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Obama's rating on economy hits new low: poll
President Obama delivers remarks at a DNC event in Austin, Texas, May 10, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Jim Young
WASHINGTON |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans' disapproval of how President Barack Obama is handling the economy and its growing budget deficit has reached new highs amid broad frustration over the slow pace of economic recovery, according to a Washington Post-ABC New poll released on Tuesday.
The ratings boost Obama received after the killing of Osama bin Laden has dissipated with his job approval rating back to 47 percent. Forty-nine percent disapprove of his performance.
Obama's approval rating bounced to 56 immediately after bin Laden was killed last month.
Fifty-nine percent, a new high, gave Obama negative marks for his handling of the economy, up from 55 percent a month earlier.
Obama's approval rating on the deficit issue hit a new low of 33 percent, down 6 points since April.
The state of the economy poses a huge challenge for the president, whose re-election in 2012 may depend on his ability to convince voters that his economic policies have been successful.
The survey reflects a broadly pessimistic public mood as high gasoline prices, sliding home values and high unemployment numbers raised concerns about the pace of the U.S. economic recovery, The Washington Post said.
Eighty-nine percent of Americans say the economy is in bad shape; 57 percent say the recovery has not started and 66 percent said the United States was seriously on the wrong track.
Forty-five percent said they trust congressional Republicans over Obama to handle the economy, up 11 points since March.
The poll shows Obama leading five out of six potential Republican presidential rivals but in a dead heat with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
Among all Americans, Obama and Romney are tied at 47 percent each. Among registered voters, Romney is ahead 49 percent to 46 percent.
Romney, the Republican front-runner, last week launched his second presidential campaign, saying Obama's economic policies were to blame for America's many economic woes.
The poll of 1,002 adults was conducted June 2-5 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
(Reporting by JoAnne Allen; editing by Chris Wilson)
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I think you are a bit rough on Obama. He was handed an economy that was crumbling. All of the balls were in motion and there was some good things that has happened to slow the ball way down. Bush and Obama kept the banks from completely destroying the economy. Had TARP not gone through there could have been a run on banks much like was seen in the Great Depression. Chevy and Chrysler were saved, while many do not like the government stepping in and they way it happened, it did save a lot of jobs directly and indirectly.
My criticism is that he was naive. He shouldn’t have promised to keep unemployment below 7%. He has lost his enthusiasm, and the promise of hope and change fizzled rather quickly. I believe he thought the stimulus bill would fix everything. You can’t jump start the economy giving money to the public sector. The public sector drains the economy, it does not drive the economy. The attacks on oil companies and the gulf oil fiasco along with the continuous wars in the middle east have helped gasoline stay above $3 a gallon. Honestly a politician that promises to get gasoline below $2 a gallon has a chance at beating the president, and getting it below $2 would kick start the economy unlike any other opportunity we have right now.
The last 30 years I have seen everyone rooting against the party in power and the president. We are killing the United States while China rises to power.
Last week in Toledo, he said, “Chrysler has repaid every dime and more of what it owes the American taxpayer from the investment we made during my watch.”
The truth is they have paid back only half the $14 Billion bailout.
How can we trust a liar to lead the way?
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