The President

If one steps back and thinks about what has been accomplished during the first 21 months of the Obama administration, the list is quite impressive:

• Healthcare Reform
• Increased regulation of banks and financial institutions
• The largest economic stimulus package in history
• Rescue of 2 major U.S. auto manufacturers
• Setting a timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq
• And sticking to it
• Lifting restrictions on stem cell research
• Expanding children’s health insurance
• Appointed the first Latina and the 4th woman to the Supreme Court

The list actually goes on and on. The irony is that most of the major accomplishments are not popular with the public.

• Increasing regulation of financial institutions receives 61% approval
• 52% disapprove the economic stimulus package
• 56% disapprove salvaging the auto makers
• 61% disapprove the rescue of banks and other financial Institutions

The initiative that took the most time and effort, reform of the healthcare system, is disapproved by 56%. [Gallup 9/10]

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40% think the country is worse off since Obama became President, as opposed to 31% who say the country is better off.

32% strongly relate to him while 27% do not relate to him. 40% are confident that the President has the right goals and

Policies, while 38% are not at all confident. 65% say he has “fallen short” of changing business as usual

in Washington. 67% say he has “fallen short” as relates to the budget deficit. 60% say he has “fallen short” on the economy. 29% find the President too anti-business, while 14% think he is too pro-business.

[NBC/WSJ 8/10]

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To this day, Obama is essentially not being blamed for the current economy. In fact, his administration ranks a poor fifth on a list of those who might be blamed. 37% still blame the Bush administration, while 21% blame Wall Street and financial institutions. Congress shows up next, at 11%, and 8% select “someone else”. The Obama administration comes in at 5%. [NYT/CBS 9/10]

The President’s approval rating has been below 50% since the middle of the year.

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Below is how Obama job approval plays among various segments of the population, based on the August NBC/WSJ survey.

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When matched against the approval ratings of the last 8 Presidents in late August/early September of the 2nd year of their initial terms in office, Obama continues in 6th place, just ahead of Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. [Based on Gallup surveys]

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Personal feelings about the President have declined, although they remain more positive than negative.

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When it comes to the economy, Obama’s job approval rating has not been in positive territory since the middle of 2009.

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Here is how Obama is rated on his handling of the Federal budget deficit.

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There is no doubt that the President is an extraordinary speaker. move an audience, especially an audience that is in the room with him. President rarely speaks directly to his largest audience, the American public at large, those people who are never in the room, the people (like WW) that only see and hear him through the magic of TV or the internet.

Because the President relies on tele-prompters on almost every public occasion, he constantly looks to his left and to his right. Rarely does he look straight ahead. The only time he has looked “me” in the eye is on his weekly Saturday video commentary from the Oval Office and his two primetime Oval Office addresses. The reason he looks me in the eye on those occasions is because the tele-prompter is straight ahead, under the lens of the TV camera.

Look me in the eye Mr. President.

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