A fight over Social Security has emerged as one of the early yet defining differences between Mr. Perry, who has called the program a “monstrous lie,” and Mr. Romney, who has called for maintaining the current system with some changes to shore up its long-term financial condition. The poll found that nearly three-quarters of Republicans said they thought Social Security and Medicare were worth their costs.
Some pretty big clues there, Mr. President.
Solyndra. Why does this fiasco have all the earmarks of a scam being perpetrated on the American people? The ‘distraction’ (straw man) in this scam is the money that was lost(?). The objective of this well orchestrated scheme was to discredit the solar industry. The principal private investor in Solyndra was George B. Kaiser. Kaiser is a billionaire……. ($9.8 B; one of the 400 wealthiest people in America)…… oil and natural gas guy who ‘bundles’ for Obama (like the Kock brothers do for Republicans). Does anyone truly believe that Kaiser has become an altruist who is ready to substitute the power of the Sun for his oil and gas holdings? It’s Valerie Jarrett who needs to be fired because Rahm is already gone. Her and Pete Rouse if he’s still around.
Dave Johnson, who by the way worked at many Silicon Valley startups, has a pretty strong rebuttal here.
http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2011093713/phony-solyndra-solar-scandal
None of the polls really matter at this point anyway. I mean it’s really just a matter of how far to the right do we want our next Rethug prez to be, whether it’s Obama to the right of center, or Mitt the center- right candidate, or the real screwball weighing in to the far right, Jim, er, Rick Perry. Those are the choices: pick your poison……………..
Susie, thanks for the Dave Johnson piece. The Dark Side of NPR has been somewhat breathlessly reporting all the allegations/allegedly stuff about donations and ties and…whatever.
Now, I was cleaning the kitchen, so my attention may have wandered to the crap on the floor, but — this was pretty provocative crap they were reporting.
NPR does some damn good stuff, but, nowadays, it is imperative to double check just about anything they report. Fortunately, they’re also doing a lot of fluff so there’s less to check on. Heh.