Obama Not As Unpopular As Some People Think

The Republicans have attacked President Obama since his first day in office.   One could expect them to present a loyal opposition, which is something our country needs and our system of government is based on.   Compromise and vigorous debate have many times helped to make a fair piece of legislation into an even better law.   But this requires good will and a willingness to compromise from both sides.   That doesn't exist in Congress right now.

President Obama has repeatedly tried to involve the Republicans in decisions -- perhaps too much considering their attitude.   But the Republicans have chosen not to participate in any compromises.   Their attitude from day one has been to just say no to anything proposed -- even bills that one or more Republicans helped to write (like the bill to give tax breaks and low-cost loans to small businesses).   They have decided that if they can cause the president to fail then that would be good for them on election day (even if it hurts the country).

But they have been much more than the party of "no".   They have also been the party of slander and demonization.   They have called the president names like "socialist" when they know it not to be true.   And they have let the angry wing of their party, the teabaggers, get away with even worse, like accusing the president of not being born in America (in spite of the fact that his birth certificate has been released and the Hawaiian government has verified his citizenship).   And they have accused him of being a muslim, creating death panels for the elderly, and trying to confiscate the guns of citizens -- none of which is true.

Adding to the problem is that the mainstream media seems to have abandoned critical journalism in favor of repeating whatever wild charges anyone wants to make -- in the hopes of increasing viewership and circulation.   One of the charges being thrown around today is that the president's popularity is tumbling.   This has been so widely reported by the media that even many Democrats are afraid to campaign beside the president.

But is it true?   Has the president's popularity fallen so far that he would be a toxic presence on the campaign trail and he is in danger of becoming a one term president?   I don't think so, and the numbers from a new national poll back me up on that.   The Quinnipiac University poll surveyed 1,905 registered voters nationwide from August 31st through September 7th (and the poll has a margin of error of 2.3%).

With an election coming up, the most important thing on the voters' minds is the poor economy.   That has caused the president to take a hit on his overall job approval ratings.   That is until you compare the rating to the approval of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.   Then the president's rating doesn't look quite so bad.   Here's how the registered voters rated all three:

DO YOU APPROVE OF HOW PRESIDENT IS HANDLING HIS JOB?
Yes...............44%
No...............47%
Don't know...............9%

DO YOU APPROVE OF JOB CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS ARE DOING?
Yes...............30%
No...............60%
Don't know...............10%

DO YOU APPROVE OF JOB CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS ARE DOING?
Yes...............29%
No...............59%
Don't know...............12%

The voters are unhappy with the way the economy is being handled, but they don't blame the president near as much as they blame Congress -- both parties in Congress.   But when you get away from the economy, the president's number improve -- dramatically in some cases.   Here's what the people think about individual issues other than the economy:

APPROVE OF PRESIDENT'S HANDLING OF FOREIGN POLICY?
Yes...............45%
No...............44%
Don't know...............11%

APPROVE OF PRESIDENT"S HANDLING OF AFGHANISTAN?
Yes...............49%
No...............40%
Don't know...............10%

APPROVE OF PRESIDENT'S HANDLING OF GULF OIL SPILL?
Yes...............49%
No...............44%
Don't know...............7%

APPROVE OF PRESIDENT'S HANDLING COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF DUTIES?
Yes...............53%
No...............40%
Don't know...............7%

And the numbers on the president get even better when the voters are asked about his personal qualities, such as:

IS PRESIDENT OBAMA HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY?
Yes...............55%
No...............38%
Don't know...............6%

DOES PRESIDENT OBAMA HAVE STRONG LEADERSHIP SKILLS?
Yes...............59%
No...............38%
Don't know...............3%

Considering all of the above numbers, I think the Congressional Democrats are making a mistake in not asking the president to campaign for them and with them.   His numbers are a lot better than theirs.   He won't get them any right-wing votes, but they couldn't get those votes if they paid for them.   But he could help them convince some Independents.   And he could certainly energize the Democrats in their districts and states.

Are the president's numbers as good as I would like for them to be?   No, but they are better than anyone else's at this point (in either party).   And if he would start trying to fight back against his detractors energetically and enthusiastically (as he seems to be starting to do), they could improve quickly.   The American people like a fighter -- even one they don't always agree with.

It's still a couple of years until the next presidential election, but so far the president is not so unpopular that his re-election is in danger.   And if the Republicans gain Congressional seats in the coming election and continue to block his efforts to stimulate jobs and improve the economy, they could be doing their own party's candidate a huge disservice.  

The president is simply not as unpopular as some people want you to think he is, especially when compared to the last Republican president and any current Republican contenders.