Jun 18, 2009 9:27pm
The President, the Public, the Polls and the Policies
EmailA recent flurry of polls show the president’s personal popularity remains high with few Americans blaming him for the financial crisis. However, the polls also show the president losing public support for his economic policies.
The president’s massive spending proposals combined with a record-breaking national debt – both those inherited from President Bush and projected in the future — could be Mr. Obama’s political Achilles heels, and one reason he underlines fiscal prudence as a top priority.
Our World News report:
- jpt
Obama: 'Now Is the Time For Common Sense Action' 
Romney Takes Aim at Conservatives
“and one reason he underlines fiscal prudence as a top priority.”
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Ah ha….hahahahahaha…..Bwahahahahaha. Seriously, how did you say that with a straight face?
I’be skipping your network’s Obamapalooza next week.
Posted by: jennifert7 | June 18, 2009, 9:51 pm 9:51 pm
The president has quadrupled the debt. He certainly didn’t inherit it.
Posted by: Plumber | June 18, 2009, 9:54 pm 9:54 pm
His approval ratings are going to drop enormously in the next several months, swiftly and suddenly.
Posted by: paul | June 18, 2009, 9:58 pm 9:58 pm
For 8 straight years the Bush administration added a HALF A TRILLION dollars to the national debt EACH YEAR – and then left the country with the entire financial system in collapse, despite all this overspending.
So, trillions of dollars of national debt and the virtual collapse of the american economy was the final result of the Bush administration’s 8 years in power.
Had President Obama let the collapse complete itself the results might have been catastrophic and the public condemnation would have been overwhelming.
Posted by: danita | June 18, 2009, 10:04 pm 10:04 pm
“The president’s massive spending proposals…”, “inherited from President Bush.” What? Huh? Jake, you’re making George Orwell proud with that one. Doublespeak at its finest. Not only does it make no sense, the effort to blame the fact that Obama has single-handedly quadrupled the national debt on President Bush is completely disingenuous.
Also, there has not been one single action of Barack Obama’s that would demonstrate that he “underlines fiscal prudence as a top priority.”
Posted by: Thank God for Karma | June 18, 2009, 10:35 pm 10:35 pm
The blame Bush excuse is getting old fast. People have to understand that Bush did not spend the money, Congress did! Bush alone cannot spend the money. The bills have to be passed by the House and Senate. During most of Bush’s term, the democrats had control and could have voted down any or all of Bush’s spending bills but they did not. People need to learn how our political system works
Posted by: Ann | June 18, 2009, 10:53 pm 10:53 pm
Obama is finally telling the truth. Medicare and medicaid are the greatest threats to our deficit. So when are people going to wake up to the consequences of how he is proposing to solve the problem… it has nothing to do with the unisured.
It would be nice if people realized that Team Obama is trying to find a way to raise taxes and reduce services in order to ‘fix’ the medicare problems. Our out of pocket expenses are going to be huge via taxes whether we receive medical care or not.
Don’t even get me started on cap and trade taxes, VAT, junk food taxes, and all of the other things that will be needed to pay for it all.
Posted by: Ordinary Sadie | June 18, 2009, 11:21 pm 11:21 pm
If we are going to have to pay 50-60% of our incomes in taxes to be like the European countries with “free” health care, what will our taxes be when they decide to ‘fix’ social security? 70-80%?
Posted by: Ordinary Sadie | June 18, 2009, 11:32 pm 11:32 pm
This is not a Bush or and Obama issue. Revenue and tax bills are generated in the House, reviewed by the Senate and then must be signed or vetoed by the President. Consequently, the issue of poor financial management of the people’s money lays at the doorstep of the Congress. Congress has the oversight committees to monitor its laws and regulations. They did not do their job and we ended up with a wrecked economy. We need to hold OUR Representatives and Senators accountable. Vote your Congressman out of office regardless if they are Democrat or Republican. The President can’t raise or lower taxes nor can they spend money. The President is our reprersentative to the world so foreign government have one person to speak to. It’s the Congress, Stupid! Vote’em out-we can exercise our own term limits.
Posted by: Bill | June 18, 2009, 11:36 pm 11:36 pm
“During most of Bush’s term, the democrats had control and could have voted down any or all of Bush’s spending bills but they did not.”
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Anne – you need to be a bit more accurate with your history – Republicans basically had control of Congress for the first 6 years of the Bush administration.
The HALF A TRILLION dollars in additionally debt they rang up EACH YEAR falls squarely on them.
Posted by: danita | June 18, 2009, 11:41 pm 11:41 pm
Get real OH, Bush administration not only rang up a total of $4 TRILLION in debt, it ended with the country’s financial system in almost complete collapse.
Quite a gift to the American people.
