I’ve received several requests to post something about this Quinnipiac survey of American adults released yesterday in which 33% of respondents say Barack Obama is the worst president among the 12 who have served since World War II. That tops the list of worst presidents, beating even former president George […] Read more »
No polling fireworks for Obama this July 4th
As President Barack Obama marks his sixth Independence Day in the White House, his approval ratings remain near the lowest of his presidency. Just 41% of Americans approve of the job the President’s doing in office, according to a new CNN Poll of Polls. But while Obama’s numbers are anything […] Read more »
Will Obama Ever Be Popular Again?
Barack Obama has had an unusual presidency, winning election twice with a majority of the vote, yet frequently saddled with a job approval rating below 50 percent. In fact, only during his “honeymoon” period in 2009 and around his reelection in 2012 has a majority of the population approved of […] Read more »
Public Opinion on the ‘4s’ Through Recent History
Now that we are firmly ensconced in the summer of 2014, it is a good time to take stock of what was on the American public’s mind 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 years ago — in the early summer of previous years ending in “4” going back to […] Read more »
The Politics of White House Firings
When presidential popularity sags, the predictable calls begin: Off with their heads! The heads, of course, belong to key administrators and Cabinet officials who are perceived to have contributed to whatever woes are besetting the president. … What effect do firings have on public opinion? Does it help a president’s […] Read more »
Is Obama a ‘Reverse Reagan’?
… George Edwards, an expert on presidents and public opinion at Texas A&M University, says that Obama has become, in a sense, a Reverse Reagan. President Reagan’s policy views were seen at the time as out of step with the mainstream, but he transcended that. “When Reagan ran for reelection […] Read more »