by Mark Silva
Has the past week been a rough patch for President Barack Obama, pushing health care reform and debating racial profiling?
Yes.
The president's job-approval rating reached a new low in the Gallup Poll's daily tracking.
The president's approval rating in the latest three-day average of tracking polls - 54 percent - marks his lowest score to date, Gallup says. And his average mark for the seven-day period that ended Sunday - 56 percent - was a few points off the average of the previous week's tracking, 59 percent.
That's the "largest week-to-week decline seen in Obama's job approval thus far in his presidency, and punctuates a gradual descent from his 66 percent rating in early May,'' Gallup reports in the aftermath of a week in which the president attempted to boost pressure on Congress for healthcare reform and waded instead into a divisive dispute over the Cambridge Police Department's handling of a black Harvard professor.
The latest numbers for Saturday through Monday - 54 percent job-approval - mark a new low for Obama, whose Gallup approval ratings stood in the high 60's after inauguration, with 37 percent of those surveyed by Gallup voicing disapproval.
But note this:
"While Obama's recent commentary on the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Gates has created a political firestorm, it appears that Obama's dip in public support began a few days prior to the July 22 press conference in which he spoke out on the matter,'' Gallup's Lydia Saad reports. "The three-day average for Sunday through Wednesday, July 19-21, just prior to the press conference, was 57 percent, already down from readings over most of the other three-day periods in July.''
Gallup's weekly average approval ratings for Obama are based on more than 3,600 interviews of adults, providing "strong evidence that the president lost some political steam in July,'' Saad notes. And "this dip in support for Obama contrasts with general stability in public confidence in the U.S. economy this month -- thus the economy is not an obvious factor.
"Perhaps with Obama stepping up pressure on Congress this month to pass what he terms "health insurance reform," healthcare has become a greater factor in how Americans perceive his job performance,'' she adds. "The difficulty for Obama is that Americans are not fully behind him on that issue. A July 17-19 USA Today/Gallup poll found more Americans disapproving than approving of the job Obama is doing on healthcare.''
The latest weekly average results are based on telephone interviews with 3,628 adults conducted July 20-26. The possible margin of error is 2 percentage points.
The latest three-day average, a survey of more than 1,500 adults, carries a 3 percent possible margin of error.
Comments
Here's Obama's and the Dems problem;
They are triangulating like Clinton, post Monica.
They were all elected with a mandate for bold change, yet from guns in the parks to healthcare, they are playing it safe. cowtowing to the NRA and the Wall St. oligarchy. They are scared of the shadow of the right wing base.
Shame on them.
This will result in a one term presidency for BHO and the loss of congress for the Dems.
They are political cowards.
They better grow a spine in a hurry or they will join GWB in histories dustbin.
Posted by: C.Morris✧ | July 28, 2009 7:16 PM
correction;
'history's dustbin'.
Posted by: C.Morris✧ | July 28, 2009 7:22 PM
I find it hilarious the way the Wingnuts on here start drooling with joy everytime they see a poll on Pres Obama that shows what always happens the longer Presidents are in office - their numbers go down.
If the Wingnutters think any of this means "good news for Republicans", then they are sadly mistaken.
Americans still hate Republicans and they hate them worse than they ever have.
.
