Poll: Most Confident In Obama's Court Pick

CBS News Survey Shows 55 Percent Are Confident In Choice, Though Answers Split Along Party Lines

(CBS)  As President Obama prepares to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter, most Americans are confident the president will pick a good nominee, a new CBS News poll shows.

In addition, the poll finds most Americans are also confident about the way Mr. Obama is handling the economy, even though they don't expect the recession to end any time soon.

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On the Supreme Court choice, 55 percent of Americans are confident about the president's impending Supreme Court pick, one third are uneasy about the decision.

The split in confidence over the president's choice largely falls along party lines. More than eight in 10 Democrats are confident Mr. Obama will nominate good justices, but two in three Republicans are uneasy about whom he will choose. Sixty percent of conservatives and 63 percent of white evangelicals are also uneasy about Mr. Obama’s choice.

President George W. Bush's opportunity to name a justice to the court in 2005, after the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, stirred even more doubts, with just 46 percent of Americans saying they were confident in Bush's choice and 52 percent claiming to be uneasy with his decision. However, President Bush faced lower popularity ratings at the time than Mr. Obama does now.

Mr. Obama's approval ratings stand at 63 percent, down 5 percentage points from last month, according to the poll. The percentage of Americans who say the country is heading in the right direction, though, continues to inch up. Currently, 45 percent of Americans agree with that sentiment, which is four points higher than last month and the highest that figure has been since December 2003, shortly after the capture of Saddam Hussein.

Correspondingly, 48 percent of Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction, down from 50 percent in April and 68 percent in February.

The public’s outlook for the economy is also improving. Thirty-two percent of Americans think the economy is getting better, which is the most optimistic economic outlook in the United States since February 2004, according to the poll.

Still, 42 percent of Americans expect the economic recession to last another two years or more. Another 39 percent think it will last one more year, while one in 10 Americans expect the recession to last another six months.

The percentage of Americans who approve of the way Mr. Obama is handling the economy has decreased slightly from 61 percent in March and April to 56 percent.

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This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,874 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone May 6-12, 2009. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus two percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

[joetheplumer]

The Rep! again.
I thing you should listent to McCain 'mom instead of the fat guy.

[alanrobisch]

Bush picked two horrible idiots who have never voted in a way that I would respect. The Supreme Court needs to be taken out of the hands of republican zealots who are politicos and do not use common sense and reason.
Posted by earlysaid at 12:20 PM : May 14, 2009

Let me guess you are a pro choice liberal. why else would you hate two well qualified conservative justices.. You trust Obama because he will pick a justice with your ideology. Duh rocket science

[evilbusheviks]

Not at all, since it's only you republiCONS that need to use those nasty "wedge" issues in a most rovian anti-American style.

My problem with the two CONServitards that the bush monkey picked, is that they have sided with BIG BIZ and corporate America in 99% of the cases over WE THE PEOPLE, thus giving REAL Americans only black eyes!

[earlysaid]

I have confidence that President Obama will make a good selection for the Supreme Court. I would feel horrible if a republican like McCain was going to pick the next Justice. Bush picked two horrible idiots who have never voted in a way that I would respect. The Supreme Court needs to be taken out of the hands of republican zealots who are politicos and do not use common sense and reason.

[noloyalisti]

Get used to a liberal court and government. The CONS have failed at everything. We need to get a more liberal President though and get rid of the DINOS in Congress. Enough rape and pillage of America by the right wingers. We can start with a liberal Supreme Court.

[mrzerato]

I believe that we should a person that is qualified to be supreme court justice. I would like to see a young progressive that will be there to counter the reactionary part of the court. I could care less whether that person is "of color" or heterosexual.

How can there be only one best qualified. If we did that we would have never approved of clarence thomas.

[inketolstoy]

Niger Innus---never heard of him. But, since he's a Republican, he's a moron, too. Posted by tj217-2009

Hyprocisy, your name is tj. I wish I was a libratard that could say stuff like this with out embarrassing myself.

[julesarcher1]

Why do you feel the court should be some experiment all for the purpose of making the court look colorful, to mimick the general population.......It's 9 individuals, should we have 5 whites (82% of the pop), 1 hispanics, 1 asian, and 2 blacks ?

This is rediculous.......this is not some social experiment to make it look like the population......it should contain the greatest minds, even if that means ALL blacks on the court, or ALL whites, regardless of what color they are.....it's qualifications that matter, not making it rainbowish
Posted by Joe-NY-5 at 10:02 AM : May 14, 2009

That idea starts from the assumption that the pick comes from a pool of candidates who are all qualified.

If that is the case, then any one of them would be a good pick. I didn't say that the court should represent the population, just that it would be okay if that is the decision as long as the candidate is qualified.

If you are sincere that you only want a qualified candidate, then i would not think you would have a problem with that.

[noloyalisti]

I have to say that the CONS party has really become the white wing of America. A few token brainwashed and purchased minorities are just window dressing for the conservatives. Just look at their corporate spokesmen Limpballs and O Lie Lee spewing hate and venom about Muslims, immigrants, the poor (most of whom are people of color). Racist white wing wackos, the lot of them.

