Some good moves/compromises by Obama lately apparently has his ratings going up. Good for him. If GOP wants someone to challenge him they better come up with someone other than Palin or Huckabee. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41161439/ns/politics-more_politics/ By Mark Murray Deputy political director NBC News NBC News updated 37 minutes ago 2011-01-19T23:29:18 WASHINGTON — What a difference a few weeks can make. Last month, Republicans were celebrating their midterm victories; Democrats were licking their electoral wounds; and President Barack Obama’s approval rating was stuck in the mid-'40s. But after a five-week stretch that included bipartisan legislative achievements in the lame-duck session of Congress, mostly positive economic news and Obama’s well-received speech honoring the victims of the tragic shootings in Arizona, the political world has taken an abrupt turn in direction. According to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Obama’s approval rating has surged above 50 percent; confidence in the economy also has spiked; and the Democratic Party — but not the GOP — now enjoys a net-positive rating from the American public. “The last six weeks have been the best six weeks the president has had in his first two years in office," says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted the survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff. But Hart cautions that challenges remain for Obama and the Democrats, with a majority still believing the country is on the wrong track and half disapproving of the president’s economic handling. Updated 36 minutes ago 1/19/2011 11:29:18 PM +00:00 According to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Obama’s approval rating has surged above 50 percent; confidence in the economy also has spiked; and the Democratic Party — but not the GOP — now enjoys a net-positive rating from the American public. And both pollsters say these numbers present this question for the president, especially with the 2012 election on the horizon: Is this a transition, or is a transitory moment? Across-the-board improvement In the poll, Obama’s job-approval rating stands at 53 percent, which is an eight-point jump from last month and represents his highest rating in the survey since July 2009. The improvement for Obama was across the board: Approval among independents moved from 35 percent in December to 46 percent now; among Democrats, it went from 76 percent to 86 percent; and among Republicans, it went from 11 percent to 15 percent. “I think that this increase in his job approval is very important,” says McInturff, the GOP pollster. “At the same time, these kind of rises have been transitory,” he adds, referring to former President Clinton’s immediate — but later fleeting — bump in approval after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The poll also finds that 40 percent of respondents label Obama as a political moderate, compared with 45 percent who see him as a liberal and 11 percent who view him as a conservative. That moderate number is the highest for Obama in the NBC/WSJ poll, even higher than it was before his inauguration. The survey — which was taken from Jan. 13-17 of 1,000 adults (200 by cell phone), and which has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points — comes after a series of triumphs and positive developments for the Obama White House: — on Dec. 17, the president signed into law bipartisan legislation extending the Bush-era tax cuts for all income levels, and also extending unemployment benefits and cutting payroll taxes; — on Dec. 22, he signed into law the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on gays serving openly in the military; — also on Dec. 22, the Senate ratified a nuclear arms-reduction treaty with Russia; — on Jan. 7, the Labor Department released data showing that the unemployment rate declined from 9.8 percent in November to 9.4 percent in December (although it also showed the economy adding a lower-than-expected 103,000 jobs last month); — on Jan. 12, the president delivered a well-received speech honoring the victims from the shootings in Arizona. (The poll finds that 74 percent approve of his handling of the tragedy.) McInturff says it’s unclear how much Obama’s increase can be attributed to each of these events since the last poll, which was conducted Dec. 9-13. “It’s beyond my pay grade to sort out how much is lame duck, how much is Arizona,” he said. How long will it last? What is clear, though, is that Obama will ride into his State of the Union address next week in a stronger position than many would have thought after November, when the Republican Party won control of the U.S. House and picked up seats in the U.S. Senate. “This is a person who will walk in the hall with a great deal of confidence and with the wind at his back,” says Hart. But how long will it last? The poll shows plenty of tests for Obama and his administration. For instance, 45 percent approve of his economic handling (up three points), but 50 percent disapprove. What’s more, 56 percent think the country is on the wrong track, although that’s a seven-point drop from last month. And a combined 82 percent say the war in Afghanistan has either gotten worse or stayed the same, with another 71 percent believing the U.S. will ultimately have to withdraw and leave the country without a stable democratic government. The GOP’s short honeymoon Republicans have now been in control of the House for less than two weeks, but the survey suggests an abbreviated honeymoon for the GOP. Just 25 percent say that the Republicans in Congress will bring “the right kind of change” to the country. That’s compared with 42 percent who said that after Democrats took over the House in 2007, and 37 percent who said that after Republicans gained control in 1995. In addition, a majority (55 percent) believe congressional Republicans will be too inflexible in dealing with President Obama, while an equal number (55 percent) say Obama will strike the right balance. On House Republicans’ goal to repeal Obama’s health care law — an effort that cleared the chamber on Wednesday — 45 percent support eliminating the law and 46 percent oppose the GOP effort. And attitudes about the Republican Party have declined, with 34 percent viewing the GOP positively and 40 percent negatively — down from its 38-37 percent favorable/unfavorable rating last month. By comparison, the Democratic Party’s fav/unfav in the current poll is 39-35 percent, up from its 37-41 percents score from last month. “I think this has been a pretty short Republican honeymoon,” McInturff says. Adds Hart: “I think the president has the benefit of the doubt, and the Republicans — based on this data — have the burden of proof.” Handicapping 2012 In the emerging — and very early — race for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee lead the hypothetical pack, with Romney the first choice of 19 percent of Republicans and independents, and Huckabee at 18 percent. They are followed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (at 14 percent), former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (at 10 percent), Texas Congressman Ron Paul (at 8 percent) and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (at 5 percent). In hypothetical general-election contests, the poll shows Obama leading Huckabee by 10 points, 51 to 41 percent, and Gingrich by 19 points, 54 to 35 percent. The December NBC/WSJ poll had the president leading Romney by seven points and Palin by 22 points.
