Obama's First Year Most Polarized Ever, Poll Shows
After one year as president, 88 percent of Democrats and 23 percent of Republicans approve of how Mr. Obama is doing in office, the poll shows, resulting in a 65-percentage-point gap. At this rate, the polarization of the Obama administration could exceed that of former President George W. Bush, who stands as the president with the most polarized administration with an average gap of 61 points over eight years.
However, Mr. Bush's approval rating-gap after his first year in office stood at 45 percent. Mr. Obama's easily exceeds that figure, as well as that of former President Bill Clinton, who held the prior first-year record of a 52-point gap. Like Mr. Obama, Mr. Clinton had a 23 percent approval rating among Republicans; however, his approval rating was lower among Democrats, so the gap was smaller.
Mr. Obama finished his first week in office with an approval rating of 41 percent among Republicans, according to Gallup, but that support quickly declined, falling below 20 percent in August, 2009. His polarized approval ratings continue a trend that began with former President Ronald Reagan, the first president with an approval rating gap higher than 40 percent. Since then, only former President George H.W. Bush has averaged less than a 50-point gap.
The polarized nature of Mr. Obama's support is reflected in Congress, where the Republican block of the Senate has resolutely opposed his health care reform plans, one of the president's top priorities. Now that Democrats can no longer block a Republican filibuster in the Senate, the party will have to seek out at least some GOP support to advance legislation.