PoliticusUSA: New Approval Ratings Prove Obama Is The GOP’s Worst Nightmare

[dennis4868]

Republicans know that they have a lackluster field of presidential candidates as they inch toward the 2012 primary season. Their only hope for defeating President Obama short of an act of God is to drive up his negatives, but a new AP/GfK poll shows that not only are Obama’s approval ratings remaining steady at 53%, but an incredible 84% said that the president is a very likable person.

The numbers in the AP/GfK poll show an electorate that is still not happy with the direction that country is going in. 62% of those surveyed said that the country is going in the wrong direction, which is a five point increase since the last poll was taken. 90% of respondents said that the economy is very important to them.

This would appear to set up a good environment for Republicans to saddle Obama with the economy and drive his approval ratings down, but something very interesting happens when you look at Obama’s approval numbers. They aren’t going down. Obama’s job approval rating is still at 53% which is where it has been since January. Obama’s personal approval rating was 59%, which is a four point increase since November. A majority of Americans (50%) believe that Obama should be reelected. On the question of the economy, respondents were split within the margin of error about Obama’s job performance on the issue. 47% of Americans favored Obama’s handling of the economy and 52% and did not. (The poll’s margin of error was 4.2%). When Americans were asked if they were happy with their lives, 80% said yes. Of course this is the Queen Mother of loaded poll questions, as very people are going to admit that they are miserable sad sacks just trying get through another pointless day of earth bound existence

The entire article is here....http://www.politicususa.com/en/obama-2012-approval-rating-2

[Kennah]

1. I think the field of GOP hopefuls are an even bigger nightmare for the GOP

[Just_visiting]

5. I think this is off....

"incredible 84% said that the president is a very likable person."

No insult to the man, but I think if 30-50% of the folks are weird enough to believe in the birther stuff...that number would be a bit lower, I'd think.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

6. Maybe they think he's a very likable foreign-born Muslim terrorist.

:*

[RichGirl]

11. No way do 50% believe the birther crap.

I don't think 30% believe it.

I think a lot of "birthers" don't believe it either. They are racists who are desperate to get rid of the black president. They would say anything.

[jenmito]

2. K&R. Those are GREAT numbers! No wonder the big-name Repubs. haven't gotten into the race yet. n/t

[fasttense]

3. Just think how high Obama's approval ratings would be if

he did what he said he would do in his campaign and actually appealed to his base.

But no, he's going for those middle of the road guys who of course never are swayed or listen to the base that Obama is abandoning.

[dennis4868]

4. And you blame Obama

for not getting everything done in 2 years that he said he would over 4 years? Nevermind that the DINOs gave him problems every step of the way, the repubs blocking any progress at every moment, and a 24/7 fillubuster....IT'S ALL OBAMA'S FAULT.

By the way, I think if Obama got everything done that he said he would in just 2 years I think his numbers would be lower....his numbers with Dems is great, cannot get much better (according to the latest AP and Gallup Poll).

[ClarkUSA]

7. Wrong. Pres. Obama's base of liberal Democrats approves of him by a higher margin than this poll.

87%, in fact: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=631150&mesg_id=631705

Negative rhetoric does not trump positive facts. You are in a very small minority in both polls.

You don't speak for the base at all. Quite the opposite.

[Tarheel_Dem]

9. Clark, you always find just the right words.

:thumbsup:

[mikekohr]

10. ZING!

[RichGirl]

12. Contrary to popular progressive belief...it's not all about his base.

Considering that the option was grampa McCain and his idiot sidekick....of course all democrats voted for Obama. But that didn't win him the election. He won because a lot of centrists and republicans voted for him. I live in a red state that went Democratic for the first time in 40 years and not because there was a good democratic turn out. It was because republicans voted for him. My all white conservative neighborhood went 75% Obama.

So, he doesn't just owe his base, he owes a wide range of people. He's not just the Democratic president...he is the president of the WHOLE United States.

He needs the same people to get elected in 2012...and, according to polls, the people are happy with him.

If the progressives sit it out in 2012 because they didn't get everything they wanted...then they aren't just a whining and complaining bunch...the are a stupid, whiny, complaining bunch.

[craigmatic]

8. It's hard for them to run against them because he's accomplished alot of

their goals already particularly tax cuts and escalating the war in Afganistan. Now he's going after Libya. They can not attack Obama from the right it just doesn't work. If they wanted to be shrewd they could attack him from the left because that's where he's vulnerable. But all they know is right wing politics and that's why they'll lose.