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POLLS and Obama

Gallup released their annual state-by-state presidential approval numbers yesterday, and the results should have 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue very worried. If President Obama carries only those states where he had a net positive approval rating in 2011 (e.g. Michigan where he is up 48 percent to 44 percent), Obama would lose the 2012 election to the Republican nominee 323 electoral votes to 215.
Gallup adds:

Overall, Obama averaged 44% job approval in his third year in office, down from 47% in his second year. His approval rating declined from 2010 to 2011 in most states, with Wyoming, Connecticut, and Maine showing a marginal increase, and Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Jersey, Arizona, West Virginia, Michigan, and Georgia showing declines of less than a full percentage point. The greatest declines were in Hawaii, South Dakota, Nebraska, and New Mexico.

gallup polls 

Obama: The End of ther Line?

The end?

Someone is CLEARLY wrong and someone is right.  Listening to and reading comments from the Left, one would assume all is well, and more - that everything is going according to plan (pretty much). 

I am so confused.




Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen argued that just as Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson decided not to pursue additional runs though they could have, Obama should do the same.

“He should abandon his candidacy for re-election in favor of a clear alternative, one capable not only of saving the Democratic Party, but more important, of governing effectively and in a way that preserves the most important of the president's accomplishments. He should step aside for the one candidate who would become, by acclamation, the nominee of the Democratic Party: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,”Caddell and Schoen wrote.

Caddell, who worked as a pollster for President Jimmy Carter, and Schoen, who was a pollster for President Bill Clinton, argue that Obama will inevitably have to run a negative campaign in order to win reelection, the negative consequences of which will make it difficult for him to govern effectively.

“One year ago in these pages, we warned that if President Obama continued down his overly partisan road, the nation would be ‘guaranteed two years of political gridlock at a time when we can ill afford it.’ The result has been exactly as we predicted: stalemate in Washington, fights over the debt ceiling, an inability to tackle the debt and deficit, and paralysis exacerbating market turmoil and economic decline,” they write.

Caddell and Schoen say they write as “patriots and Democrats” who are concerned for their country, and they do not expect to play a direct role in any possible Clinton campaign.

This is not the first time Caddell and Schoen have made this argument. They wrote in November 2010 in The Washington Post that they “do not come to this conclusion lightly. But it is clear, we believe, that the president has largely lost the consent of the governed.”








obama

Obama's Base Crumbles

Can he get it back?  Absolutely.  Some of it.

New polls confirm Obama's Democratic base crumbles

July 26, 2011

The Los Angeles Times

With all of the spotlights on the high-stakes debt maneuverings by President Obama and Speaker John Boehner the last few days, few people noticed what Vermont's Sen. Bernie Sanders said:

"I think it would be a good idea if President Obama faced some primary opposition."

This is political treason 469 days before a presidential election. Yes, yes, this is just a crusty old New England independent for now, albeit one who caucuses loyally with Harry Reid's Democratic posse.

But while most of the media focuses on Republican Boehner and the tea party pressures on him to raise the debt limit not one Liberty dime, Sanders' mumblings are a useful reminder that hidden in the shadows of this left-handed presidency are militant progressives like Sanders who don't want to cut one Liberty dime of non-Pentagon spending.

Closely read the transcript of Obama's Monday statement on the debt talks stalemate. The full transcript is right here. And the full transcript of Boehner's response is right here.

An Unbalanced Approach to a Balanced Approach

Using political forensics, notice any clues, perhaps telltale code words that reveal to whom he was really addressing his Monday message? Clearly, it wasn't congressional Republicans -- or Democrats, for that matter.

The nation's top talker uttered 2,264* words in those remarks. He said "balanced approach" seven times, three times in a single paragraph.

That's the giveaway. Obviously, David Plouffe and the incumbent's strategists have been polling phrases for use in this ongoing debt duel, which is more about 2012 now than 2011. "Balanced approach" is no sweet talk for old Bernie or tea sippers on the other side.

Obama is running for the center already, aiming for the independents who played such a crucial role in his victorious coalition in 2008. They were the first to start abandoning the good ship Obama back in 2009 when all the ex-state senator could do was talk about healthcare, when jobs and the economy were the peoples' priority.

Democrats lost the New Jersey and Virginia governor's offices largely as a result of that and Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts. And then came last November's midterms when voters chose the approach of that historic pack of House-bound Republicans.

Republicans have their own poll problems in some areas. But even without an identified GOP presidential alternative, we've had a plethora of recent polls showing Obama's fading job approval, especially on the economy.

