Obama's approval rating sinks to new low

Fascinating that people are prepared to turn on the president over what are still the lowest gasoline prices in the first world.

 

As the poli sci research shows, it's not the actual price level, it's the direction prices are moving. If the price stays at its current level for a month, public unhappiness about it will go down. But when it's going up, people extrapolate a straight line to really higher prices.

 

Despite the fact that the prices go up every single spring.

 

Specially since some of the same people complaining, are likely those that demand we reduce our fossil fuel dependency and develop alternative energy choices.

As was articulated by Steve Chu, Obama's Energy Secretary high gas prices are a positive in that it will force people to conserve and find alternative clean energy sources.

 

Although it's too slow for people to notice it, and therefore give themselves credit, Americans HAVE reduced their energy use dramatically over the last 40 years. Go on one of those retro TV program cable networks and check out the cars parked on the streets of '70s cop shows.
There are, however, a lot more Americans than there were back then. But if we used as much oil as we did back then on a per capita basis, gas might $10 a gallon.

 

I understand that part. But it's the "lowest" that surprises me, not the "low."

 

What surprises me is the precipitous drop from one month ago when Obama's approval rating was at 50%.

Perception wise this poll has more credibility than say a Fox / NY Post poll.

 

Actually Boom, of the big media polls, the CBS/NYT one has historically been the most volatile, with higher highs and lower lows of ratings of public officials and election calls since way back when Bush the First was President. Doesn't mean it's wrong to find the Obama drop, just that it might have overshot the mark. I looked at the crosstabs and two things jumped out. 1. The approval rating was the same 41 percent for women and men. This seems unlikely given how many more women are Democrats than are men. 2. Obama still leads Romney in head to head. A President with a 41 percent approval rating should not be leading the opposition's leading candidate.
IMO, the NBC/Wall St. Journal poll and the ABC/Washington Post poll seem more reliable than this one. And of course, the Post poll saw the same drop, just not as pronounced.

 

As long as people are working to pay for the higher gas, and we're not at war, Obama is going to be fine and will kick the GOP's ass in November. It's pretty much as simple as that.

 

That's kind of what I suspect, as well. Eventually, he is going to get a chance to frame the numbers to his benefit.

 

I think if prices stay around $4 he'll be fine. If they're around $5 and the republicans are promising to drill everywhere they can, things could get interesting...

I'm not saying I blame Obama for the gas prices, but I think if people don't think he's doing everything he can to lower them, November could be, well, interesting...

 

- On opinion polls, I always take then with a grain of salt, because there's a number in there that disapprove of him because he fell short of their left wing expectations. I know I felt that way with Bush - disappointed, but that didn't mean I would vote for Kerry.

-On gas, as much as it's gone up, I'm still paying 3.50, because my state doesn't tax it like cigarettes. I'm always stunned that the states that do don't get more of the criticism for gas prices. That is to blame far more than the President, and I think we should be drilling at least some.