Confused-President Obama has a relatively good approval rating so why r R's doing well in '10 polls

[Politics_Guy25]

If you look at Rasmussen, President Obama's approval rating has actually stabilized in the last month or so and has even shot up to 48% today. It has even reached 50% at times.

Link here:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll

Overall, 48% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. Fifty-one percent (51%) disapprove.

http://www.gallup.com

Up to 47%-46% approval

So Gallup and Rasmussen daily both match.

President Obama has a higher approval rating now than Reagan did in the 1982 midterms and Reagan escaped those relatively unscathed.

Where, then, is this GOP wave coming from? For example, Republicans lead dems 56%-38% in Gallup congressional preference. CBS has it 45-37%. Others have a 6-7 point congressional race.

So the GOP has a comfortable lead in the 2010 polls while we have a president with a pretty decent approval rating compared to his predecesors. Can someone explain to me what is going on?

[Vincardog]

1. Where is this GOP wave coming from? It is slopping around the toilet bowl of Corporate Owned Media

and Reich Wing Polling Companies

[GoCubsGo]

18. Exactly.

These are the same clowns who are claiming that the President's numbers are "well below 50%." Seriously. I heard one of them say that last week. A few percentage points, if that, is "well below." Ummm, okay....

[Cosmocat]

21. We now live in a complete alternate reality ...

HCR should be generally well received ... But, the media played out every last bit of nonsense the Rs came up with and treated it like the Patriot Act SHOULD have been treated ... It is all bad news for the Dems, Dems in trouble, righteous indignation from the right and blaring their mindnumbingly illogical BS like it is fact 24-7 ...

SOMEHOW government government is responsible for job loses ... SOMEHOW letting the marginal tax rate for the uppper 2% will bring about the apocolypse ... SOMEHOW a decent, honorable, intelligent, highly capable, thoughtful and reasonable president in subjected having his love of country questioned constantly ...

The media has given up even TRYING to give the pretense of journalism and is just injecting straight to the viens every last bit of right wing propoganda it can gin up ...

[qazplm]

2. because the economy sucks

that's the way it works, the economy sucks the party in power in Congress loses seats. It will be that way til the end of time. Even if the party out of power sucks, we simply do not have the attention span and patience as a country to allow one party multiple chances to fix things. And that transcends party. It's the middle/independents, folks who can't decide on a party, despite clear differences, so they end up voting as a trailing indicator of how things were before the vote, not how things might be after.

I think that explains why Dems get elected when things need fixing, and then when they do the rough work, Reps get elected to replace them only to see the cycle repeat itself.

[FBaggins]

16. I don't entirely agree with the OP, but the economy sucked in 1982 as well.

A big factor this time is the number of seats that we hold that are marginal (or even right-leaning) compared to the number of competitive seats that republicans had in the house in 1982.

[bluestateguy]

3. If you had asked me to predict 2 years ago where Obama would be in the polls by now

I would have said 45%-48%. In other words, about where any second year president would be (barring a cooked up Rally Around the Flag event like Iraq in 1990 and 2002).

[Exilednight]

6. What will his approval rating be in 2 years from now when he's running for re-election? n/t

[bluestateguy]

8. Actually presidents tend to get an approval bounce in their 4th year

It's probably consolidation of support from their party as the campaign kicks into gear, and the fact that a president up for reelection is out there defending his record at attacking the opposition on a daily basis--at least that's what he should be doing.

[Exilednight]

9. So no guess? n/t

[Drunken Irishman]

12. My guess: 50-55%.

[Exilednight]

13. I predict that he will be three points ahead of where he is now. n/t

[Exilednight]

4. Simple .......

Obama kept blaming Congress for the shortcomings in legislation like HCR. 59 seats controlled by the Dem caucus, and yet we are unable to scrape together 51 votes for a PO.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[housewolf]

7. It's more about the Congress

People see that special interests buy the legislation they want and that what they do is against the public interest. Many have become fed up with both Houses.

[Mefistofeles]

10. The President is not running for Congress

To the best of my knowledge.

[Bitwit1234]

11. These Polls have been proved over and over as not to be believed.

the primary in Florida was a perfect example. They tell you Razzypooh screws their polls with republicans because they excuse it, republicans are more likely to vote. And besides how can 700 put their finger on the pulse of 3M.

[Codeine]

19. The polls were quite accurate in the last elections. nt

[Drunken Irishman]

14. Obama's not running...

This isn't about Obama. As much as the media wants to make it about him, he's still the most popular elected leader (nationally) in either party.

People like Obama. They don't like Congress. I am not sure who received much of the blame in 1982 - but my guess is that it was more on Reagan than on Congress. This time it's the other way around.

[Midwestern Democrat]

15. The GOP lost 26 House seats in 1982 - however, they were

already in the minority in the House before that election (IIRC, not much above 190 seats in the House) - they simply didn't have all that many vulnerable seats to lose in '82. They did escape the Senate side unscathed - but that was probably due to the specific seats that were up for re-election that year.

[DailyGrind51]

17. It is Congress that has more people pissed on both sides!

[Codeine]

20. We won a lot of marginal districts on the tide of enthusiasm engendered

by Obama's presence on the ballot. The likelihood that many of those casual voters will be out to pull the lever for the Democrats in a midterm with a shitty economy is low.

[GSLevel9]

22. let's make this clear....

IF GRAMPS had won in 08 and the economy was the same as today... the Pubs would be in deep shit today.

It's a pissed off, childish temper tantrum composed of pony-seekers and greedy fuckers. Doesn't matter the policies and the cause... incumbents of the leading party will pay.