A new Gallup Poll finds that President Barack Obama’s debut as President has netted him a 68 percent approval rating — the highest of the past 8 Presidents were were elected to their first term.
But a Rasmussen Reports poll finds approval lower — and the number of conservatives who are unhappy about Obama to be on the rise.
Gallup reports:
In the first Gallup Poll job approval rating of his administration, President Barack Obama receives a 68% approval rating from Americans.
Obama’s 68% approval score is on the high end of the range of initial job approval ratings Gallup has recorded for the previous eight presidents who were elected to their first term. The low percentage of Americans disapproving of his performance is fairly typical for new presidents — although Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both started with much higher public disapproval.
Most assuredly, Obama’s disapproval rating will rise and his approval rating will fall as he continues to make decisions that some disageee with and does what he has to do to turn campaign promises into reality. Still, it signifies he’s beginning with a great deal of clout and the backing of the bulk of the American people. Talk show hosts are included in the 12 percent.
Rasmussen Reports paints a different picture:
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index for Saturday shows that 44% of the nation’s voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing as President. Eighteen percent (18%) now Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of +26. As President-elect and President his Approval Index ratings have stayed between +25 and +30 every day since December 2 (see trends).
The 44% who Strongly Approve is just a point below the highest rating for Obama as either President or President-elect. The 18% who Strongly Disapprove is the highest negative for Obama November 30. The number of political conservatives who Strongly Disapprove has increased from 29% on the morning of Inauguration Day to 34% today.
It has other findings Gallup polls haven’t shown:
Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters say that the President is more liberal than they are. Fifty-nine percent (59%) worry that Congress and the President will increase government spending too much while only 17% have the opposite concern and are more worried that the politicians will cut taxes too much.
Stay tuned.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.