[QUOTE]WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As President Obama navigates his way through a series of issues as controversial as they are vital, he's getting a yellow flag from the American people.
For the first time since Obama took office, fewer than half of Americans agree with the president on issues important to them, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Tuesday. A majority, 51 percent, disagree -- a jump of 10 percentage points since April.
Despite the majority disagreement on issues, the poll also found the president's approval rating remains in the healthy mid-50s. And two-thirds of Americans say he has the personal qualities a president should have.
"It's awfully early yet, but this president might be shaping up to be a little like Ronald Reagan, where people actually didn't often agree with Ronald Reagan's ideas, but they loved the guy," said Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and CNN contributor.
A popular president who is less popular on the issues -- Obama could use his personal popularity to rally support for his less popular agenda.
"They still like the messenger. That's important for Obama because he'll be able to look presidential, and Americans may respond to that as he's trying to make a pitch for his health care plan, financial reform, whatever he decides to do in Afghanistan and Iran," said Keating Holland, CNN's polling director.
The poll shows it's a lot harder to keep people liking you when you're governing than when you're politicking. It's a familiar path for presidents, who often start out popular but see their numbers drop as they get down to the nitty-gritty.
In Obama's case, legislation to overhaul health care has not been kind to his numbers.
And about the Nobel Peace Prize, even the president seems stunned he got it.
"To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize," Obama said after the award's announcement.
Americans apparently agree. About a third believe the president deserved the prize, according to this week's CNN/Opinion Research poll. Fifty-six percent say they disapprove of the Nobel Prize Committee's decision to honor him, the survey found. Still, there's a hometown hero effect here, with almost 70 percent saying they are proud an American president won it, the poll said.
And then further proof of that adage that Americans like their politicians most when they are not running for anything, the most popular person in the Obama administration is not the still-popular president.
It's Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Sixty-five percent of Americans view Clinton favorably, outshining even first lady Michelle Obama by a percentage point, according to the survey.
"It's not surprising that Clinton tops Barack Obama on the favorable ratings," Holland said. "Secretaries of state don't get blamed for economic problems or unpopular domestic policies, and they often don't get the same share of the blame as the commander in chief for international slip-ups either. But typically, the first lady gets even better favorable ratings than the secretary of state, so the fact that Clinton's numbers are slightly better than Michelle Obama's is a bit surprising."
Clinton is in a nonpolitical position, doing policy work in an area in which she really likes working. She was once seen as a sharply divisive politician, the "also-ran" of the 2008 Democratic primary season.
And for the president -- there is a lesson in that. Poll numbers have a way of changing. Nothing like, say, a health care overhaul bill that works, that might bring more people on board as to agreeing with his policies.
The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted Sunday through Thursday, with 1,038 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
[/QUOTE]
Source: [url]http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/21/obama.poll/index.html[/url]
Less than half of America disagrees with his ideas, so they want to use his personal popularity to rally support. Shouldn't a politician do what the people want, instead of what he wants?
people are always going to disagree with the president. No matter what he does.
People are waking up to the fact that they only voted for him because he was popular.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;17958150]Shouldn't a politician do what the people want, instead of what he wants?[/QUOTE]
No. The people are idiots. Which is why politicians have never done that.
I'd say much of this is because of the extreme propaganda spewed out by the Fox News network.
And I would say it's because of disruptions in the Earth's magnet core. We can guess but not get any wiser.
[QUOTE=Taishu;17958961]I'd say much of this is because of the extreme propaganda spewed out by the Fox News network.[/QUOTE]
Or, you know, people realize he isn't the Messiah and that he's just another mediocre politician.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;17958150]Source: [url]http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/21/obama.poll/index.html[/url]
Less than half of America disagrees with his ideas, so they want to use his personal popularity to rally support. Shouldn't a politician do what the people want, instead of what he wants?[/QUOTE]
Lol, welcome to politics, you really think the US will be a better country if Obama does what the american people want?
of course not, it will most likely go down the shitter because there's a large percentage of dumbasses in america
[QUOTE=Ryu-Gi;17958726]People are waking up to the fact that they only voted for him because he was popular.[/QUOTE]
This post makes about as much sense as one of your rape fantasy rationalizations
[QUOTE=StukovCA;17959195]Or, you know, people realize he isn't the Messiah[/QUOTE]
This. There was this pro-Obama ad I saw once that pretty much implied that Voting for Obama would make the weather better. What the hell.
