Half of Americans Blame Obama for Economy, Poll Shows

President Barack Obama (AP, file)

/ AP

As many as 26 percent of Americans say President Obama deserves a "great deal" of blame for the nation's economic problems, a new USA Today/ Gallup poll finds. That's nearly twice as many people who thought so last summer. Half of Americans say he deserves at least a moderate amount of blame.

The vast majority of Americans polled -- 93 percent -- said the economy would be a very important issue for them in the midterm elections. With so many worried about unemployment and other economic indicators, Mr. Obama will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday to visit a factory and hold a town hall meeting about the economy.

A significant percent of Americans, 42 percent, still pin a "great deal" of blame for the poor economy on former President George W. Bush. That figure has remained steady since last summer, when 43 percent blamed Mr. Bush.

Still, voters may not be willing to forgive the current president if the economy does not rebound. Half of voters surveyed in the USA Today/ Gallup poll said Mr. Obama does not deserve to be re-elected, while 46 percent said he does.

Voters may be ready for a change of leadership in Congress as well. Those surveyed were split over which party should be in charge: 46 percent said they prefer Republicans while 45 percent said they prefer Democrats.

"I believe that if we begin to see positive job growth, people's confidence will return and that will change the dynamic," Rep. Chris Van Hollen, head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told USA Today.

[msnelson56]

Everyone wants to blame the economy on Obama the economy was in bad shape when he got into office. Put the blame we it should be on Bush. The problem with all of this is it a black man in office and some of the whites the republican for one don't want him in office. When is all of this prejudice of black going to stop. We all bleed the same blood. God died on the cross for us all, he didn't look at color. This state was in trouble when Obama got into office. It take time to fix things. You can't expect for him to get into office and snap his fingure and everything is alright. All of you that's going around saying this ant that about Obama need to look at your own life. Judgement is not for us, it for the Lord to do and he will fix everything.

[cmcapcathletic]

I think at this point it's appropriate to ask what Reagan did when he ran for office. Just tell me... are you better off now than you were 4 years ago. For me, that would be a giant "NO" and it's source is obviously this White House and Congress. Due to ridiculous promises and harsh regulations, starting a small business is more difficult than ever and paying off school loans in a "must have a college education" environment is becoming not only more difficult, but a real joke. Obamanomics has never worked, under any name, it's tightly regulated socialism... in other words garbage. Free Markets work. Economically speaking at best, the government may only function properly as a highly overpaid middleman and referee; at its worst government becomes a vicious regulatory overseer and beast that first chokes its victim before it delivers its death bite. Enough already. Obama dares to take the credit for Iraq, he can then force himself to take responsibility for his trashy economic policies and crushing regulation. 16,500 more IRS workers... oh yah, that'll get America producing again. But its not just the Dems... somebody get me George Bush on the phone and tell him I'll decide what type of light bulbs that I'll buy not the White House. I'll go Mercury free in the home thanks very much. Now somebody get Obama on the phone and tell him that socialism went out with the '60's and '70's when we all figured out that it didn't work. Free markets produce... they produces goods, services and free people. Socialism destroys...it destroys incomes,opportunites and freedom. I thought he went to college...must have skipped economics. After all, no one who took the oath that he did to uphold the Constitution would implement these types of policies on purpose would they?

[1renegade]

It's amazing how the liberals won't take responsibility for the actions of their party. Bush stated if the fed pushed mandates on lending institutions to allow less than qualifed buyers purchase homes the housing market could crash. Guess what? It did and Barney Frank and Chris Dodd were right in the middle of the mess. But yet you blame Bush. Don't get me wrong Bush was no angel, But to blame him for everything that has caused the economy to tank was not his fault. Here is the real story Obama was nothing more than a community organizer with a law degree(allegedly no proof yet)that only knows how to spend rather than to budget like millions of Americans have to. Now he's trying to move more to the middle (like Clinton did) because he knows that in November Democrats won't have to power to ram bills down the American peoples throat. Now to jump that fence. Republicans if want to get elected you better have a sound fiscal policy that is in the American peoples best interest. It better be transparent, simple policies that address the issues and not a bunch of earmarks that have been the status quo in both parties for years. The American people are tired of politics as usual in Washington, and we the people will remove those from office who don't adhere to what the Constitution says the role of government is supposed to be!

