Obama approval ratings

[RecycleMichael]

I have read on this forum from other posters that President Obama's approval ratings are in the low 20 and 30 percent.

Here is a accumulation of conservative and liberal ratings services...

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

47.5% approve and 47.3% disapprove. Sounds exactly like the American public on every other political issue.

[Gaspar]

I have read on this forum from other posters that President Obama's approval ratings are in the low 20 and 30 percent.

Here is a accumulation of conservative and liberal ratings services...

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html

47.5% approve and 47.3% disapprove. Sounds exactly like the American public on every other political issue.

Roper has a good combined poll http://webapps.ropercenter.uconn.edu/CFIDE/roper/presidential/webroot/presidential_rating.cfm

Do you approve of the job the president is doing?

[RecycleMichael]

I am disappointed that he has not gotten our troops out of Iraq. I am disappointed that he hasn't been involved in getting more democrats elected (but it is still early).

I am pleased with these accomplishments:

Passing the "largest" economic stimulus bill in American history.

Ordering the closing of Guantanamo Bay military detention facility and abolishing "enhanced interrogation techniques."

Setting a fixed timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat forces from Iraq.

Ordering 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and enlisting, with modest new assistance, European allies in a new multi-layered strategy there and in Pakistan, and setting a timetable for a drawdown of our troops.

"Returning science to its rightful place" by lifting the Bush restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research.

Signing laws to expand children's health insurance (financed by a 61-cent per pack increase in the federal cigarette tax the adviser did not tout).

Signing a law meant to improve the ability of women who allege pay discrimination to sue their employer.

Lifting travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban Americans who seek to travel more frequently to the island and send more US currency to their immediate family.

Appointed the first Latina to the US Supreme Court

signed a law supporting increased financial aid to severely injured war veterans, and their caretakers.

Passed health care reform.

signed a hate crime bill 

[Gaspar]

So you are pleased with his performance overall?

[RecycleMichael]

Are you just fishing?

Yes. I love Obama and want to have his babies. Good emough?

[Conan71]

Uh, last I checked Gitmo is still open and the timetable for closing it is pretty much open-ended.  Much like what will eventually happen with timetables on Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Gaspar]

No, simple question, just looking for a simple answer.

It seems to be that no one wants to answer that question.  They hum and haw about how he didn't do this and he did do that, and he's not done with this, and so on.

It's also strange that many support him for the same reason that many give for losing faith in him. 

Take Guantanamo for instance.  The Friday before Memorial day the administration basically dropped it's plans to close the base.  Most of the media opted not to even run the story.  But. . . Buried on page A13 of the New York Times you find that the White House has effectively given up on closing Guantanamo until after the next presidential inauguration. In a story, "Closing Guantanamo Fades as a Priority," the Times reports that "the Obama administration has sidelined efforts to close the Guantánamo prison.  According to the Times, the White House is washing its hands, and laying the blame on Congress.

So I know a bunch of people who are still celebrating the "closing of Guantanamo" and a bunch who are angry because he's not closing Guantanamo. How confusing.

It continues to interest me that of all of the reasons people give for supporting him none of them address the economy?  In over a year we continue to get worse.  China just dropped our credit from AAA to AA today. 

The other social issues are very liberal in nature, so I won't even pretend to understand their importance, but they are doing little to build on our economy.

The answer to this question from most is similar to those who continue to praise Jimmy Carter for his outstanding foreign policy while Rome burned.

"He's a great man, and a Nobel Prize winner!"

[nathanm]

It continues to interest me that of all of the reasons people give for supporting him none of them address the economy?  In over a year we continue to get worse.  China just dropped our credit from AAA to AA today.  

It wasn't "China," it was some Chinese company claiming to be a new ratings agency. Unsurprisingly, China's rating is top.

http://wallstreet.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/07/13/dagong-show-china-hammers-u-s-credit-rating/?section=magazines_fortune

[Gaspar]

It wasn't "China," it was some Chinese company claiming to be a new ratings agency. Unsurprisingly, China's rating is top.

http://wallstreet.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/07/13/dagong-show-china-hammers-u-s-credit-rating/?section=magazines_fortune

Oh good.  I stand corrected.  That's what I get for listening to CNN on my way out the door.

