By GottaLaff
Today's Quickie:
When BushCo was in power, said former counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke on Hardball just now, Muslims wouldn't stand up and criticize Al Qaeda. They do now.
Oh, and per Clarke, the world likes us again, and hence, is more cooperative. (Yes, I just wanted to say "hence".)
Apparently, having a Kenyan Muslim commie Marxist in the White House is paying off.
By GottaLaff
No, that doesn't say global warming up there in the title, read it again. The world is warming up to the United States under President Obama's watch. Imagine.
Now that's the kind of global warming we like:
For the first time since the annual poll began in 2005, America's influence in the world is now seen as more positive than negative.
By GottaLaff
Instead of reflecting their barrier-breaking distinctiveness -- the first black president, the first first lady with a high-powered executive career -- the Obamas have projected a carefully crafted image of ordinariness.You'd never know that from the press he's getting. All we hear about is what a failure he is, how he's running the country into the ground, how he's getting nothing done, and that he's a Muslim dictator who wants to rule the world.
What has emerged is a kind of neo-1950s vision of the first family as the embodiment of traditional "American mom, dad and the kids" values. [...]
The image seems to be working. [...]
In Gallup polls, her favorability rating has shot up since moving into the White House, climbing 20 percentage points in March 2009 from its 43% low in June 2008.
President Obama’s favorability is at 72%, according to a Gallup survey this month.
"I think the American people appreciate the normalcy, and that's part of why his likability remains high," said Leonard Steinhorn, a communications professor at American University in Washington. "He's a guy who likes to go and get burgers. . . . He wants to be with his kids, wants to go on dates with his wife."
His approval ratings are coming more down to earth, but he's still beating the crud out of the Republicans.
As President Obama approaches his 200th day in office, a new CNN/Opinion Research poll finds that 51% of those questioned feel that the first six months of the Obama presidency have been a success, with 37% suggesting it's been a failure.Bush's approval couldn't be more irrelevant considering the difference in the state of the nation at the time.
As a comparison, 56% felt the same way about President George W. Bush eight years ago.
By GottaLaff
Just a few minutes ago, Sotomayor was approved by a vote of 13-6:
The Senate Judiciary Committee this morning endorsed Sonia Sotomayor to become an associate justice of the Supreme Court on a largely partisan vote that sends her historic nomination to the full Senate for a final decision on her confirmation.
The 13 to 6 vote came nearly two weeks after the committee's members grilled Sotomayor for 2 ½ days, eliciting answers that betrayed little indication of how the nominee, an appellate judge for the past 11 years, would rule on the most significant issues that come before the nation's highest court.
Sotomayor is President Obama's first nominee to the Supreme Court and would become the court's first Hispanic and its third female member. In choosing her in May, the president emphasized her Horatio Alger-like life story, rising from a poor childhood with a widowed mother in a Bronx housing project to attend two Ivy League universities, eventually becoming a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said today that the full Senate probably will not begin debate on Sotomayor's confirmation until next week, although the specific schedule has not been determined. [...]
Graham, the only Republican to join Democrats in voting to send Sotomayor's nomination to the full Senate, said, "I would not have chosen her, but I understand why President Obama did." Graham called her "left of center but certainly within the mainstream. . . She can be no worse than Souter from our point of view," he said, referring to conservatives' view of David H. Souter, the retiring court member she would replace, who was appointed by a Republican president, George H.W. Bush.
Graham said his decision to support her was motivated, in part, by an effort to end the partisan fighting that has characterized some judicial nominations in recent years, when Senate Democrats filibustered several of President George W. Bush's most controversial candidates for lower federal courts. "We came perilously close to damaging an institution of the judiciary that has held this country together in different times."
"The filibusters that were going on a few years ago were historic in nature," Graham said, predicting that their continuation would "over time drive good men and woman away from wanting to be judges," rendering the judicial branch "just an extension of politics in another form."
The law, Graham said, "should be a quiet place, where even the most unpopular could have a shot. No way you can win an election but in the court you might have a shot." He also said that Sotomayor was qualified to serve on the Supreme court and said that, if, as the first Latina member, she "will inspire young women, particularly Latina women, to seek a career in the law, that would be a good thing." [...]
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) said, "These hearings have come little more than theater."
And his overall job approval is at 61% in this poll. Wonder if that'll get touted all over the place today like his "approval plunges" poll did yesterday?
A new CNN/Opinion Research poll finds that 72% of Americans believe Obama "inspires confidence" and 70% think he's a "strong leader."
However, only 53% believe Obama "has a clear plan for solving the country's problems," down 11 points since February.
Keep screaming Republicans!!
President Obama continues to enjoy high job approval ratings -- 62% of Americans approve and 31% disapprove -- according to the latest Fox News poll.
Obama's average approval in the poll since taking office is 61%.
Interesting: "The public is split on how things are going today, as about equal numbers say the economy is getting better (40%) as say it is getting worse (42%)... when asked if the government stimulus spending is working, 46% of Americans say yes, while almost as many people -- 39% -- say no. Three months ago sentiments were reversed..."
They try and try but the poop just won't stick.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Six in ten Americans continue to approve of how Barack Obama is handling his job as president — and despite the controversy over Obama's appearance at Notre Dame on Sunday, Catholics have a high opinion of him, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll.
According to the survey released Monday, there is virtually no difference between the views of Obama among practicing Catholics and Catholics who do not attend Mass regularly. Obama's position on abortion has no effect on how most Americans — and how most Catholics — view Obama.
Sixty-two percent of Americans polled approve of Obama's performance, and 35 percent do not approve. Among Catholics, the poll suggests 65 percent have a positive view of the job the president is doing, and 33 percent do not. The sampling error on that question is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the general population, and plus or minus 6.5 percentage points for Catholics.
