California Conservative

President Obama’s popularity has been dropping since he first let ‘Prime Minister Pelosi’ write the stimulus bill. After the bill was posted on the internet, bloggers started picking it apart. The minute they heard about the pork in the original House bill is the minute his popularity started dropping. That’s totally predictable, especially with a person with such a scant record.

Now Scott Rasmussen and Doug Schoen have written an op-ed in this morning’s WSJ that takes a rather good analytical look at President Obama’s dropping popularity.

Polling data show that Mr. Obama’s approval rating is dropping and is below where George W. Bush was in an analogous period in 2001. Rasmussen Reports data shows that Mr. Obama’s net presidential approval rating, which is calculated by subtracting the number who strongly disapprove from the number who strongly approve, is just six, his lowest rating to date.

Overall, Rasmussen Reports shows a 56%-43% approval, with a third strongly disapproving of the president’s performance. This is a substantial degree of polarization so early in the administration. Mr. Obama has lost virtually all of his Republican support and a good part of his Independent support, and the trend is decidedly negative.

The line that’s jumping off the page within the White House is the one about Mr. Obama losing “a good part of his Independent support.” This won’t go unnoticed in the White House either:

There is also a clear sense in the polling that taxes will increase for all Americans because of the stimulus, notwithstanding what the president has said about taxes going down for 95% of Americans. Close to three-quarters expect that government spending will grow under this administration.

Recent Gallup data echo these concerns. That polling shows that there are deep-seeded, underlying economic concerns. Eighty-three percent say they are worried that the steps Mr. Obama is taking to fix the economy may not work and the economy will get worse. Eighty-two percent say they are worried about the amount of money being added to the deficit. Seventy-eight percent are worried about inflation growing, and 69% say they are worried about the increasing role of the government in the U.S. economy.

President Obama can keep repeating his ‘95% of America will see their taxes go down’ mantra till he’s blue in the face; people aren’t buying it. They’ve heard that the deficit is in the trillions of dollars so they know that President Obama either has to cut spending, raise taxes, accept high deficits or a combination of these things.

Republicans are doing a good job with this, with Mike Pence telling interviewers that these deficits are unsustainable. Frankly, though, Rick Santelli’s diatribe has been even more important in selling this. Santelli’s tea parties have caught on like wildfire across the nation.

It’s one thing for the White House to tout President Obama’s high personal approval ratings. It’s the only thing they can tout because, according to Gallup, 2 out 3 voters worry that government’s role is growing too fast. President Obama isn’t proposing policies that have widespread support. Instead, he’s proposing things that his base is excited about.

Judd Gregg didn’t help President Obama’s popularity with his questioning of Tim Geithner:

“This budget as it’s presently constructed pass[es] on to our children a nation which they will not be able to afford,” Gregg said. Gregg says he understands the need for the government to spend “huge amounts of money” in the short term because of the economy. “But after two or three years, this budget should be talking about getting things under control, and it doesn’t,” he warned.

The president’s budget proposes deficits of 3 percent to 4 percent of GDP after 2013, Gregg complained, and expands the size of government while “exploding the size of health care spending.” “I’m looking at this budget, I’m saying to myself, ‘Where’s the discipline? Where is the containment?’ There isn’t any,” Gregg said to Geithner.

If Tim Geithner can’t be a more effective advocate for the Obama administration’s policies, he’ll contribute to President Obama’s sinking ratings. If he faces Sen. Gregg’s questioning often enough, he’ll look inept. In turn, that will hurt President Obama’s ratings.

The bloom is off President Obama’s rose. The people have seen that he’s irresponsible with their taxes. At a time when families are scrimping for every dime, the thought of an administration treating our taxes like it’s Monopoly money won’t give people reason to approve of the job he’s doing.

Technorati Tags: Pollsters, Doug Schoen, Scott Rasmussen, President Obama, Tim Geithner, Economy, Banks, Recession, Polling, Independents, Judd Gregg, Banking Comittee, Mike Pence, Rick Santelli, Tea Parties