I chalk it up less to "moves" by Obama and more to people beginning to see the double-speak from the right. Promises broken hurt; Obama already broke his promises, so the damage has already done and the healing is beginning. The right are beginning to break their promises now that so many got elected in, so their damage is beginning... just in time for 2012. Obama will probably get re-elected in the same exact way Clinton did. And that's fine to me.
Expected this. No surprise at all. If the economy is doing well leading up to November 2012, Obama will get re-elected barring a fluke event.
So the doom and gloomers are starting to come out of their bunkers? His second term was never in doubt. You don't campaign during the term so when he starts he can hit 50% very easily.
Thank goodness the Independent Counsel doesn't exist anymore; we'd be hearing a hell of a lot more about birth certificates, Rezko, dealer connections from 30 years back, just about anything to get POTUS in front of a federal grand jury.
Hey, good news, and congress/boehner are up as well. maybe folks just prefer republicans in da house...
Gallup has him back up to 50% today as well. It's expected and with the economy continuing to pick back up expect a second term.
HEy even Dick Cheney!!! came out and approved Obama's policies. HE gave him credit for keeping the 1) wiretapping 2) indefinite imprisonment 3) drone strikes on suspected terrorists, where guilt is proven by bomb and association 4) 'enhanced' interrogation techniques (keeping Gitmo open for business)
Most of this is true, except 4. Gitmo is still open but Obama made it official that enhanced interrogation is finished and the army field manual is now the guide for interrogation.
Both sides have dismal approval ratings in congress. Especially the Democrats during the last term which is why you have a Republican House now. I think a lot of people were just so fed up with the Dems even though they didnt necessarily like the other guy anymore which might explain the short honeymoon. Also I think people in this country like balance. Perhaps the Republicans being elected to the House has helped Obama's approval ratings. Maybe Republicans are not as angry since they have some leverage and a voice in the Govt now which in turned has helped out Obama. For example the tax extension compromise.
Hey, those weren't my words, go talk to Dick. Below is the clip of his interview..... http://www.youtube.com/user/TheYoungTurks?feature=chclk#p/u/8/1QtwHiP6RmA http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...rom-experience-that-bush-moves-were-necessary Cheney: Obama has learned that Bush policies were right President Obama has “learned from experience” that some of the Bush administration’s decisions on terrorism issues were necessary, according to former Vice President Dick Cheney. In his first interview since undergoing major heart surgery last July, Cheney said he thinks Obama has been forced to rethink some of his national security positions now that he sits in the Oval Office. "I think he's learned that what we did was far more appropriate than he ever gave us credit for while he was a candidate. So I think he's learned from experience. And part of that experience was the Democrats having a terrible showing last election." Cheney also asserted that Obama has learned that the prison at Guantanamo Bay simply cannot be closed, despite the promises he made while campaigning for the White House. "I think he's learned that he's not going to be able to close Guantanamo," Cheney said. "That it's — if you didn't have it, you'd have to create one like that. You've got to have some place to put terrorists who are combatants who are bound and determined to try to kill Americans." Cheney made the comments about Obama in an interview that is set to air Tuesday on NBC’s “Today.” The interview was Cheney's first since before he underwent heart surgery in July. Doctors introduced a device into his heart that pumps blood from the ventricle chamber to his aorta. The former vice president cited the Obama administration’s expanded use of drones in Pakistan as more evidence of continuity from the policies of the Bush White House. "As I say, I think he's found it necessary to be more sympathetic to the kinds of things we did," Cheney said. "They've gotten active, for example, with the drone program, using Predator and the Reaper to launch strikes against identified terrorist targets in the various places in the world."
If I remember correctly, just a few months ago, referencing Obama's declining approval rating in any thread was considered a sure sign of obtuseness by D&D liberal elites who were quick to throw the discussion under the rug. Often, chanting in unison that in fact job rating is a very poor barometer of success and we should rather focus more on the enormous legislative "accomplishments" of Obama's first 2 years in office. I am a little perplexed here, do liberals all of a sudden care about ratings now that there has been a spike in the numbers? Or does your status quo no longer apply to Obama's presidency? by all means, I can dig up some quotes by the D&D Hopers and Changers. However, we already know what the outcome will be, right?
