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PrintJuly 9, 2009
Obama plummets to minus 8 Presidential Approval Index (updated)
The American public awakens to the disaster that is the Obama presidency. Rasmussen's Daily Presidential Approval Index shows 38% of the public strongly disapproves and only 30% strongly approve of Obama's handling of his job.
With the economy crashing despite the promises made over the stimulus package, the public is turning negative:
Thirty-nine percent (39%) now give the President good or excellent marks for handling the economy while 43% say he is doing a poor job. Those are by far his lowest ratings yet on the economy
Gender gap
A startling gender gap has opened, with women apparently still charmed by the man (those adoring magazine covers about the first couple and their kids are still working on some), while fellow males have turned against him decisively:
There is a gender gap when it comes to perceptions of Obama's performance. By a 46% to 27% margin, men Strongly Disapprove. Women are more evenly divided-33% Strongly Approve and 30% Strongly Disapprove.
Gene Schwimmer adds:
If this trend continues, Obama should be below 50% by the end of next week -- which, if it happens, will "reconnect" the disconnect between Obama's simultaneous negative Approval Indices and overall approval ratings. It would also harmonize the discrepancy shown in virtually every poll, including Rasmussen's, between the public's perception of Obama's policies, his performance in certain areas, such as economics and health, and that of Obama himself.
Note also that, as one would naturally expect with a widening gap, that the new numbers comprising the Approval Index - 30% Strongly Approve, 38% Strongly Disapprove - represent, a record low and high, respectively.
This also marks the first time that Obama's Approval Index has been negative for four consecutive days - or alternatively, if one ignores Rasmussen's three-day Fourth of July suspension of polling, one could say that Obama's AI has been negative for seven days in a row and even postulate that, had Rasmussen polled on those days, Obama's AI, potentially, could have had 10 consecutive negative days.
Of course, anything can happen in politics; however, methinks, the Annointed One will see 49% before he sees 59%. Indeed, he already may have. Remember, Rasmussen uses a three-day moving average, so, given a three-day average of 51%, it is conceivable that on at least one of the preceding three days, Obama was below 50%.
Rosslyn Smith adds:
We may be at the tipping point. This looks less like a the final days of a honey moon and more like what happened when the proverbial last straw hits a marriage that has been only so-so for a long time. Could it be that when those unemployment numbers hit a segment of the voting public so hard it stopped the excuse making for everything else they don't like: the broken promises on transparency in government, the elevation of racial idenity politics with the Sotomayor nomination, the pusillanimous strange on the Iranian election, the lavish personal life style during hard times, the litany of apologies about America on every trip abroad?
When people stop making those habitual excuses every annoyance suddenly becomes a reason to bail out.
In the comments over at Pajamas Media someone said that Rasmussen's Daily Tracking Poll for the last ten days reminds him of an old Johnny Cash song.
How high's the water, mama?
Two feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa?
Two feet high and risin'
We can make it to the road in a homemade boat
That's the only thing we got left that'll float
It's already over all the wheat and the oats,
Two feet high and risin'
That's the only thing we got left that'll float
It's already over all the wheat and the oats,
Two feet high and risin'
How high's the water, mama?
Three feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa?
Three feet high and risin'
Three feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa?
Three feet high and risin'
Well, the hives are gone,
I've lost my bees
The chickens are sleepin'
In the willow trees
Cow's in water up past her knees,
Three feet high and risin'
I've lost my bees
The chickens are sleepin'
In the willow trees
Cow's in water up past her knees,
Three feet high and risin'
How high's the water, mama?
Four feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa?
Four feet high and risin'
Four feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa?
Four feet high and risin'
Hey, come look through the window pane,
The bus is comin', gonna take us to the train
Looks like we'll be blessed with a little more rain,
4 feet high and risin'
The bus is comin', gonna take us to the train
Looks like we'll be blessed with a little more rain,
4 feet high and risin'
How high's the water, mama?
Five feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa?
Five feet high and risin'
Five feet high and risin'
How high's the water, papa?
Five feet high and risin'
Well, the rails are washed out north of town
We gotta head for higher ground
We can't come back till the water comes down,
Five feet high and risin'
We gotta head for higher ground
We can't come back till the water comes down,
Five feet high and risin'
