by Mark Silva
Some of the most acute problems which President Barack Obama confronts - including a struggling economy and mounting federal deficit - appear to be taking a moderate toll on his still-strong public approval after nearly five months in office, two new public opinion polls suggest.
One, a survey conducted for The New York Times and CBS News, shows that a solid majority of Americans believe that Obama has not developed a strategy for dealing with runaway budget deficits.
The second, a poll conducted for the Wall Street Journal and NBC Newssuggests that the president faces challenges on several fronts, including increasing public concern about federal spending and the bailout of ailing automotive companies, with a majority also voicing disapproval of Obama's determination to close the military-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year.
Taken together, these newest surveys of the American public's view of the president and the problems he faces suggest that a still-popular chief executive faces a limited amount of time to convince the public that he is taking the right courses as well as a finite period before the problems that he inherited as president in January become identified as his own political liabilities.
At the same time, the president's overall job-approval remains strong, though sliding in the Journal/NBC survey.
The president's overall public job approval stands at 63 percent in the New York Times/CBS survey, and at 56 percent in the Wall Street Journal/NBC poll -- down from 61 percent in a Journal/NBC poll conducted in April.
The public also appears more optimistic about the nation's economic future in the Journal/NBC poll that it did a few weeks earlier - with Americans surveyed still more likely to blame the former Bush administration than Obama for a federal deficit expected to reach a record $1.8 trillion this year. Obama pledges to cut the deficit in half by the end of his four-year term.
Most Americans also say the president has taken on a wide array of issues because he faces so many problems, according to the Journal/NBC poll, which found just 37 percent saying the president has taken on too many issues.
The surveys suggest that the president maintains considerable public approval in the midst of multiple problems facing the nation - while a restive public is concerned about the direction that the president's policies could be taking the nation on some fronts.
Nearly seven in 10 surveyed by pollsters Peter Hart and Bill McInturff for the Journal and NBC voiced concern about federal intervention in the economy, including the president's decision to take a majority stake in the ownership of General Motors Corp.
The New York Times survey reveals "a distinct gulf between Mr. Obama's overall standing and how some of his key initiatives are viewed.'' Fewer than half of those surveyed approve of how Obama is handling healthcare or the financial crises at GM and Chrysler.
Most of those surveyed said the president's policies have had either no effect yet on the economy or have made the situation worse.
The surveys suggest that, after a rosy first 100 days in which the president enjoyed job approval averaging about two-thirds in most of the national polls, the president is beginning to take ownership of the problems that he inherited at inauguration on Jan. 20.
These two polls, as well as others, have shown that the president maintains overwhelming support among Democrats and strong backing among independents, while growing numbers of Republicans have grown more critical. Among Republicans surveyed by the Times and CBS, the president's job approval has fallen from 44 percent in February to 23 percent in the latest survey.
In these and other surveys, the president has received higher marks for his handling of foreign policy. These polls were conducted after Obama returned from his fourth international trip as president - with an address to the Muslim world from Cairo earlier this month and commemoration of World War II and the Holocaust in Europe.
In the Times/CBS survey, 59 percent voiced approval of the president's approach to foreign policy. And, in the face of unrelenting criticism by former Vice President Dick Cheney about Obama's approach to terrorists, 57 percent said they approve of the way the new president is dealing with the treat of terrorism.
The Times/CBS survey of 895 adults, conducted Friday through Tuesday, carries a possible margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
The Journal/NBC survey of 1,008 adults, conducted Friday through Monday, carries a possible 3.1 percent margin of error.
mdsilva@tribune.com
Comments
61%-56% is pretty damn good. It's better than both Clinton and Bush were at this time of their presidency.
And unlike Bush and Clinton, President Obama has had more to handle so far in his presidency, which has meant some unpopular moves like bailing out GM/Chrysler and closing Guantanamo.
Posted by: bubba Porter | June 17, 2009 10:50 PM
I am pleased and delighted at how robust support for Obama and the Democratic party has been during these first fragile months! It's a very good sign. And it must be demoralizing for the GOPosaurs to be unable to gain any traction with their conservative base rallying around Boss Limbaugh.
Polls are important and to know Obama still has the upper hand gives me comfort that Americans are on the right track. I am inclined to give Obama a lot of slack compared to some of his GOPer critics because he truly has inherited a crappy everything from his predecessor and deserves strong support from all, even Republicans....even though he won't get it from them because they run their party like a crime family.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/17/politics/main5094528.shtml?tag=cbsnewsSectionContent.5
Posted by: Darth | June 17, 2009 11:08 PM
Obama's already under 60% already.
