Washington Extra – Blame to go around
A Reuters Ipsos poll shows the blame for the failure shared fairly equally among the political parties and the president. Just over one in five respondents (22 percent) blame all three (Democratic and Republican lawmakers as well as Obama) the most — slightly more than the 19 percent who blame both parties’ lawmakers but not the president.
For 13 percent of respondents, Obama alone is blamed most, better than the 18 percent who just blame Republicans but worse than the 7 percent who blame the Democratic lawmakers alone. And while Congress suffers the most in the public’s eye, with 51 percent taking a less favorable view of Capitol Hill in the wake of the failure, Obama’s standing drops for 35 percent of those polled.
While Obama can run from this unpopular Congress, he cannot hide from voters when it comes to the country’s debt crisis. A full 87 percent of the poll respondents said they were very or fairly concerned about the super committee’s failure. If there is anything to console him in this poll, it might be that Americans still think he has the best chances of solving the debt crisis when compared to his possible Republican contenders in 2012.
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Americans blame all sides for debt committee failure: poll Americans blamed the failure of Washington’s debt “super committee” on Republican and Democratic lawmakers and President Barack Obama, although more than a third said it lowered their opinion of the president, according to Reuters/Ipsos poll results on Tuesday. Eighteen percent blamed Republican lawmakers most for the committee’s failure to reach agreement on a plan to reduce the U.S. budget deficit and 13 percent blamed Obama most.
For more of this story by Patricia Zengerle, read here.
Reuters/Ipsos poll: Republicans trail Obama
President Barack Obama comes out ahead against the field of potential Republican hopefuls for the 2012 presidential election, with more than a 10-point lead over the closest of the pack — Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
When Obama was pitted against each possible Republican candidate, he scored more than 50 percent. His highest rating came against Donald Trump with 57 percent saying they would vote for Obama versus 30 percent for the New York real estate magnate.
All the Republicans were in the 30-percent range, led by former Arkansas governor Huckabee at 39 percent and former Massachusetts governor Romney at 38 percent, compared with 51 percent who said they would vote for Obama.
On the question of whether Obama would win reelection in 2012, the survey was split with 45 percent saying he would win and 42 percent saying he would not.
Obama got no lift on the economic front, with only 34 percent of respondents saying they approve of his handling of the economy, a finding linked directly to a surge in gasoline prices.
The telephone poll of 1,029 adults was conducted May 5-9 and has a 3-point margin of error.
Photo credit: Reuters/Jim Young (Obama in Austin, Texas)
There used to be an old crank that would pop up on every thread and parrot Republican talking points about Obama’s poll numbers, and frequently accuse other people of being paid to post on this forum.
But, interestingly, he quit posting here the day after the last election. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it…
Reuters/Ipsos poll: Obama gets credit for bin Laden death, but not by much
President Barack Obama gave the order for a daring raid on a compound inside Pakistan in which the most wanted man on earth was killed, but only 32 percent of Americans say he deserves the most credit for Osama bin Laden’s death.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 13 percent of Americans gave former President George W. Bush credit, while 25 percent said neither.
Most Americans, 52 percent, said the killing of bin Laden in the Sunday secret operation did not change their view about Obama’s leadership, while 39 percent said it improved their view and 10 percent said it worsened theirs.
Their views on Obama’s handling of the war on terrorism had a similar breakdown — 50 percent unchanged, 42 percent improved and 7 percent worsened.
The successful raid most changed the public’s view of the performance of U.S. intelligence agencies — 66 percent improved — and the military — 64 percent improved.
The poll was conducted on May 2, the day after Obama announced bin Laden was dead. It surveyed 1,010 adults online.
Photo credit: Reuters/White House handout (Obama in meeting in Situation Room discussing bin Laden mission)
Obama doesn’t drive, but he feels your pain at the pump
President Barack Obama says he sympathizes with the frustration over high gas prices — even though it’s been a while since he’s had to fill a tank.
“I’ll admit to you, it’s been a while since I … filled up at the pump,” Obama joked during a townhall-style event. “Secret Service doesn’t let me get out, and they don’t let me drive anymore.”
The event at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale was part of Obama’s ongoing effort to sell the deficit-reduction plan he introduced last week and gear up for a 2012 re-election campaign.
Gas prices, which hit a 2.5-year-high last week at $3.84 a gallon, have weighed on public opinion in recent months. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll in March found that gas prices were playing into Americans’ low confidence in the U.S. economy, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll released last week found rising energy costs hurt Obama’s approval rating.
Obama — who assured his audience that “it wasn’t that long ago that I did have to fill up my gas tank” – blamed speculators and oil companies for price increases and said his administration would investigate unfair practices and monitor gas stations for price-gauging.
