Obama Approaches the Tipping Point

posted at 2:35 pm on September 24, 2009 by
[ Obama ]   

It looks like those rumors of the death of the Republican Party that circulated earlier this year were greatly exaggerated. At least that’s one possible reading of the results of the most recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. The poll shows that independents, which comprise 43 percent of the electorate and helped Obama win the White House last November, have red-shifted in a major way.

new-1

Around the time of the election, independent support for Obama was close to 52 percent. Now, for the first time, the percentage of independents who disapprove of the job the president is doing (46%) is greater than that of independents who approve (41%). Even more striking is that is that independents now favor a Republican-controlled Congress by a four-point margin and would overwhelmingly like to see their own member of the House replaced.

In order to restore balance to his approval ratings, Obama is going to have to back away from trends that are moving voters toward the tipping point in terms of which party the would like to see holding the reins in Congress. This has happened before under similar circumstances, most recently in 1994.

The main factor accounting for this shift is Obama’s mismanagement of foreign policy, his handling of which has lost 7 approval points since July. Should Obama continue on the present course advocated by his party and pull troops from Afghanistan — Obama’s “war of necessity” — the country may have a much redder face in 2010.

Cross-posted at Zombie Contentions

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Trackbacks/Pings

Trackback URL

Comments

Hickory dickory dock Obama is running out of time on the clock
The clock struck one
Obama said “These polls are no longer any fun!”
Hickory dickory dock

Hickory dickory dock Obama is running out of time on the clock
The clock struck two
Obama said “Now what am I to do!”
Hickory dickory dock

Hickory dickory dock Obama is running out of time on the clock
The clock struck three
Obama said “On Bush and Sarah I must some more again wee-wee!”
Hickory dickory dock

Hickory dickory dock Obama is running out of time on the clock
The clock struck four
Obama said “This just ain’t any fun anymore!”
Hickory dickory dock

Cheshire Cat on September 24, 2009 at 8:08 PM

Cheshire: Nicely done.

Howard Portnoy on September 24, 2009 at 9:42 PM

Obama is no Clinton.

I predict that The One will not “triangulate” his way around the Repubs and convert it into a “moderate” presidency. Instead, in true Chicago fashion, he will attempt to do by executive order and tsar what he cannot get Congress to do for him.

It is apparent to me that one of the points of moving government functions out from under appointed-with-approval civil servants to answers-to-nobody-but-Obama tsars is to tie down a Republican congress, forcing them to waste time and political capital re-asserting authority over these functions of government, splitting their focus and allowing Obama to champion his cause with less resistance.

Obama may be an amateur, but he’s a Chicago amateur. Here, when given an inch, take a mile, then force the opposition to contest every inch of it.

Mew

acat on September 25, 2009 at 10:27 AM

Since Obama is near the tipping point, let me give him a few tips to help him along.
1. Take away Michele’s weight-lifting belts. They are not a bold fashion statement. Either that or give her a couple ten pound barbells to carry around.
2. Tritech makes a really good fly repellant. When you stink this much at being President, you should get some to prevent being overcome. I use it on my horse all the time. Works great. (An added benefit, it might help lower the buzzing sounds in/around your head.) BTW, you might draw flies with honey, but the brown stuff in the pasture is even better. I’m sure you’ve seen that.
3. When four out of five voters are satisfied with their health care, it’s not a crisis. Not even a teeny weeny crisis. However, 16% unemployment, that right there is a crisis, I don’t care who you are.
4. Calling people names who disagree with you is disrespectful, counterproductive, and discouraged on American elementary school playgrounds. Since you were in Indonesia at the time, you probably missed that part.
5. The UK is our ally. Really. Cuba, not so much. I don’t know how you keep getting them confused.

Hope this clears up things, Obama. One last thing, the media isn’t a bucket, it’s a sieve. The big guys can cover for you most of the time, but the rest of the time, the story is going to get out. Say ‘hey’ to Bertha, Billy Ayers, and Rev. Wright – wink wink – I know you hardly ever see ‘em.

Carolina Kat on September 25, 2009 at 2:50 PM

Brilliant, Carolina Kat!

Rosmerta on September 25, 2009 at 3:50 PM