Poll: Obama's Rating At All Time High [Mod Note: This is from March 3rd, is not current]

NBC News ^ | March 3, 2009, is NOT 4/29/09 as originally posted | Mark Murphy

[jamese777]

WASHINGTON - After Barack Obama's first six weeks as president, the American public's attitudes about the two political parties couldn't be more different, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds.

Despite the country's struggling economy and vocal opposition to some of his policies, President Obama's favorability rating is at an all-time high. Two-thirds feel hopeful about his leadership and six in 10 approve of the job he's doing in the White House.

"What is amazing here is how much political capital Obama has spent in the first six weeks," said Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff. "And against that, he stands at the end of this six weeks with as much or more capital in the bank."

By comparison, the Republican Party — which resisted Obama's recently passed stimulus plan and has criticized the spending in his budget — finds its favorability at an all-time low. It also receives most of the blame for the current partisanship in Washington and trails the Democrats by nearly 30 percentage points on the question of which party could best lead the nation out of recession.

But the poll also shows potential dangers for Obama and the Democrats. For instance, there's a sizable gap between the president's personal popularity and the popularity of his policies.

[MEGoody]

I read an article on FR yesterday that indicated Obama’s current ratings are not as good as Clinton’s and Bush’s at their first 100 days.

[luvbach1]

Unless and until everything tanks the true believers will support “The One.” And they were in the majority last November. Those few who will admit their delusion may fall away in time.

[luvbach1]

...and allow the Dems to give the country a big honkin dose of liberalism.

Good point. Obama and his lib minions may yet be the GOP's salvation.