Better or Worse?
A lot has changed in America over the past year. We have a new President and a new administration. Healthcare reform is now on the front burner. Swine flu fears are making headlines. But some things haven’t changed: Troops remain in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a new surge may be in the works. The recession continues, with unemployment hitting record highs and no one really sure when and if the nation’s economy will bounce back.
The latest Zogby Interactive survey shows President Barack Obama’s job performance rating has fallen slightly to 49%. Just over a year ago, former President George W. Bush hit a record low of just 21% in Zogby telephone polling as he neared the end of his second term and the November election loomed.
While our latest polling shows 42% of likely voters say the nation is headed in the right direction and 51% believe it is off on the wrong track, Americans were much more pessimistic about the state of the country a year ago. In October of last year, three in four Americans believe the country was headed on the wrong track and just 18% believed the U.S. was headed in the right direction. A year ago, under the Bush administration, there was strong dissatisfaction with the direction the country was headed from all sides of the political spectrum – 84% of Democrats, 79% of self-identified political independents, and even 64% of Republicans felt this way. Fast forward to today, under the Obama administration, and views on the direction the country is headed have become increasingly partisan. Our latest survey shows while 90% of Republicans believe the U.S. is on the wrong track, just 15% of Democrats feel the same. Among independents, 55% believe the country is on the wrong track.
Do you think the country is better off today than at this time last year, and has the change in administrations made a difference either way? Do you think American will be in a better or worse place a year from now?
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Obama came into office with more good will than any president — at least since JFK. It has been squandered, and will take a lot of time and effort to rekindle the support — if at all. Just note Gallup; Zogby; Rasmussen; and even Real Politics average polls! It is now a matter of TRUST and a serious questions are arising regarding his judgment!!!
One of Obama’s major problems is that he delivers way too many speeches, but NOTHING OF IMPORT HAPPENS – in fact, they get worse!! He seems to not listen to the American people – just like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. WHY SHOULD THE AMERICAN PEOPLE LISTEN TO HIM??
TEAM OBAMA IS AFFLICTED WITH ‘FIRE, READY, AIM’ SYNDROME!
They fire before they are ready; and forget to aim until they see they missed the target.
This is true of their:
*Cabinet selections: tax cheats, and the attorney general calling us cowards
*Stimulus Package (are YOU STIMULATED YET??)
*TARP additions (WOW — what a deficit trick! What will happen when China quits lending us money?)
*Appointment of near three dozen czars – some with dubious backgrounds and motives – Van Jones being only one of the ‘triple troubled dozen’. Where is Congressional overwatch??
*GM and Chrysler bailouts to preclude bankruptcy, and they went BANKRUPT!! Now we learn that the investment of BILLIONS will probably not be repaid. He sure did not show his competence for serving as an auto CEO did he???
*Foreign Policy miss steps (the UK did not even think enough of us to seek council before releasing a terrorist responsible for PAN AM Flight 103. We lost 180 Americans!! What good did Obama’s apology tours do for our status in Europe??) And, if Obama has tried to make up to France, HE HAS FAILED!! His “war of necessity” in Afghanistan warranted a 25 minute meeting with Gen McChrystal on Oct 2!! WOW!! I shutter to think about what Team Obama will accept from Iran!
*Cap & Trade (Where will US jobs go with this giveaway? China? India?) Other countries are drilling off our shores, but we won’t!! WHY NOT MR. PRESIDENT??
* …and who can forget his Professor Gates moment, followed by his beer reconciliation?? At “teachable moment??” What did you learn??
*Cash for Clunkers (when will the dealers be paid????)
*Health Care Reform! (Are you really willing to turn your and your families health care over to this bunch — who relishes crises?? Folks, it is now MID OCTOBER!!! Do you really know what Obama wants in a health care bill?? Do you really know what it is going to cost you and your children in the out years?? Why won’t they even allow the citizens to read the legislation???)
*Hinting that they are planning to restrict freedom of speech (fairness doctrine) and control the Internet
*Additionally, this crew is making major errors in policy in Afghanistan. The Obama 96 Hour Rule is going to cost lives. If Obama is not committed to WIN, then we should come home and not waste lives. This will be Obama’s Vietnam, because it is OBAMA’S POLICIES!! The Taliban must be laughing their heads off – especially now that they know the commander has only spoken with the commander-in-chief TWO TIMES!! JUST WHEN IS HE GOING TO MAKE A DECISION ON TROOPS — Indecision is not a favorable character trait in a president!!
