Change we don't believe in... yet

[Pangloss]

Some waves are being made today by pollster Scott Rasmussen, whose new polling data suggests that Obama's approval rating is lower than Gallup says it is. Rasmussen defends his poll in a Wall Street Journal op/ed piece today, and there will no doubt be a lot of talk about it hither and yon amongst the bloggers and pundits.

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123690358175013837.html

 

It's an interesting piece and worth checking out, but what I thought was most interesting about his analysis about the underlying concerns that Americans have right now. These numbers are pretty staggering, and it's not hard to see the truth in them, either.

 

That polling shows that there are deep-seeded, underlying economic concerns. Eighty-three percent say they are worried that the steps Mr. Obama is taking to fix the economy may not work and the economy will get worse. Eighty-two percent say they are worried about the amount of money being added to the deficit. Seventy-eight percent are worried about inflation growing, and 69% say they are worried about the increasing role of the government in the U.S. economy.

 

Americans also don't believe that we're doing the right thing in spending our way out of this slump. (Notice Rasmussen is talking about GALLUP poll numbers here!)

 

When Gallup asked whether we should be spending more or less in the economic stimulus, by close to 3-to-1 margin voters said it is better to have spent less than to have spent more. When asked whether we are adding too much to the deficit or spending too little to improve the economy, by close to a 3-to-2 margin voters said that we are adding too much to the deficit.

 

Rasmussen's overall point is that Americans aren't as behind Obama's economic plan as the media makes them out to be, and I think that's a fair point. However I think these polls indicate fear and uncertainty, as well as distrust of government in general, rather than an overall disapproval of Obama (a point to which Rasmussen might agree, since his poll suggests the same, with an Obama approval rating only 4 pts below Gallup's).

 

What do you all think?

[Mr Skeptic]

On the bright side, now we're probably too bankrupt to go starting any new wars.

[iNow]

However I think these polls indicate fear and uncertainty, as well as distrust of government in general, rather than an overall disapproval of Obama (a point to which Rasmussen might agree

My thoughts exactly. People are just afraid, they are uncertain, and those feelings bleed over into nearly all aspect of their lives. It has less to do with Obama and his policies than it does with the general social psychology and reality right now that people are suffering and don't know when it will end.

[Sisyphus]

Who the hell wouldn't be worried whether or not it's going to work? Who are those 17%?

[The Bear's Key]

However I think these polls indicate fear and uncertainty, as well as distrust of government in general...

 

I'll answer more in-depth later, but for now I'll trust people's "distrust" of government when their list expands to include the following governmental distrusts.

 

• church mixed with government
  
• entrusting business contractors with the $$ opportunities found in war
  
• "Patriot" Act existence
  
• warrantless spying
  
• having to take the government's "word" for the intention of secret activities
  
• the promise of small government (with fingers crossed?)
  
• noble intentions for Iraq
  

 

There are lots more. I see more trust in government, not distrust. Unless, of course, if by distrusting the government, those people really mean the Democrats.

 

I'm not being combative, you asked the question in a generally candid manner. I just have a difficult time believing in the distrust, especially since it's been twisted by the you-know-whos to mean anything not of conservative (or really neoconservative) mindset.

 

I like the answers given by INow and Mr Skeptic, though.

[Dudde]

On the bright side, now we're probably too bankrupt to go starting any new wars.

 

Nice:cool:

 

I don't know if I've effective time to approve or disapprove of the guy yet, but I've always hated gallup polls for being stupid:-)

[Mokele]

I'm with Pangloss, iNow, and apparently the majority of voters - I'm worried about all of the above. I think what Obama is doing is the most likely thing to succeed, but economics is such a voodoo discipline and is so complex that I'd be worried about the effectiveness, timing, etc of *any* plan.

 

If I was in the water with a hungry shark, knowing that a firm blow to the nose is likely to discourage an attack, I'd *still* be worried, because of the consequences of what could happen if it doesn't work. That doesn't mean I don't think hitting it isn't a good plan, just that I'm aware of what could happen if it doesn't work.

[swansont]

I don't trust any analysis by someone who uses the term "deep seeded" in place of "deep-seated," which I notice has now been changed in the article.

[bascule]

I'm still in wait-and-see mode. Obama is little more than halfway through his first 100 days in office. I'm certainly willing to give him until the end of it before casting any kind of judgment.

 

So far (if you can tell from the threads I've posted) I'm mostly happy about what he's been doing, particularly in regard to his usage of the Internet and technology to bring further transparency to government.

[bascule]

CNN just released a new opinion poll which more or less echoes the same sentiments: Obama is polling high with a 64% approval rating, but most Americans are still very concerned about the economy:

 

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/16/obama.poll/index.html?eref=rss_topstories