Posted by: danita | June 19, 2009, 12:00 am 12:00 am
The near collapse of the american financial system and economy after 8 years of Bush administration overspending by TRILLIONS of dollars left a very bad situation OH.
Had President Obama allowed a complete collapse it would have been disastrous and the public would have been outraged. Trying to recover from the results of the Bush years is not going to be easy.
Posted by: danita | June 19, 2009, 12:07 am 12:07 am
Polls are useless… it all depends on who is being polled… they could be polling just democrats.. or independents, so no matter which way it goes, polls are rigged.
Obama is popular but his policies are not.. now that makes sense… his positive numbers have been going down and his negatives have been going up.. so he doesn’t seem to popular to me.
I also will be skipping his ABC special next week…. It gets old hearing him speak and having ABC slobber all over him.
Posted by: not buying the bull | June 19, 2009, 12:08 am 12:08 am
He will not be so popular when unemployment runs out.
Posted by: 3rd party | June 19, 2009, 12:27 am 12:27 am
Try to think your way through these things OH, by the end of the 8 years of the Bush administration the country was TRILLIONS of dollars further in debt and the economy was in a virtual free-fall collapse.
Posted by: danita | June 19, 2009, 12:29 am 12:29 am
I’ve read that Obama has been saying he’s losing sleep over how much debt he’s put us in. Funny thing is it must not be that much sleep because he wants to pile on even more debt in the name of “health care reform” and do it *really quickly*.
Posted by: teena | June 19, 2009, 12:37 am 12:37 am
teena . . . at least President Obama loses some sleep over what he’s having to do. Former President Bush took no responsibility and seemed to think it was big joke he overspent by 4 trillion dollars – AND left the country’s economy in near free-fall collapse.
Posted by: danita | June 19, 2009, 12:41 am 12:41 am
“If Bush spending $4T caused the collapse”
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OH I remember now discussing with you before and how you choose to argue. No one said the Bush overspending caused the collapse.
What was said that after 8 years of the Bush administration, trillions of dollars had been added to the national debt and the economy was in virtual free-fall collapse.
Posted by: danita | June 19, 2009, 12:44 am 12:44 am
SunnyR . . . I’m afraid that is wishful thinking on your part.
People know full well the economy was in virtual free-fall collapse by the end of the Bush administration, and that the current administration could not allow a complete collapse.
They understand this, and what was done to shore things up – and they are rightly concerned about the increasing national debt.
This in no way means they’ve turned against President Obama and his administration – far from it.
People are actually in awe of how a properly run administration can get things done after having watched the previous administration. People have not forgotten.
Posted by: danita | June 19, 2009, 12:55 am 12:55 am
OH – this is what I meant . ..
“by the end of the 8 years of the Bush administration the country was TRILLIONS of dollars further in debt and the economy was in a virtual free-fall collapse.”
Posted by: danita | June 19, 2009, 1:00 am 1:00 am
Over the past few days I have witnessed the media induced need to attack Obama although the polls still indicate Americans are happy with him. There is this jargon coming out of the media trying to make Obama “likeable”, a “great speaker” but he isn’t an effective leader. Who is pulling the media’s strings? Last night it was the lame CNN crowd with Ariana Huffington tossed in, Ben Stine- this is a concerted effort to tarnish his image BUT IT WON’T STICK so find a new label. YES HE STILL CAN!
Posted by: clarity | June 19, 2009, 1:28 am 1:28 am
clarity, you are correct about CNN, they write 30% agree with Obama on such-and-such, it should read ONLY 30% agree with Obama on such and such.
Posted by: TD | June 19, 2009, 1:45 am 1:45 am
And as the poll numbers continue to drop, the usual suspects will simply get more desperate and vicious.
Posted by: Entourage | June 19, 2009, 1:58 am 1:58 am
While I think Obama is a fraud, a con man, a complete disaster, & an inept leader, most people have not as yet come to that conclusion. No doubt, the questioning of his horrendous economic policies is the beginning of a trend which will see his popularity drop like a lead balloon.
Lest anyone think I am a Bush supporter, think again. Bush was a pretty poor president & not my idea of a fiscal conservative.
The real problem, as I see it, is that the Republican party is disorganized & leaderless & is not able to clearly articulate another path. The Republicans are confused by social conservatism issues instead of concentrating on national security, foreign policy, & sound economics.
The real truth is that the political scene is dominated by charlatans, incompetents, self-aggrandizers, & unprincipled party hacks on both sides.