In the long-term, he said the United States needs to look at increasing the production of domestic oil, using more biofuels, and developing more fuel efficient cars and other technology. Obama said government investment in new technologies led to the Internet, GPS devices and other products.
“There’s not going to be any single silver bullet,” Obama said. “What we’ve got to do is develop all these energy alternatives. All of them, though, are going to require some investment in new ways of thinking, new basic science, new research.”
President Barack Obama tried to put the kibosh on birther speculation by releasing his Hawaiian birth certificate and calling questions about the authenticity of the document a distraction from bigger issues by “sideshows and carnival barkers.”
Reuters/Ipsos poll: Obama seen as cautious commander-in-chief
The military operation on Libya has once again put President Barack Obama’s commander-in-chief credentials to the test, and nearly half of Americans — 48 percent — describe his style as “cautious and consultative,” according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Obama was seen by 36 percent as “indecisive and dithering”, and the fewest, 17 percent, viewed Obama as a “strong and decisive” commander of the armed forces.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll interviewed 975 adults online and was conducted on March 22, three days after the bombing campaign was launched against Libya to impose a no-fly zone.
When it comes to spending for military operations on Libya, Americans say the financial cost is justified 51-49 percent. But when they are told the price tag is $100 million a day, the number who say it is justified falls to 43 percent with 57 percent disagreeing.
A majority, 60 percent, support U.S. and allied military action in Libya and there is little difference between Democrats, 65 percent, and Republicans, 63 percent. An even greater number, 79 percent, say U.S. and Western allies should seek to remove Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
As for solutions if the air strikes fail to restrain Gaddafi, Americans were divided about what should be done next — 25 percent said the U.N. should send peacekeeping troops, 23 percent said increase air strikes and 20 percent said send in special forces. There was very little support, 7 percent, for sending in ground troops, which Obama has said he will not do.
Fifteen percent said none of those actions should be taken, and 29 percent said they don’t know.
The Obama Derangement Syndrome gripping the right has reached truly comical proportions. Next, they will be saying he’s not even an American citizen.
Washington Extra – Podium pieces
We learned a thing or two from briefings around town.
– White House spokesman Jay Carney has a sister, and today is her birthday. He announced it from the podium. “I spoke with her this morning, and we are very close.”
– State Department spokesman Mark Toner is interested in the Georgetown basketball game. “Anybody got the latest score on Georgetown?” he asked, to break up some of the back-and-forth with reporters on questions about Libya.
– Republicans have noticed that Vice President Joe Biden hasn’t been around. House Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy complained that Biden is supposed to be lead negotiator in government funding talks and no one will say who is filling in for him. “The vice president is out of the country. We’ll have to prepare for another two weeks but that’s not where we want to go.”
Apparently no fill-in needed when a telephone call will do. Biden spoke with House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell from Moscow. The vice president “will continue to stay in close contact with congressional leaders on the budget negotiations throughout the week,” an aide said, according to the pool report from his trip.
For a look at what the public thinks about spending cuts, see Donna Smith’s story on the Reuters/Ipsos poll finding that a majority of Americans prefer cutting defense spending to reduce the federal deficit rather than taking money from public retirement and health programs.
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Reuters/Ipsos poll: Potential Republican candidates not quite household names
At least they know his name.
President Barack Obama’s job approval rating fell to 49 percent in March from 51 percent in February, and dropped among independent voters to 37 percent from 47 percent over the same period, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Separate from their view on Obama’s job performance, a majority of Americans — 55 percent — had a favorable opinion of the president personally, according to the poll. That number was unchanged from December, when the question was last asked.
Potential Republican candidates who may seek to challenge Obama in the 2012 presidential race have their work cut out in the name recognition department.
The survey asked the same favorability question about Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
Of the three, Gingrich had the best name recognition, with 26 percent replying “don’t know” when asked for an overall opinion of him. Pawlenty has the biggest challenge, with 59 percent saying they don’t know what they think of him — including 57 percent among Republicans. Romney was in the middle with 32 percent who don’t know about him.
Washington Extra – Food for thought
The U.S. government strongly supports democratic reforms in the Middle East. Just look at its comments on Egypt. But the American public doesn’t appear to be so gung-ho.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll out today found that a solid majority, 58 percent, believe the United States should be cautious about backing democracy in the Middle East because elections could lead to anti-American Islamist governments.
The biggest opposition group in Egypt is the banned Muslim Brotherhood and President Barack Obama has acknowledged that the group’s ideology included anti-American strains.