Jimmy Carter redux with the Obama Depression worsening.
Posted by: Dave | June 17, 2009 11:24 PM
Bubba, Obama need not close down Gitmo. There is nor was there a need to close it. And, when you couple that with the millions of dollars given to Bermuda and Palau to take prisoners so they can have even more fun in the sun, then people get fed up.
One poll indicates people think Obama doesn't have a plan to deal with the deficits, well, duh! He is spending recklessly and wants to continue spending recklessly. His plan is to spend recklessly and then tax recklessly, not to deal with deficits.
His personal ratings may still be somewhat high, but more and more folks do not like his socialistic and reckless policies.
Posted by: John D | June 17, 2009 11:44 PM
There are now three Emanuel brothers in the Obama administration. Rham, Ari, and now Dr.Ezekiel Emanuel. Obama seems to have no imagination and no other connections. It doesn't appear healthy. The three brother thing in the same administration is kind of weird and has too much concentration of power. No wonder Obama has not filled a lot of his posts--not much imagination and not a lot of autonomous connections who want to help Obama turn the wheels for America. Too much money has gone out of our budget and nothing has come back to be of ANY help to American citizens. American banks and bankers are happy with the gun-at-our-heads American tax money. European Banks and bankers are happy with the-gun-at-our-heads American tax money. Obama and the lawmakers who just voted for the %astardized "Supplemental" will be voted out in 2010 and 2012. From what I hear people saying in my small town America--this is a certainty. Obama's approval rating is actually much lower than is being reported. The dye was cast yesterday--after hesitation and holding out for hope. It is done.
Posted by: Vivian | June 17, 2009 11:45 PM
Don't worry. There is nothing to blame Obama for----yet.
Subliminally, in the big blur of the quotidian, the only face on the tube that sticks in the ole memory bank is Barack, making a super-rational explication of how [insert mess du jour left behing by Bush & Replicans] was made and steps necesary to take to clean [insert Bush mess] it up.
I did like the gold curtain backdrop for today's address.
Which was one of his best so far.
Even Larry Summers looked awake and alert during it.
President fills a vast void in this regard.
In fact, he's the only talking head addressing solutions.
What's not to like?
He gets A for effort at a minimum; since no one else is even trying, he wins any election by default.
Posted by: ornery | June 18, 2009 12:14 AM
This is great news for John McCain!......uh......wait a minute....uh......nevermind.
Posted by: former Republican | June 18, 2009 1:21 AM
Big Brother Obama is losing ground, what a surprise. I though his numbers would never go down.
VJ Machiavelli
NO MORE SCHUMER
NO MORE PELOSI
NO MORE RANGEL
NO MORE ENGEL AND J=HIS MILLION DOLLAR HOME IN MARYLAND
Posted by: VJ Machiavelli | June 18, 2009 2:51 AM
Polls mean nothing. It all depends on who you are asking and how the question is written. Those factors and others can skew the numbers any way you want them. That said, I think it is waaaay to early to judge how he is doing plus or minus. Ask us next year.
Posted by: lochnessmonster | June 18, 2009 7:00 AM
Let's remember the President has only been in office for 4 months, although it does seem a lot longer. He's taking on some of the most agregious mistakes ever caused by the president who preceeded him, and seems to be holding his own. Imagine where we would be right now if McCain had won-ouch. Perhaps everyone should relax and let Obama and his staff do their job for a while before passing judgement. Oh, that's right, the republicans don't want to let him succeed.
Posted by: lwaa | June 18, 2009 9:12 AM
We all know what Mark Silva's headline would have been if these were poll numbers of a GOP president: "President losing support". Or "Americans turning against president".
With NO mention of alleged "problems" testing that support.
The Swamp--all spin, all Obama.
Posted by: No Change, No Hope | June 18, 2009 9:28 AM
Quote"You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all the people all of the time" Unquote. Thank you Abe Lincoln. This man in the White House is nothing more than a traveling medicine man, who said that what he is selling is going to correct all our problems. The fact of the matter is, taxes will be going up for everyone not just the wealthy, the stimulus is not working, were spending money faster then we can print it. I hope with the declining numbers, this guy
wakes up and smells the coffee. He simply can not create and fund all these programs in the first four months he's in office. The numbers on unemployment are worst than he said they would be if we did nothing. So the stimulus package is just a waste of time and money. Like Lee Iaccoa said "Lead, follow or get the hell out of the way".
Posted by: Paul | June 18, 2009 9:31 AM