PrintJanuary 31, 2010
Rasmussen shows Obama got a SOTU approval bump
While the Gallup poll, so far shows little movement to President Obama since his State of the Union address, Rasmussen shows a big bump for Obama among Democrats after the speech: from 25-42 strongly approve-strongly disapprove to 33-40. Obama's overall approval rating also jumped from 46-53, to 50-50. These are the highest ratings for Obama in 4 months.
Obama is back to the charm school routine; going to the NCAA basketball game yesterday (CBS covered the game) between Georgetown and Duke, high fiving the student section, interviewed as an analyst at the game. A very favorable photo op.
David Plouffe is very good at campaigns, even if Obama has proven not so adept at governing.
It will be easier for Republicans to run against Pelosi and Congress than against the President. Obama's polices, particularly comprehensive healthcare reform, have been draining support for months. But Obama remains well liked personally.
Rosslyn Smith adds:
The bad news may be that all of this improvement came from Democrat voters circling the wagons after what was a terrible couple of weeks for the administration.
Sixty-four percent (64%) of Democrats now Strongly Approve, up from 50% before the speech. However, the speech appears to have had the opposite impact on unaffiliated voters. Among those not affiliated with either major party, 50% now Strongly Disapprove. That’s up from 42% before the speech. The next few days should give an indication as to whether these changes will fade or if they signify the beginning of a new phase in the political environment.
In parlance of this age, I suspect many Democrat votes see the very idea of President Obama as too important to let fail. Whether this is based on his race, his radicalism or both is unimportant. One can already hear and read the excuses in parts of the pundit class, not to mention the beginning of the hunt for scapegoats on the White House staff, in the cabinet and in the halls of Congress.
If Democrat voters do indeed remain rallied behind the president and his agenda, it will be a mixed blessing for many Congressional Democrats. The enthusiasm will help raise money and turn out the base but many incumbents need to swing right in coming months to win over independent voters and a circled wagon can't swing. A circled wagon can just sit there and absorbs hostile fire while the occupant prays the cavalry arrives in time.
