Dems and Libs Responsible for Drop in Obama's Polling Numbers

by Deb Cupples |   A new Washington Post/ABC poll suggests that confidence in President Obama has dropped significantly.  The Washington Post ambiguously states:

"Public confidence in President Obama's leadership has declined sharply over the summer, amid intensifying opposition to health-care reform that threatens to undercut his attempt to enact major changes to the system...."

I say "ambiguously," because that sentence could mean that Obama's numbers dropped because he is trying to push health-care reforms or because he is failing to do so.  I don't know which was intended, but the implications are vastly different.

Greg Sargent looked at individual questions from the poll and comments:

"A major factor in  President Obama’s slide in today’s  big Washington Post/ABC News poll ...  is his surprisingly sharp drops among Democrats and even liberals, according to crosstabs that were sent my way."

Regarding three questions, Obama dropped between 11 and 12 points among survey participants who label themselves Democrats or Liberals.  This does suggest that President Obama's own base is helping drive down his numbers.

The only thing I question about Mr. Sargent's comment is his use of the word "surprisingly."  Anyone who was truly paying attention to then-Sen. Obama's speeches (and to some of the self-contradiction) saw evidence that Obama was not truly progressive.

Paul Krugman put it well:

"According to news reports, the Obama administration — which seemed, over the weekend, to be backing away from the “public option” for health insurance — is shocked and surprised at the furious reaction from progressives.

"Well, I’m shocked and surprised at their shock and surprise."

Memeorandum has commentary.

Comments

[Roxanne]

Nice post. Its to early to judge what President Obama is capable of in ruling the government. Let's give him a chance to prove his leadership capability.