Obama's 'honeymoon' continues: 65 pct

[babylonsister]

Obama's 'honeymoon' continues: 65 pct
Posted May 29, 2009 8:35 AM
The Swamp

by Mark Silva


Four months in, President Barack Obama's public approval rating is holding fairly steady, at close to two-thirds. And he is faring better, at this stage, than all three of his immediate predecessors.

Only Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan enjoyed higher public approval ratings in the Gallup Poll during May of their first year in office, Gallup reports today: JFK had 77 percent approval at this stage, Ike 74 percent and Reagan 68 percent.

At 65 percent approval, on average during May, Obama stands even with Jimmy Carter at this stage of his presidency.

And Obama is more popular, at this stage of his presidency, than George W. Bush was - 55 percent in May of his first year - Bill Clinton, at 45 percent, or Bush senior, at 60 percent.

The implications, for the new president four months into office, are serious: The ability to advance an agenda knowing that he still has public support on his side.

This will likely play into everything from Senate confirmation of his first nominee to the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, to his push for health care reform this summer. He is likely to have an easier time with that nominee than with health care, but Congress will have a hard time bucking the agenda of a popular president.

more...

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/

[BlooInBloo]

1. Looks like they're just salivating, hoping for Obama's approvals to drop....

Funny that it's really only DUer-types, wingnuts, and the media who hate him. The American people are ok with him overall.

[ClarkUSA]

2. Nice to know the whiners/haters haven't made a dent. Most Americans are reasonable adults.

[jefferson_dem]

3. Big Dawg was at 45% at this point in 1993.

I knew he got off to a rocky start but that was nasty. Obama has obviously learned from Clinton's mistakes.

[Drunken Irishman]

9. It got worse. Clinton was in the 30s during the summer of 1993.

And was up and down throughout much of 1994.

It wasn't until 1995 that his approval ratings stabilized and he reached 50+.

[Clio the Leo]

4. Aren't we going to have fun when we get to the point where...

.... Bush's numbers start to slide and No-Drama Obama's numbers stay in the mid 60s? :)

lol, yeah, "widening the partisan divide" ... you keep on spinnin' that Karl.
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2009/04/09/rove/

[CreekDog]

5. That's at least double his approval rating on DU!

:eyes:

[Uzybone]

7. To be fair if we polled DU he would be around 80%

there is a small but loud community of whiners/anarchists/PUMAs who infest this board. Many sane DUers are probably tired of posting here. Its a shame.

[CreekDog]

15. Sorry

I was just trying to get a DUzy. :crazy:

[Uzybone]

17. LOL

I know. No offense meant.

[Connie_Corleone]

23. You're right. This is my first time posting all week.

I only come here for news. And I definitely stay away from General Discussion. There's only so much crap I can take from anonymous people on a message board.

[scrappydo]

27. Many, like me, are tired of ....

....listening to the constant whining by some. I used to visit DU several times a day to get a handle about what was happening on the political front but now I only drop in occasionally. Like you, I miss some of the great, sane DUers who used to post here - they have fallen by the wayside. Whining turns people off, and though the whiners may be but a small band, they destroy the peace, quiet, and intelligent debate for others. No one likes to listen to whining children, they great on the nerves...same as some of the posters here.

[tridim]

10. Actually it's not

There have been several DU polls in the past few months that prove he has overwhelming support on DU. I'll have to go back and look, but I seem to remember he has more support on DU than the general public.

[JuniperLea]

12. Because the loudest of the whiners...

Can only vote on a poll once;)

But they will spew the vile hate 24/7, ad nauseum.

[4lbs]

19. Notice that those whiners have stayed away from this thread.

n/t

[JuniperLea]

21. Interesting...

Indeed!

[jenmito]

6. But Pat Buchanan said his approval was going to go downhill after his first primetime

press conference back in Feb.! :shrug:

[PretzelWarrior]

8. interesting cautionary tale.

Clinton and Bush Jr. were lower at this time and won reelection. Carter was about where Obama is and lost. So.....I guess we'll see if President Obama with the help of Congress can enact sign some legislation that will help the average American see more completely why electing a Democrat like President Obama leads to better government and better quality of life.

[Drunken Irishman]

11. To be fair, Carter took over at a fairly mundane time.

Sure, the country was still bitter over Nixon, but was fairly stable.

It wasn't until the energy crisis in 1979, the recession of 1980 and the Iran hostage crisis that the Americans moved away from Pres. Carter.

You've got to wonder, though, would Carter have won reelection if the hostages were released prior to it?

[PretzelWarrior]

14. a lot of "What If's" there. But Jimmy Carter wasn't the politician that President Obama is...

so that's one huge difference.

[Drunken Irishman]

16. No he isn't.

Carter's image is not the one that thrives during crisis. That isn't a bad thing, but the presidency is as much about perception as it is about action and Carter just didn't have it in that regard.

Successful presidents, however, do.

[Jennicut]

24. Carter bumped up against the oil crisis which was not entirely his fault.

He also was not as good of a communicator or as adaptable as Obama is

[Scurrilous]

13. Good news!

:thumbsup:

[Bucky]

18. But Byron York says that's not an accurate measure!

After all, Byron thoughtfully informs us, he only gets approval numbers that high if you're one of those crazy people who count black people as Americans. Or, as Byron so thoughtfully put it....

"... and his sky-high ratings among African-Americans make some of his positions appear a bit more popular overall than they actually are."

What Byron forget to remind us is that Cheney's 16% approval rating would rocket up to a startling 23% if you only counted members of his private hunting club.

[SeattleGirl]

20. Would that count include people Cheney shot in the face or not?

:shrug:

[Bucky]

22. Not if shot 'em right.

But of course, you should never bank on Cheney shooting straight.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

25. And 50% if you didn't count all the people he shot in the face!

They're biased!

[SemiCharmedQuark]

26. But what are his numbers among white Republicans who hate him?

That's the real question nobody in the liberal media is asking.