7-25-09--- Obama -9
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that 30% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-nine percent (39%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -9. (see trends).
The number who Strongly Disapprove of the President has increased slightly following the prime time press conference on Wednesday night. That figure—39%--is now at the highest level yet recorded. As a result, the overall Approval Index has fallen to the lowest level yet recorded for this President.
Overall, 49% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance.
This is the second straight day that his overall approval rating has been below 50% among Likely Voters nationwide. Fifty-one percent (51%) disapprove. See recent demographic highlights from the Presidential Tracking Poll. For more measures of the President’s performance, see Obama By the Numbers.
Even the president’s new offensive to promote the reform plan, including a prime time press conference this past Wednesday, appears to have backfired thus far, with his overall approval rating in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll falling below 50% for the first time ever.
The big problem appears to be that Americans just aren’t into the health reform plan, the more they find out about it. Now voters oppose the plan proposed by the president and congressional Democrats by a nine-point margin, 53% to 44%. In late June, it was the other way around: 50% supported it, 45% were opposed.
Not only that, but just 20% of voters now say health care reform is the most important of the four budget priorities Obama laid out early in his presidency. To be fair, a plurality (33%) also believe health care reform is the goal the president is most likely to achieve.
Sixty-one percent (61%) of voters say cost is the biggest health care problem facing the nation today, not the lack of universal health insurance.
Not surprisingly, one of the big problems legislators are facing is how to pay for the trillion-dollar health reform initiative. Among the proposals is making those with chronic conditions such as diabetes pay higher health insurance premiums, but just 18% of voters agree with that idea. Sixty-seven percent (67%) are opposed.
Confidence in the $787-billion economic stimulus plan proposed by the president and passed by Congress in February also continues to fall. For the first time, more voters believe the stimulus plan hurt the economy rather than helped it.
While the president is a highly effective spokesman for his own agenda, he may be wearing out his welcome a bit. Forty percent (40%) of voters say Obama – just six months into his presidency – has held too many televised press conferences. Forty-seven percent (47%) say the president has had about the right number of them. Just eight percent (8%) believe he hasn’t had enough press conferences.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters now think Obama is governing like a partisan Democrat. Only 32% say the president is governing in a bipartisan fashion.
If the 2012 presidential election were held today, Obama and possible Republican nominee Mitt Romney would be all tied up at 45% each. The president, in a bid for a second four-year term, beats another potential GOP rival, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, by six points – 48% to 42%.
Vice President Joe Biden has been plagued with gaffes since taking office, and voters are now evenly divided over whether he will be Obama’s running mate again in 2012.
Support for Republican congressional candidates has reached its highest level in over two years as the GOP lengthens its lead over Democrats in the latest edition of the Generic Ballot. It’s the fourth week in a row that Republicans have been ahead.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_c...cking_poll
One biased poll. Big deal.
