Quinnipiac: Obama down to 45%

A pair of polls released today show that the electorate continues to sour on Barack Obama and his agenda after the State of the Union address.  Quinnipiac’s survey of over 2600 registered voters produces a 45% approval rating with a 46% disapproval, the highest yet from Quinnipiac.  Trust in government has plunged as well:

American voters remain deeply divided about President Barack Obama’s job performance, giving him a 45 – 46 percent job approval, but disapproval of both Democrats and Republicans in Congress tops 2-1. This could explain why only 2 percent trust government to do what is right almost all of the time, and 16 percent trust government to do right most of the time, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

While President Obama’s ratings on the economy and job creation remain low, voters strongly support the steps he has proposed to put Americans back to work, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds.

American voters still disapprove 54 – 35 percent of Obama’s health care reform plan, but they say 52 – 44 percent they want Congress and the President to keep trying on health care reform rather than giving up and moving on to other matters.

But how exactly do people want Obama and the GOP to continue working on health-care reform?  Rasmussen’s survey of likely voters says a wide majority wants to shred the current ObamaCare proposals and start from scratch:

President Obama this week called for a televised bipartisan summit to get his health care reform plan back on track, but 61% of U.S. voters say Congress should scrap that plan and start all over again.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds just 28% who think it is better to build on the health care plan that has been working its way through the House and Senate.

Support for and opposition to the existing plan remain at the same levels they’ve been at since just after Thanksgiving.

The Rasmussen numbers on ObamaCare look about the same as Quinnipiac, 58-39 opposed.  Majorities in every age and income demographic support starting over from scratch, as well as 66% of independents.  Democrats support building on current proposals, but only by a 53/35 majority.

The internals of Obama’s approval ratings look increasingly desperate.  Independents disapprove 40/49, as do middle class voters 41/51 ($50-100K) and 43/54 ($100K-250K).  He has now lost Catholics, 41/52, while Jewish voters split evenly 49/49 — which are two big red flags among- usually loyal Democratic groups, especially the latter.

Obama has now gotten two bad days of polling news, and one thing is clear: attempting to pose as bipartisan at the House Republican Caucus meeting and in the State of the Union speech did Obama no long-term good at all.  Voters still dislike Obama’s policies, and his demand for Republican cooperation hasn’t rallied anyone to his standard.  Republicans apparently managed to win the long-term argument from those appearances — which should give them confidence in standing their ground and continuing the debate.

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