[macgerson]

If Obama was so unhappy about the way his predecessor ran the economy what did he choose Geithner as his Treasury Secretary and why reappoint Bernake as head of the Fed.

[lolablev]

How short our memory of 8 years of deficit spending - much of which went unreported (our war with Iraq). Lets not rewrite economic history.

[NowBeWithThat]

"Mr. Obama will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday to visit a factory and hold a town hall meeting about the economy."
___________________________

The never-ending campaign story.

Whenever his approval ratings drop, he takes the kool-aid on the road.

Y'all can keep singing that greek chorus of 'blame Bush' if you want to, but fact is it's Obama's watch now.

[sfrose99]

Duh, it's Obama's watch since we elected him to fix what the GOP ruined in the preceding 8 years. Blaming Obama for the economy is like blaming the US for WWII. It don't fly with the facts. It flies in the face of the facts. Obama and the Dems will once again rescue the country from Corporate Greed and ignorant people whether the ignorant people appreciate it or not. Informed citizens do.

[bradkt1]

...and when the economy improves, most of them will still find something to blame President Obama for...

[DavidtheRed]

how convenient everyone forgets the bush bashing; they blamed him if the sun didnt shine! i guess what comes around....! the nations problems go back well before the previous guy, back decades when the feds just couldnt control the entitlement spending. the last thing we needed was another trillion spent with borrowed money. I think the country is in for a long hard slog, and the citizens will have their say. the economy coming back? I guess that depends upon what the meaning of "is" is.

[Shibbol]

Amazing that folks forgot to read newspapers, watch TV, or read books in the past two years. Who got us into two wars and under whose watch did the financial and housing markets near total collapse? And where in the world would we be today with McCain and Palin in charge? Heaven save us from more Republican disasters.

[Stainless-joe]

Lost 50% on stock while the Bush Gang in there because he was voted in twice ( well once )8 years of crime. Now in 14 months I have gained
30% back with Obama in. This tells alot!! Give him a chance!
Most honest, smartest President since Clinton.
Some thought Regan was good...lol .... tripled the Debt,
then another one ....Bush who knows how much??
How can Republicians even say anything about this?? So stupid!
Can't admit, they have no leader or have for many, many years

[cmcapcathletic]

Tripled the debt...come again? As opposed to Obama??? The current money trail leads to Obama's front door. I guess all of the new jobs and prosperity under the free market and Reagan were a real bear for you or were you out of the country for the last 26 years? Maybe a few economic history lessons might help... and I don't mean selective economic history. Glad to hear you at least got your 30% back. I haven't and I was one of the deserving poor that he was supposedly going to be helping. Does this mean that Obama favors the rich? That's what was said about Bush.Who does Obama favor if not Big Unions and Big Labor? The biggest favor that Washington could do me is get out of my way like they are suppose to be. Now do me a favor and go read Dr. Suess's Yertle the Turtle and let everyone know how it works out for the man who would be king? It's time to get back to freedom in our markets and our personal lives.

[earlysaid]

YouMadeAmistake you idiot. President Obama has put qualified people in positions of his administration. Bush put in cronies that were incompetent who did little if anything earning a huge salary. There are no marxists, nazis, socialists, communists or pediphiles in President Obama's administration and you are telling lies that you are getting from lying liars. Good lord. This is American and we have an elected President Obama doing his very best to do a good job for America. You slimey repukds are making sure you are so ignorant, but full of filthy lies that are insane. Yes, insane. Where does this ignorance come from? Some people are just plain dumb as dirt.

[cmcapcathletic]

Right... a person of Obama's intelligence would never, ever, ever put his old Chicago friends in places of prominence for past favors because... you live in an alternative universe? Well, I live here and where I live Mr. Obama most definitely knows the definition of cronyism, backslapping and the old boy network.I have no problem with the suggestion that Bush was involved in cronyism... but can we at least be merged with enough reality to admit that Obama has raised it to an entirely new art form, if not his official motis opurandi? Guess not, at least not yet.