Posted on 09/04/2012 7:47:24 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
No wonder Democrats tried their best to run away from the Reagan Metric this weekend. Surrogates such as David Axelrod, David Plouffe, and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley tried dodging the inevitable question in every presidential election: are we better off now than we were four years ago? A new poll from The Hill shows why Democrats want to change the subject every time that question gets asked:
A majority of voters believe the country is worse off today than it was four years ago and that President Obama does not deserve reelection, according to a new poll for The Hill.
Fifty-two percent of likely voters say the nation is in “worse condition” now than in September 2008, while 54 percent say Obama does not deserve reelection based solely on his job performance.
Only 31 percent of voters believe the nation is in “better condition,” while 15 percent say it is “about the same,” the poll found. Just 40 percent of voters said Obama deserves reelection.
The poll, conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, has an R+2 likely-voter sample at 34/36/30. That's nearly identical to 2010′s 35/35/30 turnout, and given the enthusiasm deficit seen this year among Democrats, looks like a very defensible model for the general election. The main questions have much more separation than a 2-3 point swing in partisan affiliation would impact, anyway.
These numbers look bad for Obama all the way down the line. On the better off question, most demos offer majorities for "worse," including critical demos like 18-39YOs (33/50 better/worse), those earning between $20K-$40K (25/58), and especially independents (21/60). Even women offer a strong plurality of failure (33/47). Only Democrats (64/20), liberals (62/14), and those making more than $100,000 per year (52/38) think things have improved.
The first question asked in this poll is the re-election query: Based solely on job performance, does President Obama deserve to be re-elected? Obama loses this question — which gets asked before the better off question or anything else — by 14 points. Even a majority of women (40/51) say no, and the exact same percentage occurs with the younger voter demo. Obama loses this by 29 points among independents (32/61). It’s a stunning, broad, and deep rejection of Obama’s first term as President, hardly an “incomplete.” And this is just two months before voters go to the polls to make this very choice.
This demonstrates the danger for Team Obama in running on their record. They cannot allow this election to be about Barack Obama and his agenda. They have to make it about Mitt Romney and how deeply scaaaaaaary Republicans are. That’s why Democrats dodged and weaved when asked the simple question that goes to the heart of voters’ decisions in presidential elections, especially when incumbents ask for a second term. To answer this at all, either positively or negatively, turns the election into a referendum on Obama — a report card, if you will — which will inevitably lead to Obama flunking his final exam.
I can’t figure out that if 31% think they’re doing better than 4 years ago, and 60% think the country is going in the wrong direction....why is Obama within 3% (virtual tie) with Romney? Are those who are worse off and think the country is going in the wrong direction going to vote for Obama again?
Are the majority of American voters Morons? Was Rush right?
Useful idiots!!!
“obama s minions ARE better off
Original Chinese Proverb: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
New Proverb: Give a man a welfare check, a cell phone, cash for his clunker, food stamps, section 8 housing, Medicaid, 100 weeks of unemployment checks, a 40-ounce malt liquor, needles, drugs, contraceptives, designer Air Jordan shoes and you got his vote for a lifetime.”
Thanks for one of the more prescient postings I’ve seen on FR in a while.
Your “new proverb” illustrates why the “old polling questions” — such as “are you better off now?” — and why “employment stats” are losing relevance in trying to put one’s finger on the pulse of the campaign.
It also goes a considerable ways towards explaining why Obama’s “numbers” never seem to drop below the 42% level (perhaps with an exception in “the reddest states”), and in some of the blue states, his approval approaches 60% or higher.
And it illustrates the increasing “divide” between two “emerging Americas”, which bodes ill for the future.
On one side are those who believe in what I’d call (for lack of a better term) the old “Scots-Irish defiance”. This is the philosophy that embraces freedom, family, home, work, independence, and the mistrust of government which is regarded as a “taker” of what the individual creates. Simply stated, these are the “Don’t Tread On Me” folks.
On the OTHER side is a growing cohort of people who harbor beliefs that are diametrically opposed from the above group. These people see government as “the giver”. They view the “Don’t Tread on Me’s” who oppose government largesse and power as a threat to their needs, and label them as intolerant and “racist”, or whatever.
Call this paradigm “the new slavery”, if you will. Only now, it’s government that has become “the new Massa”, and corrupt politicians and their ever expanding cadre of bureaucrats, administrators, and regulators who take on the role of “the new overseers”.
On one side stand those who love freedom and mistrust government. On the other are those who love entitlements and government and its “gifts”, and who don’t seem to care much about “freedom”, so long as they get handouts.
To these people, “employment statistics” no longer count for much, they may do as well or better by NOT working than by being employed.
And for this reason, it makes no sense for them to vote for Republicans, no matter how RINO-ish they may be — because the democratic candidate will ALWAYS offer them “more”.
And as this voting cohort grows demographically, we are seeing America’s second “Great Divide” in progress.
And your “new proverb” has as much to do with that as anything....
Under Obama’s CommieCare will mental exams be offered, for free of course, to those 31% who somehow believe we are better off/
Good grief, these people could not even exist in a parallel universe but may reside in a perpendicular one.
It’s the “Ghetto-ification” of our once great Republic.
All hail the new flag of America obama/KFC/Metro PCS/Air Jordans sneakers.
In other words: They promised "change". They delivered "change" that they believe is good for us. Only 31% agree that we like the "change" that Obama is delivering.
This November, we need to tell the Democrats - "Keep the 'change'."
Hmmm. The new 'majority' according to Muzzie math?
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