* And while the commander in Afghanistan awaits a response from Obama upon his troop request, where does Team Obama go?? Why, to Denmark to ‘sell the Olympic Committee on CHICAGO’!!
Losing on the international scene was embarrassing enough, but there is an even greater concern now!
WHAT IS WRONG WITH OBAMA’S JUDGMENT? Why in the world did he not have better intelligence on decisions by the IOC? Other than his own personal ego, what possessed him, his wife, and Oprah to set themselves up for such a visible INTERNATIONAL FAILURE for the entire world to see!!??
Good, bad or indifferent, the rest of the world (including all of our adversaries) witnessed the SLAM DUNK of the ‘Leader of the Free World’ by the IOC on the ‘first play of the game’! He did not even get a bronze medal!!
*And for each goof, the response is: “Well, this is what George W. Bush left us!” Is he simply not up to the tasks at hand? That refrain is now a reminder that we made a BIG, BAD, MISTAKE IN NOVEMBER 2008. This is the most arrogant bunch I can remember, and I am 70+, and WAS a supporter!!
They simply FAIL TO PLAN! Then, blame their shortcomings on someone else — usually the bad hand ‘Bush handed them’. This crew is really making the James Buchanan Administration appear to be geniuses!
Pres. Obama and the far left loons he has surrounded himself with are fast tracking us to a total facist takeover by big brother.They squell like a pig about conservatives invading their bedrooms, but it is fine for Mr. O and co. to take over everything else? We are facing some very dark days if we don’t flush the toilet in D.C. in 2010
The fact that the US has once again regained the respect of the rest of the world makes things 100% better than a year ago! As part of a global community, we needed to regain our position as a leader, not a yahoo! If only the Congress would get its act together and support some of Obama’s attempts to make changes, things would be progressing a lot faster!
We’ve not gained the respect of the world, they just like us more now because its so easy to keep the amateurs in the Obama adminstration off balance. Who has shown any respect? England – no. France – no. Iran – no. PRC – no. Russia – no. UN – no. NATO – no. The list goes on.
The U.S. is most assuredly not better off.
@Nance
What are you a communist…what is it with being part of the “Global” community…I was born an American. I do not care for any of Obama’s “change”.
@Michael M
I believe that is what they said about Roosevelt during the Depression, but you know what? Government has Bollinger Bands too. Regression to the mean. I seem to remember Reagan was president AFTER Roosevelt.
All this far right Orwellian stuff stikes me as from the tin-hat society.
Relative to total bank failure a real possibility last year, yeah we are better off.
I have family living overseas. Yes, they do respect us more, but then, we had been pretty darned low before this year.
@Kevin
Hmmm. Amateurs… Defense Secretary Robert Gates… Where do I know that name from… I believe from the former Administration.
Yup, agree. Was and is, in my opinion, an amateur.
No, we are not really better off. We hit a path where both Wall Street and politicians merged their greed. The biggest disappointment is that our people have given into surrendering the good of America by electing people who once elected forget the common citizen and pacify us with such things as Universal Healthcare, Medicade, encroachment into our public schools, while stripping us of our right(s) to control our income, our morals and how we are educated. We need a new congress with less lawyers and petty millionaires and let common sense rule, which I believe is the Constitution and not a New World Order. Middle of the road Americans care and their voice will be heard in the 2010 elections with the 2012 election to follow. I for one want a President who can design, discuss and present a policy. What we have at present is apparently a man so vain he has to constantly be on TV. Our present media in not Journalism but agenda driven talking heads, I see none who even give a hoot about facts or being objective. No not Hannity, Oberman, Maddow, Wolf, etc. Talking heads no real debates like Buckley held. And sorry Mr Zogby, I am very tire of polling being used to back a government, how the questions are asked mean a whole lot but you never ask the public about how the questions are presented, can’t control the issue that way.
Right path not by a long shot, but President Oboma will probably get re-elected because the two party system is broke. Most of Congress will also probably win re-election because Americans through out the country can not seem to communicate even in this day of the internet and out state newspaper will not print out of state discussions of another states elected officials.
But, President Oboma and this Congress should be braced for a gathering storm of backlash form the PEOPLE OF AMERICA.
I still stick with my answers. At this juncture, we have the luxury of debating whether we took/are taking the correct path. Maybe you all do not fully comprehend how precipitous the banking failure was last September/October. I don’t know that I necessarily agree with all choices made, however now is better than last October. Nobody is talking about the total collapse of countries the way they did last winter. And if the majority feels they got a raw deal, they will vote the bums out.