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Obama's Approval Rating Hits New Low

Gallup registers him at 40%

By Tim Karan,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 29, 2011 4:44 PM CDT

(Newser) – President Obama's approval rating has hit an all-time low of 40%, according to Gallup's daily tracking. The rating has previously dipped to 41%—most recently in April—but it had risen to an average of 46% during the past two months. At one point in June, it reached 50%. Democrats give him a 72% approval, independents gave 34%, and Republicans 13%.

Obama's debt ceiling battle with Congress is a likely trigger for the low approval, and it's on par with Americans' 41% approval rating for how he has handled the negotiations. Although Gallup doesn't publish ratings for individual members of Congress in its daily report, Obama's approval during the talks is higher than that of the House in general—which was 18% in early July. Details on the poll here.

President Obama's approval rating has hit a low of 40%.
President Obama's approval rating has hit a low of 40%.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 177 comments
DontLikeYou
Jul 30, 2011 3:55 PM CDT
Obama's approval hits new low independents gave 34% approval RUH ROH!!  lol
RufusT.Firefly
Jul 30, 2011 1:43 PM CDT
Check these out: The myth of "independent" voters http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/joan_walsh/2010/11/19/the_myth_of_independent_voters You've Got Them All Wrong, Mr. President: Obama's misguided view of the independent voter. http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/79246/independent-voters-barack-obama-midterms The incredible, changeable independent voter (or not) http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/the-incredible-changeable-independent-voter-or-not/2011/03/14/ABVo7dW_blog.html The ANES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior http://www.electionstudies.org/nesguide/toptable/tab2a_1.htm Independents Oppose Party in Power...Again http://people-press.org/2010/09/23/independents-oppose-party-in-power-again/ The thing that I find illogical and frustrating about people who vote "person, not party" is that they don't seem to understand that even though they may like a person who is, say, a Whig but agree more with the platform of the Whig's opposing party, they help give Whigs a majority who can overrule the opposing party's proposals (the party they agree with more). The "independent" Whig candidate may be a great guy or gal but that changes once they join the ranks of the lawmakers of their own party because they add to the majority. My biggest problem with independents is that they want to have their cake and eat it too. They want smaller government but still want the services it provides. They are dissatisfied with a Democratic president who doesn't live up to all of their expectations so they support a Republican the next time around. For example, the Democratic candidate says: I will continue to fight for your benefits. So the independent voter votes for them and he or she wins. Then when they face a congress that is, by and large, hostile to their proposals and that president is not able to get everything that the independent voter wants, they say: "Dammit! I'm sick of this president! I'm going to switch to the opposing party's candidate next time!" So they vote for a Republican. The Republican wins. Then that president wants to curtail the voter's benefits. Voter says: "Dammit! I'm sick of this president! I'm going to switch to the opposing party's candidate next time!" And thus the cycle continues, ad nauseam, ad infinitum. Personally speaking, I am not an hardcore independent voter. I am a registered member of a minority political party but my votes always go to the one of two major political parties (on a national level) whose platform is closest to my philosophies. On a local level, if there is a candidate on the ticket of the party with which I am affiliated, I will vote for them IF the chances of either of the two major parties' candidates is ahead of the other by 20% or more. If the margin is under 20%, I will campaign and vote for the one closest to my philosophies, which would be the same party I'd automatically vote for on a national level, regardless of the margin of expected victory. In that regard, I'm not independent of party affiliation; I'm independent in regards to who I vote for in my "neighborhood" of the political spectrum. So before a person claims that they speak for all independent voters, they need to keep in mind that they are really just speaking for themselves and what their friends tell them (not necessarily what button their friends press, lever they pull or box they check off in the sanctum of the voting booth). Research bears this out.
SC23
Jul 30, 2011 8:44 AM CDT
Just when I think..wow.. thats gotta be the best way to screw people (Bush), they figure out a better way.. (Obama).

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