Posted by: Terry | June 19, 2009, 3:26 am 3:26 am
There is a concerted effort by the ‘right’ and republicans to do everything they can to make everything fail…. They don’t care about Americans, only about getting back in power..
and they will do and say anything…..
let the car companies fail, let the banking system fail, they don’t care for the unemployed or that people are being bankrupted and dying for lack of health care… all they want is more war, they will say anything and do anything to start another one…
ie: McCain is suddenly pro Iran, not too long ago he was singing about bombing Iran
republicans and conservatives are like the modern version of ‘chicken little’ screaming the ‘sky is falling’…..
republicans and conservatives are cold blooded SOB’s
Posted by: NO Mas | June 19, 2009, 4:35 am 4:35 am
Bush was a pretty poor president & not my idea of a fiscal conservative.
Posted by: Terry
LOL…… ya think?
Posted by: CBGB | June 19, 2009, 4:36 am 4:36 am
What the U.S. needs to do is really examine all the expenditures that go for foreign entanglements.. the rest of the world needs to take care of themselves, and that includes Israel.
While foreign aid is a noble thing to do, it’s time to start focusing on America….. there are parts of America that resemble 3rd world countries.
Posted by: Outlook | June 19, 2009, 4:43 am 4:43 am
Seems to me the ones that criticise Pres Obama for trying everything he can to sve American jobs and manufacturing, provide Health Care, keep America safe, etc are the same ones that would be whining the exact opposite if he didn’t. Obviously, some people are just complainers not honest opinion brokers. These same jokers didn’t say a word while Pres Bush and his cronies were doing a lot worse while feathering the nests of the ultra wealthy. How can a person be blamed for trying to fix in only five short months what the previous administration had 8 years to tear apart. Plus, ae these same whiners going to be happy if we lessen the deficit with increased taxes? Hardly.
Posted by: CMSgt P | June 19, 2009, 5:02 am 5:02 am
The most interesting part of the President’s wobble is the shot he took at Fox the other day. He indicated that it put a lot of pressure on him and his administration because this network (Fox) was making it their mission to criticize his policies and his administration pretty much non stop.
Three things: (1) I thought a big part of being the President was embracing the opposing points of view inside your own constituency? It is telling that when he is under pressure he takes the high road: he whines about it. (2) Though I don’t watch it all the time Fox is NOT dedicated to ripping this administration; they are watching and analyzing what this administration is doing. CNN does some of this as well; ABC is the only one of the major networks that even comes close – in particular Jake’s contributions. I am glad for it and look forward of more of the same. (3) Let’s re run some of the NBC full frontal assault on George W Bush for every bit of the last four years of his Presidency and see if he ever whined about it? That assault was overt and without limits. It got personal and was outright disrespectful of the Office and the man. Bush never whine about it, not once.
Bottom line: the tension between opposing views is the very heart of what the Founding Fathers had in mind to keep this government vital and on game. It is a messy process, no question. It is didn’t work this President would not have made it out of Iowa – now he is fading a little heat (and deservedly so) and he starts to whine. We are not into this administration a full year yet and the whine-fest is already begun
Posted by: Lone Star Rules | June 19, 2009, 7:34 am 7:34 am
ABC employees contributed $160,000 to Obama vs. less than $5000 to McCain.
Posted by: jennifert7 | June 19, 2009, 7:47 am 7:47 am
….. there are parts of America that resemble 3rd world countries.
Posted by: Outlook | Jun 19, 2009 4:43:02 AM
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Yeah, like the south side of Chicago.
Posted by: jennifert7 | June 19, 2009, 7:53 am 7:53 am
“Why do liberals never even remotely consider reducing spending?”
The irony is most liberals I know do in their own households, but when it comes to government, there is no incentive since liberal politicians secure their power through deficit spending rather than doing what’s right for the people. Who can blame them? Checks and balances have broken down and the Fed creates all the money they need out of thin air. The rest of us pay the bill through higher taxes and inflation.
And since politicians have rigged the system to keep incumbents in power, we have no say in the matter. Most Americans have been outraged by reckless spending for years (yes, including the Bush years). Yet the problem is getting much worse.
But we have ourselves to blame for helping to create this problem and doing nothing. Only we can fix it by truly cleaning house in Washington, but do we have the will? Politicians are betting we don’t. So far, they’ve been right.
Posted by: Jenn | June 19, 2009, 8:05 am 8:05 am
The Bush administration and the Republicans held the Presidency and the House for 6 of the 8 years it was in power and OVERSPENT on average by HALF A TRILLION dollars EVERY YEAR.
Let’s get rid of this lie that Republicans are small government, small spenders . … it’s a lie.
Posted by: danita | June 19, 2009, 1:27 pm 1:27 pm
We are not into this administration a full year yet and the whine-fest is already begun
Posted by: Lone Star Rules
that’s true, the republicans are lil babies ’cause they lost and now they can’t get their way
btw: tell your buds in Texass, anytime they want to leave the US, thats cool… just be sure to repay all the money that’s been given to you by that ‘socialistic’ govt….