Jesus said not to vote for a black ,socialist ,Nazi ,Jew ,satanist, Muslim
but America didn't listen so we are doomed :saddowns:
I think this has been caused by the media.
Hell, half the world's problems are caused by the media.
[QUOTE=Epidemick;17959507]
I think this has been caused by the atheists.
Hell, half the world's problems are caused by the atheists.
[/QUOTE]
[B]fix'd[/B]
:downs:
Obama is NOTHING like Regan.
[QUOTE=kaneangel2012;17959485]Jesus said not to vote for a black ,socialist ,Nazi ,Jew ,satanist, Muslim
but America didn't listen so we are doomed :saddowns:[/QUOTE]
this is such a stupid post that I don't know where to begin. Are you mentally challenged? Because I don't want to offend you if you are.
[QUOTE=StukovCA;17959195]Or, you know, people realize he isn't the Messiah and that he's just another mediocre politician.[/QUOTE]
He's good at rallying people, but most of his ideas are terrible and/or don't work.
[QUOTE=JerryK;17960411]this is such a stupid post that I don't know where to begin. Are you mentally challenged? Because I don't want to offend you if you are.[/QUOTE]
do you know what sarcasm is
[QUOTE=Xmeagol;17959294]Lol, welcome to politics, you really think the US will be a better country if Obama does what the american people want?
of course not, it will most likely go down the shitter because there's a large percentage of dumbasses in america[/QUOTE]
Wait, you want the leader of the country to [i]not[/i] do what the people want? Regardless of who is right or wrong on any issue, it's what the [i]people[/i] want that is most important, not one individual person. When you have a person in charge that does what he wishes instead of the people's, it's called a dictatorship.
The answer is glaring. Obama is obviously...
A crab
[img]http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/uncyclopedia/images/c/c4/Crab_people2.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;17961569]Wait, you want the leader of the country to [i]not[/i] do what the people want? Regardless of who is right or wrong on any issue, it's what the [i]people[/i] want that is most important, not one individual person. When you have a person in charge that does what he wishes instead of the people's, it's called a dictatorship.[/QUOTE]
"The people" would like to have tons of benefits and services and never ever have to pay taxes. If "the people" got to decide how to run the country it would be a disaster.
That's why, instead, we have people trained in governance who propose different ideas, and the people pick the guys they like best. If they vote someone in and decide they don't like his ideas after all, they will vote for someone else next time.
[QUOTE=TH89;17961851]"The people" would like to have tons of benefits and services and never ever have to pay taxes. If "the people" got to decide how to run the country it would be a disaster.
That's why, instead, we have people trained in governance who propose different ideas, and the people pick the guys they like best. If they vote someone in and decide they don't like his ideas after all, they will vote for someone else next time.[/QUOTE]
But the man has a little over three years to go. We couldn't get rid of Bush until elections, how are we going to deal with him, if everyone ends up disliking him, with three years still to go?
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;17962763]But the man has a little over three years to go. We couldn't get rid of Bush until elections, how are we going to deal with him, if everyone ends up disliking him, with three years still to go?[/QUOTE]
you deal with him by waiting until the next elections
unless he does something illegal, you have to live with him. The constitution doesn't say anything about the people having to like the president for him to stay in office.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;17962763]But the man has a little over three years to go. We couldn't get rid of Bush until elections, how are we going to deal with him, if everyone ends up disliking him, with three years still to go?[/QUOTE]
The same way we dealt with Bush.
Put up with the bullshit.
[QUOTE=Glaber;17959949]Obama is NOTHING like Regan.[/QUOTE]
Reagan
People just voted for him because he was "cool". Now we have to pay for our country's stupidity.
[QUOTE=Shrooms;17958187]people are always going to disagree with the president. No matter what he does.[/QUOTE]
Row row, fight the powa!!
I bet Obama looses the next election to a republican with a tougher stance on world issues.
Does anyone else find this hilarious?
[editline]10:19AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=BRQNCO;18007052]I bet Obama looses the next election to a republican with a tougher stance on world issues.[/QUOTE]
I'd love a return to someone similar to Nixon.
You know, without the horrific paranoia.
I think if obama wins some sort of prize for being peaceful he will be okay
He is handling some very controversial issues, so I don't expect he'll win any popularity contest during the coming years.
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