Gallup: Obama's Eleventh Quarter Approval Average Lowest Since...As Katie notes below, President Obama's average approval has reached a new low. has But wait, liberals will inevitably counter, Obama's average approval rating is in the same ballpark as Ronald Reagan's at this juncture of his presidency. Let's take a look at Gallup's numbers (since Eisenhower):
Reagan's recession-battered numbers were limping along in 1983, but the seeds for a massive economic recovery -- both in terms of GDP and employment -- were about to sprout and florish. He
coasted to re-election, winning 49 states. What policies did Reagan implement? Among other things, he
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cut marginal income tax rates and
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famously stood up to an agressive government sector union. Based on Obama's proposed and enacted policies, is anyone holding their breath for a dramatic turnaround in the next 13 months? The White House certainly isn't. Take a look at this graph from Heritage, which illustrates Obama's employment "recovery," compared to Reagan's:
Sixteen months after the Carter recession ended, the US employment rate had shed three full points. The Obama White House's own estimates project that the current unemployment will more-or-less flatline through all of next year. One other interesting note: George H. W. Bush's approval rating was sky high in 1991 because of the first Gulf War, yet he failed to secure re-election. Why?
"It's the economy, stupid." Ahem.