Even California Democrats Are Walking Away From Obama
President Obama is not a very popular leader right now, but while his low approval ratings in states such as Alabama and Utah aren't surprising, even blue state Californians are frustrated with the commander in chief.
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President Obama is not a very popular leader right now, but while his low approval ratings in states such as Alabama and Utah aren’t surprising, even blue state Californians are frustrated with the commander in chief.
The Golden State has long been a source of support for the president, both financial and electoral. He beat Mitt Romney here in 2012 by 22 points, and John McCain by 24 points in 2008.
But as The Sacramento Bee reports Tuesday, “Only 45 percent of California voters hold a favorable view of Obama’s job performance, according to a new Field Poll released today, down five percentage points from June and dropping below 50 percent for the first time since late 2011. Disapproval climbed to 43 percent.”
In case you were wondering, 2011’s low numbers probably owe to the government shutdown that dragged approval of both parties way, way down.
Pollsters attribute the recent California drop, more than anything, to a loss of support among the president’s base.
Nationally, Obama does much worse than in California. According to Gallup, 52 percent of Americans disapprove of the president’s job performance, and only 42 percent approve.
Obama’s unpopularity is widely expected to hurt his party in the upcoming midterm elections, both on the national and statewide level. Dan Walters of The Sacramento Bee explains:
— Posted by Peter Z. Scheer
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They credit the president for the good economy—but prefer Democratic candidates in the midterms.
The new president's initial approval rating of only 46 percent indicates widespread dissatisfaction, but a civic-engagement survey finds there are people who remain optimistic.
Thirteen percent of adults approve of the job Congress is doing, according to Gallup, but things could be worse.
President Obama's job approval rating has been dropping steadily since April and is now back near his all-time low.
Maybe it's the NSA spying, the fact that the economic recovery has mostly benefited the richest Americans or the threat to bomb Syria Regardless, a growing majority of the country disapproves of the president's job performance.
President Obama's approval rating among 18- to 29-year-olds has fallen considerably in recent months, from 61.6 percent in October to 52.3 at the beginning of July, according to Gallup.
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