Poll: Obama disapproval rating on economy at record high
CBS
President Obama's ratings on the the most important issue for his re-election -- the economy -- have posted the weakest showing of his presidency, according to a poll released Friday by CBS News.
About 60 percent of voters said they disapprove of Mr. Obama's handling of the economy, the highest on record. Just 34 percent approve of the job he is doing on the matter.
His overall approval ratings are just 43 percent, while 47 percent disapprove of the job he is doing as president.
Among independents, just 39 percent are satisfied with his performance, while 76 percent of Democrats and 12 percent of Republicans approve of his job performance.
Those bleak numbers come just one day before eight Republican candidates hit the stage in Spartanburg, South Carolina, for the CBS News/National Journal debate on foreign policy at Wofford College. (The debate is at 8 p.m. ET -- watch on the CBS Television Network or here at CBSNews.com.)
Preview: GOP candidates ready for CBS News/National Journal debate
On foreign policy, Mr. Obama's ratings are higher. About 45 percent of respondents approve of the job he is doing, compared to 41 percent who disapprove of his foreign policy performance.
On the specific subject of combating terrorism, about 63 percent approve of Mr. Obama's performance while 28 percent disapprove.
Despite Mr. Obama's weak approval ratings, they are still higher than the politicians at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Just 9 percent of respondents approve of the job Congress is doing, compared to 83 percent who disapprove of the legislature's job performance.
And the disapproval ratings for Congress are nearly equal across party lines. About 82 percent of Democrats disapprove of Congress' job performance, compared to 78 percent of Republicans.
Independents were least impressed with Congress. Just six percent of those not identified with a major party approve of the job Congress is doing and about 86 percent do not approve.
There appears to be little to look forward to for Mr. Obama and his campaign team.
About 86 percent of respondents think the economy is in bad shape now with just 13 percent who see it in good shape. And just 18 percent see it getting better while 32 percent see it getting worse.
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Read the complete poll (PDF)
This poll was conducted by telephone from November 6-10, 2011 among 1,182 adults nationwide. Phone numbers were dialed from samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups may be higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
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He just landed in Australia with more than 500 PEOPLE IN HIS ENTOURAGE! PERSONAL CHEFS, COMPLETE KITCHEN STAFF, 200 SECRET SERVICE, 3 DRESSED OUT JETS, 9 HELICOPTERS, 40 AUTOMOBILES!!! 19 canine units and a ton of every other piece of crap he could carry!
FOR A 2 DAY TRIP??????
TO A FRIENDLY COUNTRY!!!????
WHERE IS ANY OF THIS 'ECONOMIC STRATEGY'??? For that matter where is any of this economic anything EXCEPT STUPIDITY???
THIS IS JUST OUT AND OUT GOVERNMENT BULL AT ITS FINEST.
THIS COUNTRY IS HURTING BAD ENOUGH AFTER HIS STUPID TRILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF BAILOUTS. WE DON'T NEED TO HAVE TO PAY FOR SUCH BLATANT WASTEFUL SPENDING ON TOP OF EVERY THING ELSE.
You folks that still think he hung the moon, WAKE UP!!The only thing he did on this trip that was 'in the best interest of the United States' was to leave his wife and her 50 person personal staff behind.
I don't care WHO he is.
NO ONE is THAT important.
THe Senate and Congress sit on their fat paychecks, health benefits, and pensions and not once have they cut any of their benefits while asking us, the middle class, to continue to make sacrifices. Congress makes jobs, not the President. When the Speaker of the House deems it his job to only bring down the President he has lost focus of his job and elective duty of doing what he was elected for. Pit the blame on all of the elected senate and congress and not just the President. Remember who got us into a war that was a lie, Bush. Clinton left us with a surplus.
Currently Congress is reviewing cutting benefits of millions of Americans while keeping their perks and benefits intact. They must not be treated differently than any average hard working American. If the hatred and the childish behavior we are currently witnessing in the congress does not end soon we must fire the elected representative whether a Democrat or Republican and elect a new member who puts the interest of the millions of hard working Americans before the party. If necessary, the time is now to start a new 3rd party "All American" that governs from the middle representing the most Americans. This party can start with the following platform:
1) Balance the Budget in the next 8 years.
2) Make a pledge to make America energy independent over the next 8 yrs. Start using natural gas for converting national Buses, Trucks and all gas guzzling vehicles to natural gas in the first phase. In many countries mass transit buses and some private automobiles already run on natural gas which is cleaner than regular gas. The technology already exist.
3) Cut the budget of non-essential and non-productive Federal Departments in half.
4) Cut the budget of every other Federal Department except Defense by 10%
5) Review Defense and cut all the waste wherever possible and feasible. Strengthen wherever necessary.
6) Put wage and price freeze across America until we balance the Federal Budget that includes Congress, Federal Employees and ordinary Americans
7) Cut the Expense Budgets of Congressman by 15% and put a mandate that they must travel in economy class in public airlines like most Americans do.
8) Give Tax Breaks to companies that innovate and manufacture in America using American workers.
9) Close all corporate loopholes, stop all subsidies to large oil companies and other profitable public corporations. All large corporation should pay a minimum of 15% corporate tax, no exceptions.
10) Give incentives and low rate loans to bonafide new start-up small companies with a strong business plan that would employ more than 10 employees.
11) Re-evaluate all trade agreements and stop all unfair trade practices by all foreign countries.
12) Give 10% Tax Credit to anyone buying an American car or any American made large ticket item.
13) Require banks to approve all mortgages in a timely manner with clear guidelines to stimulate home buying. Hold banks accountable if they turn down any qualified loan application in a timely manner. Offer $2000 Tax Credit to a qualified new home buyer for the next 3 years
14) Introduce a new 2% National Debt Reduction Tax for all the ordinary American tax payers. Anyone making more than half a million dollars ($500,000) per year would pay 3% National Debt Reduction Tax while all corporations with the revenues over 1 Billion Dollars would pay 4% National Debt Reduction Tax. The budgets of all the federal departments would be frozen until the federal budget is balanced. THIS TAX MUST BE ELIMINATED UPON BALANCING THE FEDERAL BUDGET with a going forward balanced budget amendment without this added tax.
15) Put a 5% National Debt Reduction Tax on all the Chinese imports until the federal budget is balanced.
16) The Social Security and Medical Benefits of all the individuals over 58 yrs would be protected while looking to eliminate waste without reduction in benefits. In the future, Congress should not be allowed to dip in to Social Security and Medical trust fund. The Congress and the Federal Employees will not have a separate program. All individuals should be given control of their own accounts with a limited safe investment options similar to the options available in the annuities offered by many private insurance companies.
IF YOU AGREE, PLEASE MAIL THIS TO EVERYONE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR ECONOMY AND SERIOUS ABOUT FIXING THE PROBLEMS. We must be strong at home to be strong abroad. If we don't fix our problems at home, we would become a laughing stock in the rest of the world. Fire any elected official who play the partisan politics and ignore the reality and fail to understand the pain of ordinary citizens. Do send this to your Congressmen and Senators.
VERY unprofessional.