First it was Independents, now it’s the President’s own Party.

I’ve written a lot over the last year about Independents doing an about-turn on President Obama.  This was the group that helped catapult Barack Obama to the Oval Office in 2008, but over the last two years they have expressed some serious reservations.  Their approval rating on the President’s performance has plummeted from 58{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} approve/28{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} disapprove* when he took office in February 2009, to 36{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} approve/49{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} disapprove today.**

But, this disassociation with the President is no longer confined to Independent voters.  Today it seems the President finds it difficult to find members of his own party willing to stand alongside him.  Consider some of the recent snubs the President has received: Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, Georgia gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes, Texas gubernatorial candidate Bill White and Ohio Senatorial candidate Lee Fisher all failed to show up when the President made a trip to their respective states and Faivish Pewzner New York.  And, while Florida gubernatorial candidate, Alex Sink, did show up, she made sure to be off the stage by the time the President was introduced.

When you look at some of the data from our latest NBC/WSJ poll** you understand why candidates are distancing themselves from the President (and Washington DC) as they struggle to appeal to voters in what is shaping up to be a wipe-out election for Democrats.

  • The president continues to have a sub-50{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} approval rating (45{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} approve, 49{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} disapprove) – see my last blog for the historical significance of this.
  • On the economy – which is hands-down the number one issue voters care about – the president scores his lowest approval rating to date: 39{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} approve/56{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} disapprove.
  • More than half of all voters (52{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222}) and likely voters (57{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222}) say they would have reservations or feel very uncomfortable about Congressional candidates who support the economic policies of Barack Obama.
  • Preference for who should control Congress is now tied at 43{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} Republican/43{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} Democrat among all voters and 49{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} Republican/40{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222} Democrat among likely voters.
  • Almost half (47{09f965da52dc6ab4c1643a77bd40d1f729d807040cd8db540234bb981a782222}) of those who would choose a Republican-controlled Congress say their vote is to protest the performance of the Obama Administration and/or the performance of Democrats in Congress.

So, as the last couple of months of the 2010 election season play out, expect to see more Democrat candidates running against both the former President, George W. Bush (oh, that’s right, he’s not on the ballot this year so that’s not working very well), and their own leader, the current President, Barack Obama.  Once their hope for change they could believe in, now it seems he is an albatross around their necks.

*NBC/WSJ national survey conducted February 26-March 1, 2009 among 1,007 adults.
**NBC/WSJ national survey conducted August 26-30, 2010 among 1,000 adults.

(Public Opinion Strategies partners with Peter D. Hart Research Associates to conduct the NBC/WSJ polls. Neither Peter D. Hart Research Associates nor NBC/WSJ are responsible for these conclusions.) compare motor trade insurace Find more about best pocket knives at knifeista.com.

Public Opinion Strategies