Obama priorities worry Americans, new polls show
U.S. President is still personally popular, but many are skeptical of his policies
John Ibbitson
Washington From Friday's Globe and Mail, Friday, Jun. 19, 2009 03:53AM EDT
.Americans still like Barack Obama. But they're increasingly worried about what he wants to do to their country.
Two important polls, released Thursday, paint an intriguing picture of the Obama presidency five months in. Whatever political honeymoon the new President might have enjoyed is on the wane. The public is divided over, and, in some cases, opposed to the administration's priorities.
According to a poll conducted for the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, 56 per cent of Americans approve of the job Mr. Obama is doing. That's still a healthy number, though it represents a five-point drop from two months ago.
But the public is increasingly concerned about the administration's free-spending ways, and the $1.8-trillion (U.S.) deficit this year that has resulted, with record-breaking deficits projected for years to come.
The deficit is now the principal concern of 24 per cent of respondents, up from 15 per cent in April. The public hasn't been that concerned about government spending since 1994.
Fifty-eight per cent of those polled said the government should concentrate on bringing down the deficit, even at the expense of slowing the recovery, while only 35 per cent said boosting the economy was more important.
Unemployment continues to be the No 1. concern, cited by 35 per cent of respondents.
A poll conducted for The New York Times and CBS News shows broad lack of support for the administration's economic priorities. Although the President's job approval rating is holding at 63 per cent in that poll, 52 per cent say he should be focusing on bringing down the deficit, while only 41 per cent believe he should focus on stimulating the economy.
And 46 per cent were unhappy with the Obama administration's bailout of Chrysler and GM, while 41 per cent approved.
Bruce Cain, director of the University of California's Washington Center, believes that the counterintuitive nature of Keynesian economics may be behind the growing unease.
Families that are cutting back on spending and debt chafe at a government that racks up record deficits in an effort to stimulate the moribund economy.
Under the circumstance the skepticism is perfectly understandable, Mr. Cain said in an interview. But I think it's uneasiness, not a revolt or push-back at this point, because deficits don't have immediate consequences for voters, unlike other issues such as inflation or job losses.
Even though both polls show that the economy and the deficit are at the top of voters' minds, the administration has made passing health-care reform its greatest priority.
The Republican opposition has effectively cast health-care reform as a deficit issue, increasing resistance to the President's sweeping proposals even among some Democrats.
You could end up with a bill that's easily headed to a $2-trillion (U.S.) price tag, Republican Senator Judd Gregg complained Thursday during committee deliberations.
Alarming reports from the Congressional Budget Office that the planned reforms would cost $1-trillion or more over 10 years, while not effectively covering most of the 46 million Americans without insurance, have the Democrats scrambling to rewrite legislation that, in some cases, still hasn't been publicly unveiled.
While Mr. Obama has warned that if health-care legislation does not pass this year, it may not be passed at all, observers are increasingly skeptical that a bill will be ready for his signature this autumn.
I never suggested this was going to be warp speed, Democratic Senator Chris Dodd told members of the health committee, where he is presiding in the absence of Senator Edward Kennedy, who is being treated for cancer.
Though the Republican attacks are undermining support for the President's policies, they are not rebounding to the party's advantage. For the first time their favourable number has dropped below 30 per cent in polls, going back to 1985.
Support for the Democratic Party, conversely, sits at a healthy 57 per cent.
Nonetheless, Democrats need to be careful, Mr. Cain observed, given the rising concerns over spending.
These concerns could play, he said, particularly in the Blue Dog [conservative Democrat] and moderate Republican areas, where you've got a lot of voters who already have health care, who have jobs, and they're not anxious to run up deficits to take care of people.
These will be the battleground districts and states in the November 2010 congressional elections. Given the nature of American politics, campaign season is practically under way.
U.S. President is still personally popular, but many are skeptical of his policies
John Ibbitson
Washington From Friday's Globe and Mail, Friday, Jun. 19, 2009 03:53AM EDT
.Americans still like Barack Obama. But they're increasingly worried about what he wants to do to their country.
Two important polls, released Thursday, paint an intriguing picture of the Obama presidency five months in. Whatever political honeymoon the new President might have enjoyed is on the wane. The public is divided over, and, in some cases, opposed to the administration's priorities.
According to a poll conducted for the Wall Street Journal and NBC News, 56 per cent of Americans approve of the job Mr. Obama is doing. That's still a healthy number, though it represents a five-point drop from two months ago.
But the public is increasingly concerned about the administration's free-spending ways, and the $1.8-trillion (U.S.) deficit this year that has resulted, with record-breaking deficits projected for years to come.
The deficit is now the principal concern of 24 per cent of respondents, up from 15 per cent in April. The public hasn't been that concerned about government spending since 1994.
Fifty-eight per cent of those polled said the government should concentrate on bringing down the deficit, even at the expense of slowing the recovery, while only 35 per cent said boosting the economy was more important.
Unemployment continues to be the No 1. concern, cited by 35 per cent of respondents.
A poll conducted for The New York Times and CBS News shows broad lack of support for the administration's economic priorities. Although the President's job approval rating is holding at 63 per cent in that poll, 52 per cent say he should be focusing on bringing down the deficit, while only 41 per cent believe he should focus on stimulating the economy.
And 46 per cent were unhappy with the Obama administration's bailout of Chrysler and GM, while 41 per cent approved.
Bruce Cain, director of the University of California's Washington Center, believes that the counterintuitive nature of Keynesian economics may be behind the growing unease.
Families that are cutting back on spending and debt chafe at a government that racks up record deficits in an effort to stimulate the moribund economy.
Under the circumstance the skepticism is perfectly understandable, Mr. Cain said in an interview. But I think it's uneasiness, not a revolt or push-back at this point, because deficits don't have immediate consequences for voters, unlike other issues such as inflation or job losses.
Even though both polls show that the economy and the deficit are at the top of voters' minds, the administration has made passing health-care reform its greatest priority.
The Republican opposition has effectively cast health-care reform as a deficit issue, increasing resistance to the President's sweeping proposals even among some Democrats.
You could end up with a bill that's easily headed to a $2-trillion (U.S.) price tag, Republican Senator Judd Gregg complained Thursday during committee deliberations.
Alarming reports from the Congressional Budget Office that the planned reforms would cost $1-trillion or more over 10 years, while not effectively covering most of the 46 million Americans without insurance, have the Democrats scrambling to rewrite legislation that, in some cases, still hasn't been publicly unveiled.
While Mr. Obama has warned that if health-care legislation does not pass this year, it may not be passed at all, observers are increasingly skeptical that a bill will be ready for his signature this autumn.
I never suggested this was going to be warp speed, Democratic Senator Chris Dodd told members of the health committee, where he is presiding in the absence of Senator Edward Kennedy, who is being treated for cancer.
Though the Republican attacks are undermining support for the President's policies, they are not rebounding to the party's advantage. For the first time their favourable number has dropped below 30 per cent in polls, going back to 1985.
Support for the Democratic Party, conversely, sits at a healthy 57 per cent.
Nonetheless, Democrats need to be careful, Mr. Cain observed, given the rising concerns over spending.
These concerns could play, he said, particularly in the Blue Dog [conservative Democrat] and moderate Republican areas, where you've got a lot of voters who already have health care, who have jobs, and they're not anxious to run up deficits to take care of people.
These will be the battleground districts and states in the November 2010 congressional elections. Given the nature of American politics, campaign season is practically under way.
