Obama's Poll Numbers
Early in his Presidency, George W. Bush was popular in spite of himself. He didn't always come across as the brightest guy, and his young Presidency was surrounded by questions of legitimacy by the media following the Florida debacle. The Country had started into a recession, and yet his job approval rating was at 56% 6 months into the job.
In 2009, President Obama entered the White House in an historic election. The first black President of the United States was ushered in as "the Messiah" by some in the press. He won in convincing fashion, and his poll numbers were high despite the recession the Country had started into. Some in the media have even implied that Bush intentionally worsened the recession to give Obama a harder start. Yet in spite of himself and the adoring coverage from a worshiping left wing media, President Obama's numbers have begun to fall... yes, lower than Bush's at the same point... and yes, while the former President's numbers are rising.
Yet so ingrained into the media is the love of Obama and hatred of Bush that CNN did everything short of apologizing for President Bush's rising numbers.
"Is Cheney's uptick due to his visibility as one of the most outspoken critics of the Obama administration? Almost certainly not," says Keating Holland, CNN polling director.
"Former President George W. Bush's favorable rating rose 6 points in that same time period, and Bush has not given a single public speech since he left office."
The poll suggests that 41 percent of Americans hold a favorable opinion of the former president, with 57 percent viewing him unfavorably.
While their focus was on "why", it should have been on "where". President Bush, welcome back to the 40's. 40% range, that is.And he has some company there. President Obama has now dipped into the 40% range as well, dropping under the dead even number for the first time in his political career.
A special thanks to my friend Bryan, who sketched this cartoon for me.
In spite of Bush's many gaffes and the general disdain with which the media looked at him, his numbers are on the rise. In spite of Obama's personal popularity with the media, his numbers are dropping. But why is that? By and large, the American people still look at Bush as a guy who is not all that cool, while Obama is viewed by many as the King of cool. Yet at the end of the day, substance matters.
Many Americans treated the election as a Class President runoff, yet much more was at stake. Barack was the "in crowd". McCain was the stuffy old guy. And the same holds true today. Yet the stuffy old guy happens to have some experience. The stuffy old guy has been around the block a time or two. Meanwhile, the young cool guy is stumbling around without a clue, grasping at straws in an attempt to turn around an economy that he doesn't even begin to understand. His policies are evidence of that. The man he chose to help him lead us out of our economic troubles honestly thinks that runaway spending is needed to prevent bankruptcy. Yet the most stunning thing is that President Obama actually tries to remind us of what he inherited. Yet, by his own predictions, he inherited an unemployment rate that could have been capped at 8%. Under his policies, not those of Bush, it was driven up to 9.5%.
These latest poll numbers separate cool from competence. On the eve of an historic election, cool makes a great party. Yet after the failed policies of the last six months, it would be really nice to have competence back. I'm sure I will be blasted for saying so, and that's why I brought the polls with me. The American people are starting to agree.