http://themoderatevoice.com/30229/gops-problem-republican-party-shrinking-and-growing-more-conservative/
Posted by: Mullah Limbaugh - leader of the Greedy Oil Party | July 28, 2009 7:28 PM
Whether President Obama has lost steam or not, he has chosen the right road for America, regardless of the fear and smear tactics of the "loser" Republicans !! They have yanked out every possible smear and there is still a good chance that America will have real healthcare reform, with a public option. All the Republicans can do is scare and smear the most important legislature to come down the pike since, that lie ex-President Bush sent to Congress, the run-up to the War and Occupation of Iraq !! Let's not blow this one, Congress, or even more of you, Republicans, will not be returning to Congress, in the midterms !! Americans of every persuasion demand real healthcare reform, with the public option present, otherwise those who vote against it, may not return to their present Office in the Midterm elections !! You thought you took a beating during the presidential elections, that was nothing, to what you are facing, if you shoot this one down !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME. ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | July 28, 2009 8:07 PM
Reminding me of Vinko Bogataj. Who you ask? You have seen him before.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKEDD1i4oGk
Posted by: Terry | July 28, 2009 8:54 PM
Something about the "virtually all Americans will have to get insurance or pay a penalty" kills me each time I read it. It brings to mind the evolution of the car insurance industry. I don't even think that this is about healthCARE as it is about making sure that the industries involved can keep/depend on making money AND THEN the "trade off" (all it does is expands the pool of clients for the insurance $$$) is providing at least the basic (which if anyone has the "basic individual plan" (public or private) amounts to "not much for the doctor to work with (put the all popular "prevention") and a whole lotta generic.") Then I get to the part about healthy young people. HAHAHA. That's right, the young who voted for BO will be thrilled with the prospect of having to buy insurance who are least likely to need it, ( do whatever you want with the "serious accident" business it still reeks). The healthy young will pay for the poor habits of the old. Brilliant plan. A bit like Social Security but much more generational-ly contentious. Afterall, people can not help when they age as much how fast they age. I love how everything in society is tax the super rich (not rich but I'm beginning to pity the suckers), whatever is your "generous" "poverty line" (in this economy 100,000 should be poverty if you've got a mortgage) those people above it but just below "rich" will make "honest living" due bend over), and the young will happily fork over the money because being young always correlates to losing end in the insurance industry, money they haven't accumulated yet (yet everyone would like a piece of). My god the only options I see now are everyone goes on a single payer Congress is happy to be apart of or regulate every aspect of the insurance industry to assure CARE QUALITY and AVAILABILITY before COST to hungry giants. I'm not fully aware if the public at large is atuned to the possible provisions. The WH does a lot of morality/cost talk (which in my opinion those two together defeats the whole thing), but not a lot of details aside from generalities like you can keep what you have blah blah. I think CMo brought up another point-- about this administration being elected to a mandate for ground breaking change they have yet to produce. In my opinion Obama was always the candidate who promised bi-partisanship, and morality with a conservative price tag/plan. Which, now, personally, I would prefer one of the two extremes Wall sT with regulation or government (by by private insurance), or regulate the industry to the nine (I know not popular with free-market enthusiasts, but this IS healthcare!; not a TV, pair of jeans, or a 401-K in the tank).
Posted by: hmmmm | July 28, 2009 9:05 PM
The biggest hurdle O.B. faces is convincing people that the party's over. There are no more bubbles to magically propel the country into what has proven to be a false sense of prosperity. There are huge problems that persist, e.g., affordable healthcare, that have been ignored for decades and are poised to blow-up the budget. The ongoing wars are a huge drain on the budget, and will continue to be for many years to come. Congress is owned by special interests' and shows little capacity to effect meaningful change. Throw in climate change and a host of other major challenges and, well I don't see much hope for us. At best, we will join Great Britain, Spain, and France as FORMER great empires. Worstcase? Think 'A Boy and His Dog':
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072730/
Posted by: dt☢ | July 28, 2009 11:31 PM
Mark doesn't like to report all the poll numbers. Zogby and Rasmussen have Obama under 50 in approvals now. His numbers are dropping for a variety of reasons: Too much spending, too much government, lies and more lies, incompetence, bad Cabinet selections, crooked Cabinet selections, bad stimulus program, bad health care ideas, and he hurt himself when he dissed the police, doctors, and pharmacists in his porn session with the adoring media throng.
Posted by: John D | July 29, 2009 2:02 AM
The rants of the left are amazing. The community organizers polls are sinking like the Titanic, but it's not his fault.
10% unemployment...three millions jobs lost under his watch, 758 billion went to his crony union thugs and a new record of 1.5 trillion in debt, in one year, for his fantasy socialist agenda.
Yep....Don Fitzgerald and all you sheep...keep your brain cells on the frying pan...just try some olive oil mixed with liberty...good luck.
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | July 29, 2009 2:02 AM
Love the headline.
Even when Obama's approval numbers hit an all-time low, The Swamp simply can't come out and say that. Instead, they try spin and euphemism: his "approval" has "Lost some steam".
Posted by: Bruce | July 29, 2009 8:55 AM
Lower the better,showing Obam's true grit.
Posted by: Inky | July 29, 2009 12:23 PM
This is also a loss for the media, who threw in all their weight to get this guy elected.
The American people see the press endlessly spin for Obama and their stomachs churn.
Posted by: Jose | July 30, 2009 11:56 AM