More strains showing in U.S.-Egypt relations as the allies traded barbs. The White House talked about the “lack of steps” taken by the Egyptian government to meet protester concerns. The Egyptian foreign minister told PBS NewsHour that Vice President Joe Biden’s earlier advice was “not at all” helpful.
Other food for thought. Salmon was served at the White House lunch for Obama and House Republican leaders. Wonder if it will come to symbolize swimming upstream when it’s time for budget negotiations.
It turns out that the bank bombshell promised by WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange may end up more of a post-meal nap. Read the exclusive by Mark Hosenball.
Here are our top stories from Washington today…
Washington Extra – Word test
Presidents are tested almost every day, in big ways and small.
Tonight is one of the bigger ones. Will Obama’s words at the memorial service for the Arizona shooting victims have the impact of uniting a politically divided country?
Will Obama’s words resonate with a public that is divided over whether he is taking the country in the right direction? There will be plenty of analysis and punditry afterward on whether the president’s famed oratorical skills stood up to the test.
His predecessors faced similar challenges. President George W. Bush was credited with helping pull the country together in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, and President Bill Clinton’s popularity was boosted after his speech on the Oklahoma City bombing.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll out today shows that Obama got a bump in his approval ratings from an improving economy. His job approval rating rose to 50 percent from 45 percent in December. It was the first time Obama achieved 50 percent approval in this poll since last June.
Republican Sarah Palin did not do well in the test of words today, with critics chastising her for using the term “blood libel” in her first substantive response to the Arizona shooting.
Here are our top stories from Washington today…
1.7% of the US population*
American Holocaust*
controlled media*
Blood Libel
Reuters/Ipsos poll: Obama steady, Republicans get higher marks on economy
President Barack Obama’s job approval rating held steady at 45 percent since late October despite last month’s “shellacking” of Democrats in the midterm elections, a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Dec. 2-5 showed.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton scored the highest favorability rating on a list of prominent officials and politicians, followed by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a potential Republican presidential contender, and General David Petraeus.
At the bottom of the list were conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh with the lowest favorability rating, followed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
In 2012 wooing the independent voter is going to be important for candidates with 19 percent of Americans identifying themselves as independents.
When it came to confidence in which party is better able to deal with specific issues, Republicans fared better than Democrats on the economy, deficit, terrorism and taxes, while Democrats were given higher marks on education and the environment.
“Republicans are positioning themselves well heading into the 2012 presidential campaign,” Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said.
Photo credit: Reuters/Larry Downing (Obama at news conference)
Let’s put the “For 24 months, the Dems controlled all 3 branches of government” talking point into a little historical context, shall we?
In 2001 the CBO showed the United States is on track to pay off the entirety of its national debt within a decade.
From 2001 to 2009, with support from congressional Republicans, George Bush ran enormous deficits, adding nearly $5 trillion to the debt.
In 2002 Dick Cheney declares, “Deficits don’t matter.” Congressional Republicans agreed, approving tax cuts, two wars, and Medicare expansion without even trying to pay for them.
In 2009 Barack Obama inherited $1.3 trillion deficit from George Bush; Republicans immediately moved to condemn Obama’s fiscal irresponsibility.
In 2009 (the beginning of this 24 month “monopoly over government” the right likes to talk about) Congressional Democrats unveiled several domestic policy initiatives, including health care reform, cap and trade, and the DREAM Act all of which would lower the deficit. The GOP opposed ALL of them, while continuing to push for deficit reduction.
In September of 2010, Obama’s first fiscal year, the deficit shrank by $122 billion. Republicans again condemned Obama’s fiscal irresponsibility.
In October of 2010, S&P endorsed the nation’s AAA rating with a stable outlook, saying the United States looks to be in solid fiscal shape for the foreseeable future.
In November 2010, Republicans won a U.S. House majority, citing the need for fiscal responsibility. The first thing they did was demand extension of Bush tax cuts, relying entirely on deficit financing. And the GOP continued to accuse Obama of fiscal irresponsibility.
In March 2011, Congressional Republicans declared their intention to hold the full faith and credit of the United States hostage — a move without precedent in American history — until a massive debt-reduction plan was approved.
By August 2011, S&P downgraded U.S. debt, citing the Republicans’ refusal to consider new revenues. Republicans rejoiced and blamed Obama for fiscal irresponsibility.
So now it’s the end of 2011, and the Supercomittee is deadlocked – over what? Democrats called for a balanced plan that required shared sacrifice, and Republicans refused. GOP members freely admit that they weren’t prepared to compromise on tax revenue — indeed, their “offers” demanded that Dems accept more tax cuts, making the debt problem worse, on purpose — dooming the entire process.
Opinion polling on the outcome shows a slightly higher percent blaming Republicans for the failure to reach a compromise. I’m surprised it was even close.