Obama’s Post-Election Poll Bounce
Andrew Sullivan points to this chart from RCP showing the President’s job approval over the past six months:
The President’s job approval is nearing the levels it was at in the wake of the death of Osama bin Laden and it’s likely to rise some more as we approach Inauguration Day. By way of comparison here’s where things stood for the President on December 12, 2010:
Once again, Republicans, you’re not dealing with the same political reality this time around.
Barring an unforeseen event, the president should remain at least fairly popular throughout his second term, which is good. George W. Bush’s approval went below 50% after Katrina, which happened early into his second term, and it never recovered.
Well sure, these are the favorability numbers now. What happens when you unskew them though? Obama’s actually at around 10% favorability.
The post election bounce is easily understood.
Perhaps, once you eliminate the ambient noise (Kenyan, socialist, marxist, narcissist, etc …. ) one realizes that the president has not screwed up the biggest tests of his 4 years:
(1) Response to Super Storm Sandy? Worked with Governor Christie to provide adequate federal response.
(2) War on Terror? Successful in finding and eliminating Osama Bin Laden.
(3) Response to Economic Crash of 2008? Bailed out financial institutions, kept GM from shutting down and causing the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs at a time when the economy was shedding millions of jobs.
Have there been controversies? Of course:
The “Fast and Furious” operation in the War on Drugs.
The tragic killing of Ambassador Reed in Libya.
The passage of the Affordable Health Care Act.
History will judge whether those are viewed as egregious mistakes or not.
If what is happening in Michigan is also happening in other states, I am not surprised that Obama appears to be getting a bump. Conservatives appears to have taken the last election message the wrong way. They are doubling-down on extreme conservative policy.
@LaMont:
No, they got the message alright. That is why they are cramming thru every conservative rapery they can, while they can. The jig is up and they know it.
@OzarkHillbilly:
it was said that republicans could either use the election as a real reality check and change their policies to remain relevant. Or go in the complete opposite direction and stifle any chance to be relevant for a very long time. At least in Michigan, they chose the latter!