Posted by: No Mas | June 19, 2009, 2:18 pm 2:18 pm
Danita- Please… I suppose after 4 years of Obama’s socialist policies fail and destroy this country. You will still be sitting at your government job, blaming Bush! Got news for ya! Obama’s so called stimulus plan had to be passed right away and he guaranteed that if it did, unemployment would not exceed 8% and the world would be saved! By his own admission, his policies have failed! He has already spent more money than Every president and every war since our countries creation. Funny how all that money has not fixed anything. Here is one for ya. Give the people back our money and let us spend it! Then you would see actual stimulus take place!
Posted by: ToTUS | June 19, 2009, 2:24 pm 2:24 pm
Funny how all that money has not fixed anything
Posted by: ToTUS
we sure as hell know what happened to the US after 8 years of Bush…….. devastation!
after 4 years of Obama you’ll have something to
judge….
Posted by: XXX | June 19, 2009, 2:32 pm 2:32 pm
Yeah, like the south side of Chicago.
Posted by: jennifert7
ever drive through W. Virginia down into Kentuky?
Posted by: XXX | June 19, 2009, 2:35 pm 2:35 pm
Problem with liberals is they can never take responsibility for their own horrendous policy decisions – it’s always someone elses fault. Bush did not subvert bankruptcy and contract law to take over GM and Chrysler. Bush did not sign an $800 billion stimulus bill before reading it, only to find that unemployment is significantly higher than we were told it would be if the stim was NOT passed. Bush did not sign a $410 billion omnibus bill with 9,000 earmarks. Bush did not propose a $1.6 trillion healthcare reform bill that will only cover 1/3 of the currently uninsured, without any means to pay for it. Bush did not hire a tax cheat for a treasury secretary who went on to propsose programs such as TALF and PPIP which have been colossal failures to date. Bush did not vow to close Gitmo in one year without a plan for what to do with the prisoners. But Bush did establish a national security platform that is being mimicked by the current administration.
Posted by: Mike in Costa Mesa | June 19, 2009, 2:38 pm 2:38 pm
Bush did not vow to close Gitmo in one year without a plan
Posted by: Mike in Costa Mesa
hmm, well, Bush invaded Iraq without a plan about what to do after the invasion, which is too bad as it got a lot of people killed and wounded…
we all know Bush was perfect, made no mistakes and the country was in great shape when he left office..
‘Rightys’ must have replaced kool aid with something stronger..
btw: Bush hardly signed anything at all except for signing statements so he could avoid the law
Posted by: XXX | June 19, 2009, 2:53 pm 2:53 pm
“ABC employees contributed $160,000 to Obama vs. less than $5000 to McCain.”
Yes actors and writers employed by ABC donated heavily to Obama.
Of course what the stars of General Hospital and the like have to do with ABC News is puzzling.
Could it be the dishonest right wing is trying to distort reality and create the appearance of a conflict of interest?
The lesson as always? Right wingers lie.
Posted by: Ryan C | June 19, 2009, 2:53 pm 2:53 pm
The lesson as always? Right wingers lie.
Posted by: Ryan C
Ryan are you actually suggesting that people like John McCain are disingenuous when they’re singing “Bomb Bomb Bomb Iran” and then do a 180 … and want to get all ‘warm & fuzzy’ with the people he wanted to bomb out of existence…..
I am shocked, ;-)
Posted by: No Mas | June 19, 2009, 2:59 pm 2:59 pm
Speaking of polls…
“Only 6 percent of Jewish Israelis consider the views of American President Barack Obama’s administration pro-Israel, according to a new Jerusalem Post-sponsored Smith Research poll.
Israelis’ views of Obama’s predecessor in the White House, George W. Bush, are nearly the opposite. According to last month’s poll, 88% of Israelis considered his administration pro-Israel, 7% said Bush was neutral and just 2% labeled him pro-Palestinian.”
So our only major democratic ally in the Middle East thinks we’ve turned on them. And our enemies are emboldened. Heckuva job, Obama. You are destablizing the world by the day, let alone our own economy.
Elections have consequences. Welcome to them.
Posted by: Stacey | June 19, 2009, 7:15 pm 7:15 pm
We have to forget what Bush did and smell the coffee and drink some. Obama is in the White House now and he is no better. We can’t change the past, and from the looks of it,we won’t be able to change Obama; coupled with, believing every speech he comes up with, which I believe is a bunch of LIE!Continue believing in his speeches and we are all going to condemned. Everything is not okay with this bad boy…
Posted by: isiah | October 9, 2009, 2:42 am 2:42 am