**Written by Doug Powers Clearly this must be Bush’s fault: When a random sample of 1004 adults were asked to compare the 43rd and 44th presidents, 34 percent of respondents said Obama had been a worse president than Bush, while 22 percent said he was about the same. Forty-three percent, a plurality, said they preferred Obama’s handling of the presidency. Predictably, Democrats were most supportive of Obama, while Republicans favored Bush in the poll. The response from independent voters might be most telling for Obama: a troublesome 67 percent said they considered him about the same or worse than Bush. The latest Economist/YouGov poll pegs Obama’s overall approval at 36%, and Gallup puts Obama’s approval among men at the same number (but that’s nothing a few more photo ops riding the hog can’t bring back up). Today the president has convened an emergency meeting to figure out how to get those numbers back up. (Update: today’s golf partner is Bill Clinton ) Will Wolf Blitzer trumpet Obama’s new low like he did when Bush hit 36%? (h/t HAP ): **Written by Doug Powers Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
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Majority Rate Obama ‘Same or Worse’ Than Bush, New Poll Puts Approval at 36%
It's rather hard to argue that Rep. John Dingell is particularly vulnerable this year; he's represented his portion of Michigan since roughly the Paleozoic Era. But from time to time in recent weeks, there were murmurs that the congressman was a bit worried, and knew he couldn't take reelection for granted. Now we have some numbers : Forty-nine-point-three percent of registered voters in Michigan's 15th congressional district said they'd choose to send the 84-year-old Dingell back to Washington, while 30.3 percent said they'd vote for Republican candidate Rob Steele. Rob Steele has a tough climb, but like the numbers below for Maryland senator Barbara Mikulski, this is a useful indicator; in 2008, Dingell won 71 percent to 25 percent. He had no Republican opposition in 2006. He won 70.9 percent of the vote in 2004 and 72.2 percent of the vote in 2002.
Finally, a poll showing a House Democrat incumbent ahead: Democratic U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler begins the general election season with a 14-point lead over Republican challenger Andy Barr, although 37 percent of those surveyed have yet to form an opinion of Barr, the latest cn|2 Poll shows.The cn|2 Poll of 503 likely voters in the 6th Congressional District showed Chandler receiving support from 46.1 percent, while 32.2 percent said they planned to vote for Barr. Another 20.9 percent were undecided. Barr has his work cut out for him, but he has an incumbent below 50 percent and Barr's favorable/unfavorable split is a healthy 41.7/19.2. Obama's job approval/disapproval in this district is 46.6/50.3. Jim Geraghty
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The Barr Is Set in Kentucky
If you check the new poll out from National Journal , Americans by a 46 percent plurality support the continuation of Barack Obama’s economic policies. Yet, despite the misinformation at Daily Kos , the public is deeply divided over the extension of the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003: Regarding the tax cuts, 30 percent of Americans believe all of Bush’s 2001 and 2003 cuts should stay in place. That compared to 31 percent who believed that all of them should be repealed. Twenty-seven percent take the route Obama campaigned on: Tax cuts for the wealthy should be repealed, while the others should stay in place. That sentiment was consistent across income lines. Among those making more than $75,000, 26 percent said only the tax cuts for the wealthy should be repealed. For those making $30,000 to $74,999, 31 percent concurred. And among those making less than $30,000, 28 percent said the tax cuts for the wealthy should be overturned. Independents hewed closest to the overall sample. Twenty-seven percent said all the tax cuts should be kept in place. Thirty-two percent said they all should be repealed. Twenty-seven percent said the tax cuts for the wealthy should be repealed, but the middle class cuts should be kept in place. This debate has intensified recently as the legislative calendar winds down and an agreement on how to proceed on the issue, particularly in the Senate, has remained elusive. Unfortunately for Joan McCarter , one can’t combine all the subgroupings into “large majorities” supposedly opposed to extending the cuts. This table might help her out: Democrats and independents remain wary of a return to more market-oriented approaches to economic recovery. But time is running out. The 46 percent plurality is not a huge bulwark against anti-incumbent sentiment on the economy this year (Congress is down to 11 percent approval rating, and the majority party always bears the brunt of such throw-the-bums-out sentiment). And the 2012 primaries will commence a little more than 15 months from now. Basically, it’s on.
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Public Prefers Obama’s Policies, But Not by ‘Large Majorities’