Wow, he even does pretty good with the Mormons.
- 85: Percentage of Muslims who approve of the job Obama's doing as president
- 7: Percentage of Muslims who disapprove
- 79: Percentage of Jews who approve
- 16: Percentage of Jews who disapprove
- 67: Percentage of Catholics who approve
- 22: Percentage of Catholics who disapprove
- 58: Percentage of Protestants who approve
- 30: Percentage of Protestants who disapprove
- 45: Percentage of Mormons who approve
- 40: Percentage of Mormons who disapprove
I wouldn't have expected such a huge amount in such a short period of time. The Republican approvals? That I expected.
Americans have grown more optimistic about the economy and the direction of the country in the 11 weeks since President Obama was inaugurated, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
"Fully two-thirds said they approved of his overall job performance. By contrast, just 31 percent of respondents said they had a favorable view of the Republican Party, the lowest in the 25 years the question has been asked" in the poll.
Sing it to the mountaintops! Seriously, I can't stop laughing. Wonder if this poll will be repeated over and over on teh cablers?
PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans' job approval rating of Congress is up an additional 8 points this month, after a 12-point increase last month, and now stands at 39% -- the most positive assessment of Congress since February 2005.
Americans who identify themselves as Democrats are mostly responsible for the improved ratings of Congress measured in the March 5-8 Gallup Poll. After showing a 25-point increase in their approval of Congress from January to February and a further 14-point increase in March, a majority of Democrats (57%) now approve of the job the Democratically-controlled Congress is doing. Independents also show improved ratings of Congress, but not nearly to the extent that Democrats do. Republicans' evaluations of Congress have changed very little this year.
They kick, they scream, they hold their breath, and they're still dead wrong. More detail here.
A new Newsweek poll shows President Obama's approval rating at 58% with just 26% disapproving. Although his approval ratings are down from levels seen a few weeks ago, 72% of Americans still say they have a favorable opinion of Obama -- a higher rating than he received in during the presidential campaign.
The latest Research 2000/DailyKos poll shows 69% viewing Obama favorably with just 26% seeing his unfavorably.
As always, Taegan's on it.
Political Wire got an early look at the latest RT Strategies/Cook Political Report poll which shows 57% of registered voters approving of the job President Obama is doing while 28% disapprove.
Though most other polls show higher approval rates, this one surveyed only registered voters instead of all adults.
For comparison, the new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll will be released tonight.
By GottaLaff
Because a day without a poll pleases no one.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Two weeks into his presidency, a new national poll suggests that nearly two thirds of Americans approve of the job Barack Obama's doing so far in the White House.
Sxity-four percent of those questioned in a new Gallup/USA Today survey say they approve of how President Obama is handling his job, with 25 percent disapproving and 11 percent unsure.
"A 64 percent rating is fairly high for a presidential approval rating, but it is nothing compared to the 84 percent rating Obama was getting in early January when he was still the president-elect," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
(snip)
Sixty-three percent of those questioned in the poll say they think President Obama is moving about right in addressing the major problems facing the country today, with 22 percent indicating they think Obama's moving too fast and 10 percent saying he's not moving fast enough.
Three out of four polled say they want Congress to pass some version of President Obama's economic stimulus package. But Americans seem to be split on whether the plan should be passed with or without significant changes.
By GottaLaff
Since President Obama's interview with Al Arabiya last night, State Department public diplomacy officials have been closely monitoring reaction in the Arab media -- TV, newspapers, radio and blogs -- to get a sense for how the interview is playing.The State Department is busy preparing a report for the White House on what they've observed and, so far, the reaction has been a very positive one.
In reviewing Arab media commentary, officials say, two messages seem to have resonated: Obama's focus on listening and not dictating U.S. policy and his emphasis on the fact that he has lived in the Muslim world and has Muslim family members.
Flies. Honey. Vinegar. Imagine that.
The interview aired too late for Syria, Iran, and other places to meet newspaper deadlines, so tomorrow there will be more reaction from the enemies of the Bush administration.The U.S. Embassy in Cairo reports: "We are getting overwhelmingly positive feedback from bloggers and contacts in country. Their main points are that they were highly impressed..." that he gave his first TV interview to an Arab satellite channel.
In Saudi Arabia, a newspaper editor told the embassy, "The reader reaction that he's getting so far is astonishingly positive."
In the United Arab Emirates, the embassy said, "Anecdotal public reaction has been highly positive."
In Bahrain, one newspaper normally critical of U.S. policies commented favorably on the appointment of George Mitchell as special envoy.
Just because I love my trivia.
Obama has majority support in all of the 14 major states polled
- New York (78 percent approval)
- Massachusetts (78 percent approval)
- California (77 percent approval)
- Wisconsin (70 percent approval)
- Washington (69 percent approval)
Because Clancy was getting antsy.
Despite the Blagojevich mess, the ordeal over whether to seat Burris in the Senate, and Bill Richardson's withdrawal as Commerce secretary, the American public continues to overwhelmingly approve of Obama's transition, according to the latest NBC/WSJ poll.
Seventy-one percent say they approve of the president-elect's transition, which is virtually unchanged from December.
Also in the poll, a combined 74 percent believe that the recession will last at least another year -- and likely longer than that. Fifty-seven percent it will be over in one to three years, while another 17 percent say it will go on for more than three years.
The rest of the NBC/WSJ poll will be released at 6:30 pm ET on NBC Nightly News and MSNBC.com.
By GottaLaff
Bernie Goldberg is a dick. Bernie, he's on the cover of all the magazines because they sell because Americans want to read about him. Via Newshounds.
.jpg)