[Cats Cats Cats]

Oh good.  I stand corrected.  That's what I get for listening to CNN on my way out the door.

Well quite a few Republican's around Oklahoma were shouting that the economy was going to collapse and that we were going to be shooting looters in our front yards about 6 months ago...  So that hasn't happened.

[Gaspar]

Well quite a few Republican's around Oklahoma were shouting that the economy was going to collapse and that we were going to be shooting looters in our front yards about 6 months ago...  So that hasn't happened.

Thank God they're not running around town stealing catalytic converters, or robbing banks.

[Conan71]

Well quite a few Republican's around Oklahoma were shouting that the economy was going to collapse and that we were going to be shooting looters in our front yards about 6 months ago...  So that hasn't happened.

You haven't gotten to shoot a looter in your front yard yet?  Man, I've probably shot at least 10 in the last six months.

[Gaspar]

You haven't gotten to shoot a looter in your front yard yet?  Man, I've probably shot at least 10 in the last six months.

Drove by and took a picture of you last night.

[Conan71]

Drove by and took a picture of you last night.

Could you at least crop out the jug of moonshine next to me?

[guido911]

I am disappointed that he has not gotten our troops out of Iraq. I am disappointed that he hasn't been involved in getting more democrats elected (but it is still early).

I am pleased with these accomplishments:

Passing the "largest" economic stimulus bill in American history.

Ordering the closing of Guantanamo Bay military detention facility and abolishing "enhanced interrogation techniques."

Setting a fixed timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat forces from Iraq.

Ordering 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and enlisting, with modest new assistance, European allies in a new multi-layered strategy there and in Pakistan, and setting a timetable for a drawdown of our troops.

"Returning science to its rightful place" by lifting the Bush restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem cell research.

Signing laws to expand children's health insurance (financed by a 61-cent per pack increase in the federal cigarette tax the adviser did not tout).

Signing a law meant to improve the ability of women who allege pay discrimination to sue their employer.

Lifting travel and remittance restrictions for Cuban Americans who seek to travel more frequently to the island and send more US currency to their immediate family.

Appointed the first Latina to the US Supreme Court

signed a law supporting increased financial aid to severely injured war veterans, and their caretakers.

Passed health care reform.

signed a hate crime bill 

I will not tackle all these "accomplishments", because a few I actually applaud (S-Chip, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act). Here is my take on the ones I cannot believe are examples of accomplishments:

"Passing the 'largest' economic stimulus bill in American history."

Is this the bill that Obama said if passed unemployment wold not go above 8%? Heck of an accomplishment. And it impact, how many jobs were created, no saved, no...what is the administration calling it this week?

"Ordering the closing of Guantanamo Bay military detention facility and abolishing 'enhanced interrogation techniques.'"

Conan already nailed the obvious. As for enhanced interrogations, maybe we are not waterboarding anyone (ya know, those three poor ol' terrorist masterminds (KSM et. al.), but last I heard Obama is still allowing rendition to occur, there remains indefinite detentions, and Huffpo reported that battlefield executions are taking place in Afghanistan. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/13/us-troops-carrying-out-ba_n_574892.html. It is also alleged that prisoner abuse is occurring in the detention facility at Bagram AB. http://www.georgewashington2.blogspot.com/2010/01/torture-is-continuing-under-obama.html

"Ordering 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and enlisting, with modest new assistance, European allies in a new multi-layered strategy there and in Pakistan, and setting a timetable for a drawdown of our troops".

Twice as many were requested and it took Obama almost four months to respond to said request. Post Bush rules of engagement were changed which greatly affected how our troops could engage the enemy (Petraeus is reviewing/reconsidering http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/25/petraeus-modify-afghanistan-rules-engagement-source-says/). Finally, the violence in Afghanistan has been far worse under Obama. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghanistan-report-20100620,0,4978503.story

"Appointed the first wise Latina to the US Supreme Court"

FIFY. And, what's your point?  That Sotomayor did not get the same filibuster treatment the senate dems gave fellow Hispanic Miguel Estrada.

"Passed health care reform".

A majority of the country wants it repealed, it was passed with help of a Louisiana Purchase and Cornhusker kickback from the most honest, most, and most ethical Congress evah, and without the "transparency" Mr. Hope and Change promised.