Tide turns on Obama popularity
Source: Agencies |
November 22, 2009, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
US President Barack Obama yesterday urged Americans to show patience over the economy and argued that his just-concluded Asia trip was critical for US exports, countering criticism he had returned empty-handed.
With unemployment at a generation high of 10.2 percent and once-lofty popularity ratings down, Obama said a December White House forum will leave no stone unturned in the hunt for jobs.
"Even though it will take time, I can promise you this: we are moving in the right direction; that the steps we are taking are helping," Obama said in his weekly address, amid signs the public is getting impatient for results.
However, the US general public may not buy the promise as the president's job approval rating has dropped below 50 percent in a second major poll in an indication he is suffering from the long health care debate and weakness in the economy, according to a Gallup poll released on Friday.
Gallup said 49 percent of Americans approved of Obama's job performance. A survey by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday had a similar finding, putting him at 48 percent support.
It was the first time he had fallen below majority support in those two polls. He had been polling in the low 50s for months after taking office in January with an approval rating just under 70 percent.
Gallup said Obama's drop in its daily tracking poll likely resulted from the contentious debate over health care as well as the poor state of the US economy, with millions of Americans still out of work.
"Americans are also concerned about the Obama administration's reliance on government spending to solve the nation's problems and the growing federal budget deficit," Gallup said in an analysis of its poll, which surveyed 1,533 people from Tuesday to Thursday.
Obama's remarks on the economy were his first in public since returning to Washington after an eight-day Asian tour where critics said he had failed to win significant concessions on trade or currency manipulation from partners like China.
"I spoke with leaders in every nation I visited about what we can do to sustain this economic recovery and bring back jobs and prosperity for our people," he said.
With unemployment at a generation high of 10.2 percent and once-lofty popularity ratings down, Obama said a December White House forum will leave no stone unturned in the hunt for jobs.
"Even though it will take time, I can promise you this: we are moving in the right direction; that the steps we are taking are helping," Obama said in his weekly address, amid signs the public is getting impatient for results.
However, the US general public may not buy the promise as the president's job approval rating has dropped below 50 percent in a second major poll in an indication he is suffering from the long health care debate and weakness in the economy, according to a Gallup poll released on Friday.
Gallup said 49 percent of Americans approved of Obama's job performance. A survey by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday had a similar finding, putting him at 48 percent support.
It was the first time he had fallen below majority support in those two polls. He had been polling in the low 50s for months after taking office in January with an approval rating just under 70 percent.
Gallup said Obama's drop in its daily tracking poll likely resulted from the contentious debate over health care as well as the poor state of the US economy, with millions of Americans still out of work.
"Americans are also concerned about the Obama administration's reliance on government spending to solve the nation's problems and the growing federal budget deficit," Gallup said in an analysis of its poll, which surveyed 1,533 people from Tuesday to Thursday.
Obama's remarks on the economy were his first in public since returning to Washington after an eight-day Asian tour where critics said he had failed to win significant concessions on trade or currency manipulation from partners like China.
"I spoke with leaders in every nation I visited about what we can do to sustain this economic recovery and bring back jobs and prosperity for our people," he said.
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