Tuesday, July 13, 2010

New Washington Post-ABC News Poll Brutal For Obama And Dems

[Update below post, CBS poll just as brutal for Obama.]

Washington Post just released their findings from a new Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted and the results are brutal for both Barack Obama and House and Senate Democrats up for reelection in November.

Key points:

***nearly six in 10 voters say they lack faith in the president to make the right decisions for the country

***a clear majority once again disapproves of how he is dealing with the economy

Before getting into the specific questions and data of the poll, Hot Air shows us the skewered sampling, which is very important to keep in mind, because if the poll results are this brutal with a skewered sample, imagine what they would be if the sample was representative of the current political atmosphere and makeup.

Before we get started on the results, let’s take a look at yet another skewed sample from the WaPo/ABC pollster. Democrats have a seven-point advantage in this poll in its general population (31/24) and registered voter subgroup (33/26). Barack Obama won the popular vote by seven points in November 2008. Does the WaPo/ABC pollster really believe that today’s electorate is exactly the same as then? On the other hand, it’s an improvement over the last survey in June (+9 RV) and April (+9 RV, +11 GP). Maybe by the time we get to the midterms, the WaPo/ABC sample may actually begin to look like the electorate.


With that knowledge in mind, let us take a look at some of the numbers.

Obama's Numbers:

-54 percent of all Americans disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing on the economy with 43 percent approving.

-58 percent of registered voters do not have confidence that Barack Obama will make the right decisions for the country with 42 percent saying they do have confidence.

-50 percent approve of Obama's job performance over all with 47 percent disapproving, but notably, according tot he poll those who "strongly" disapprove now significantly outnumber those who strongly approve.

-Among those who say they definitely will vote in November, 53 percent disapprove of the way he is handling his responsibilities.

-56 percent disapprove of Obama's handling of the federal budget deficit with 40 percent approving.

November 2010 Election Sentiment:

-26 percent of registered voters say they are inclined to support their representative in the House this fall; 62 percent are inclined to look for someone new.

-Among those who say they are sure to cast ballots in November, 49 percent side with the GOP and 45 percent with Democrats.

-Overall, a slim majority of all voters say they would prefer Republican control of Congress so that the legislative branch would act as a check on the president's policies. Those most likely to vote in the midterms prefer the GOP over continued Democratic rule by a sizable margin of 56 percent to 41 percent.

Important to note this line from the Wapo article about the poll:

Public opinion is split down the middle on the question of whether the government should spend more money to stimulate the economy in a way that leads to job creation. Among those who support such new spending, 18 percent change their minds when asked what they think if such outlays could sharply increase the budget deficit. In that scenario, 57 percent opposed another round of spending.


Specific poll questions and answers, found here.

ABC News reports on the same poll, headlining with "Poll: Confidence in President Obama Drops, GOP Congress Gains Support,", sub-header states "Poll Shows Clearest Signs Yet of GOP Gains, Democratic Risks in 2010 Elections."

Increasingly disenchanted with President Obama's work on the stalled economy, registered voters by an 8-point margin say they'd prefer to see the Republicans take control of Congress – the clearest sign yet of GOP opportunities and Democratic risks in the 2010 midterm elections.


Democrats in Congress and the Senate may have to worry this year but Barack Obama has another two years left before his reelection bid.

No worries for Obama in 2012 though because he has the perfect strategy.

RUN AGAINST BUSH AGAIN!!!!

I actually giggled when I read that one.



[Update]
Separate CBS poll just as brutal.

...Obama's approval rating on the economy has tumbled five percentage points from last month, according to a new CBS News poll, with just 40 percent of those polled expressing full confidence in his actions.

More than half of those questioned (54 percent) said they disapproved of Mr. Obama's handling of the economy. Last month, 45 percent approved. The drop in approval has been seen mostly among independents, just 35 percent of whom now say they approve.


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