[julesarcher1]

You just don't get it do you..........I want a Black (or person of color) nominated.......IF that happens to be the best person qualified for the Justice position.......IF the best person happens to be Hispanic, that's who I want Obama nominating.....IF that person is White, then THAT's who I want on the court.
Posted by Joe-NY-5 at 9:47 AM : May 14, 2009


There are a number a people who would be supremely qualified (sorry). One just as good as many others. There's no ONE person who is the best. So if that is true then why not pick from that candidate pool a person who can help to create a bench that is more representative of the general population? Then it seems it would be okay to target a woman or black or hispanic, white, whatever.

[jwind1]

tj doesnt like clarence thomas because he disproved the myth that tjs parents taught him as a child....thus tj over 40 now and in a very bad mood from seeing others of his race succeeding in this country when his parents told him that was not possible.
Posted by jwind1
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Actually, Thom,as proved everything we thought about him to be true. Hence the term, "uncle' (you'd have to be black to realize what I'm saying). For one thing, if he believed in 'strict adherence of the Constitution', he would not have went for this torture nonsense. Second, you don't know what MY parent told me. So, why you are bringing her up is beyond me, and is out of bounds (now watch. I give him five seconds to go there again. I dislike conservatives. Plain and simple. I don't care much for blacks who kowtow to conservative thought, because it makes no sense. You see breakwind, conservatives are bigots. they are also dumb. the only reason why you like Thomas is that he spouts off the same garbage as you do. If he truly 'thought for himself', he'd say something different...
Posted by tj217-2009 at 9:48 AM : May 14, 2009

no father TJ? big surprise

[jwind1]

Yes, you do want a white. Quit lying. That's all you idiot Republicans truly want.
Posted by tj217-2009 at 9:43 AM : May 14, 2009

You just don't get it do you..........I want a Black (or person of color) nominated.......IF that happens to be the best person qualified for the Justice position.......IF the best person happens to be Hispanic, that's who I want Obama nominating.....IF that person is White, then THAT's who I want on the court.
Posted by Joe-NY-5 at 9:47 AM : May 14, 2009

tj is projecting his anger he has for his parents for raising him to believe that he had no chance in this country due to his race...and now he sees that not to be true...he is over 40 angry and needing to lash out. sad

[jwind1]

Yes, you do want a white. Quit lying. That's all you idiot Republicans truly want.
Posted by tj217-2009 at 9:43 AM : May 14, 2009

yea.....darn colin powell and condi rice!!

[noloyalisti]

As bad as Obama is (of course he is manipulated by the big corporations who own and run the government), the worst Democrat is better than the best Republi CON. That obsolete joke of a party is STILL defending their failed foreign, domestic and economic policies.

[jwind1]

You need to take your 'significant other' up to Vermont or Iowa so you can tie the knot. You need to get your panties out of a bunch. You need to act like a man---or a woan, if you are such--- you pervert. You need to brush your teeth at least once a day...but since it's you, once a week will do. You need to take a bath daily, rather than weekly. You need to move out of the trailer park. You need...
Posted by tj217-2009


everyone take a good look at the above post....keep in mind tj is over 40 years old...now, can anyone honestly say after reading his post that the reason tj can't succeed in this country is because of his race?

[jwind1]

Finally, looking at a portrait of all the Supreme Court justices, you see mostly whites (and I consider Clarence 'Uncle' Thomas white).
Posted by tj217-2009 at 9:27 AM ............

OMG!!! I can't believe you said that and then expect your argument to be taken seriously. He's Black, but he's not Black enough for you? Don't get me wrong, I don't like the guy and never have, whatever color he is he is still an azzz.. But that statement was all wrong in so many ways.
Posted by IrishWench01 at 9:30 AM : May 14, 2009

tj doesnt like clarence thomas because he disproved the myth that tjs parents taught him as a child....thus tj over 40 now and in a very bad mood from seeing others of his race succeeding in this country when his parents told him that was not possible.

[julesarcher1]

tj must be on the receiving end of this mess, or better yet he thinks his stimulis check is in the mail. Did you not read yesterday about the stimulis Obama slamed through congress, its gone to a bunch of new millionaiers. It's gone, just like Jimmy Carter, it's gone.
Posted by specialty8 at 9:17 AM : May 14, 2009


Wow, you guys are ruthless. No fair ganging up.

[specialty8]

tj must be on the receiving end of this mess, or better yet he thinks his stimulis check is in the mail. Did you not read yesterday about the stimulis Obama slamed through congress, its gone to a bunch of new millionaiers. It's gone, just like Jimmy Carter, it's gone.

[DaVicar5]

I will bet anyone here $10 that TJ will somehow manage not to understand that.
Posted by slownewsday05



I can get better odds at The Freakness.

[DaVicar5]

In the spirit of the upcoming Preakness.
I like it. ------------------ Posted by TheMasses03



We're talking about TJ here - better refer to it as The "Freakness".

[jwind1]

is this a great country or what
Posted by jwind1
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Shut up breakwind...
Posted by tj217-2009 at 8:45 AM : May 14, 2009

proving tj doesnt think it is......i wonder if he belongs to that group i described earlier.?