Earlier today I wrote that Dennis Miller’s own switch on this — from “I think he’s a good guy, I just don’t agree with him” to “I don’t like this man” — might have been evidence of a broader shift in the public mood.
Not sure if that’s true, or just a combination of wishcasting and coincidence, but Obama’s favorables are now negative, at least in one poll.
And that poll is the CBS/NYT poll, as it turns out.
For the first time, more Americans have an unfavorable opinion of President Obama than have a favorable opinion of him, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll released late Friday…Just 39 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Obama, while 42 percent view him unfavorably. In January of this year, 40 percent had a favorable image of Obama, and 34 percent had an unfavorable opinion. In January 2009, as he was inaugurated, 60 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of him.
What’s surprising to me there is that in January his favorables were already pretty low — and that’s surprising since I had kept reading Obama’s favorables were above 50%.
It is generally thought that a pol’s personal favorable rating represents his highest plausible level of public support, under good circumstances. His job approval may rise and fall, based on varying conditions or policy responses, but if it fell on bad news, it could always rise up again on good news.
On the other hand, a pol’s personal favorability would be the last to fall, and once lost, the hardest to get back.
That’s a shame.
I just wish the republican candidates would cease the infighting and instead focus on Obama, what their positions are (to improve our economic condition) so the primary voters can have their choice.
Obama is such easy pickings right now that I think if the backstabbing stopped Obama could hit the magical “Minus 25” in job approval.
Why would that be important?
Well, besides seeing calls from The Left for a primary challenger to Obama (which might not really be a good thing for republicans at this point) …. I just want to see liberal talking heads explode on TV!
(Okay, I admit that I’m shallow. But as a political junkie, I LIKE THAT!!!!).