Now, comes a new ABC News/Washington Post poll with a whole harvest of revelations, among them, strong indications that Obama's liberal base is starting to crumble. Among the nuggets:

Despite those hundreds of billions of blown stimulus dollars and almost as many upturn promises from Joe Biden, 82% of Americans still say their job market is struggling. Ninety percent rate the economy negatively, including half who give it the worst rating of "poor."

Are You Better Off Today Than Jan. 20, 2009?

A slim 15% claim to be "getting ahead financially," half what it was in 2006. Fully 27% say they're falling behind financially. That's up 6 points since February.

A significant majority (54%) says they've been forced to change their lifestyle significantly as a result of the economic times -- and 60% of them are angry, up from 44%.

To be sure, 30 months after he returned to home cooking, George W. Bush still gets majority blame for the economy.

But here's the breaking news for wishful Democrats: George W. Bush isn't running for anything but exercise.

"More than a third of Americans now believe that President Obama’s policies are hurting the economy, and confidence in his ability to create jobs is sharply eroding among his base," the Post reports.

Strong support among liberal Democrats for Obama's jobs record has plummeted 22 points from 53% down below a third. African Americans who believe the president's measures helped the economy have plunged from 77% to barely half.

Obama's overall job approval on the economy has slid below 40% for the first time, with 57% disapproving. And strong disapprovers outnumber approvers by better than two-to-one.





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
obama

Interesting Survey Results: Making Whoopee in India

I wonder what the answers would show if Americans took the poll??



The link to the poll/questionnaire and results, taken by Indians.




Outlook-Moods Sex Survey 2011


Making Whoopee!

The fling thing: Casual sex is taboo no more. A young nation gets all frisky and experimental between the sheets

 
A survey on casual sex in a year that brought cheating partners to prime-time TV and promiscuous pin-up stars (and presidents) to front-page headlines? It hit the spot alright, with 52.3 per cent respondents of the Outlook-Moods Sex Survey 2011 giving one-night stands no more than a what’s-the-big-deal shrug. More than half of those quizzed no longer blame it on drinks and drugs (or Rio); and far from worry or guilt, the morning-after feeling, it turns out, is overwhelmingly of pleasure.


Maximum City scores the most points for being best suited for flings, followed not so closely by Delhi and Goa. And while parties remain the usual suspects, social networking sites have become a virtual pleasure trove of no-strings-attached liaisons. Thankfully, it’s not so casual where it counts: 58 per cent play it safe and protected and only 1.2 per cent appear blissfully careless. But before you announce romps the new national pastime, here are some more numbers for you to do the math with: over 80 per cent respondents claim to have never had paid sex, nearly 70 per cent have never had a one-night stand and half of them say they were stopped from straying by shaadi and parivaar. It happens only in India?


******************************


There are two or three thoughts I believe worth noting.  Most of the answers would be reproduced anywhere else if given.  A couple are worth noting.

1) a significant number (above 90%) would not have sex with someone who was not of their race/ethnicity/religion.

And I thought Americans were racist.  One of the most diverse polyglot societies on earth today and the world thinks WE are racist.  I suppose it helps them feel better about themselves if they are using the US as a model of racism.  They can pretend they aren't.

2) If you found out your partner or spouse was having sex with someone else, what would you do?

I would think a significant number of responders would mention counseling, talking, breaking up ... few would mention, at least publicly - killing the person.  Except in India where 16.5 % would KILL the other person. 


Open, tolerant and very forgiving.  Just the sort of people I'd like to turn over control to.  I suppose it would be fine as long as they don't find out their wives prefer Americans.














india




 

The One Has Spoken

Obama acknowledged "my share of the blame" for not adequately explaining his plans to the public and connecting with their everyday worries. At the same time, he offered an unapologetic defense of pursuing the same agenda on which he won.



He said that includes the health care overhaul, as well as an aggressive approach to global warming (though without a plug for the controversial cap-and-trade system for emissions that he favors), sweeping changes to address the nation's millions of illegal immigrants, "serious" reform of how Wall Street is regulated and children are educated.


Now the rest of the story.  He may wish to believe it is because he was not communicating with you, but ...

SPEECHES, COMMENTS & REMARKS: 411.   Includes 52 addresses or statements specifically on his health care proposals.

(CBS)NEWS CONFERENCES: 42   Of which 5 were formal, solo White House Q&A sessions. Four were in prime time. His last one was July 22, 2009.  Nearly all of the other press availabilities were joint appearances with foreign leaders at which as few as 1 question was taken by Mr. Obama.

INTERVIEWS: 158. This is a striking number of interviews and far more than any of his recent predecessors in their first year. Ninety of the sessions were TV interviews. Eleven were radio. The rest were newspaper and magazine. The number reflects the White House media strategy that Mr. Obama can best respond to questions in an interview setting.

TOWN HALL MEETINGS: 21 excluding foreign town hall meetings, at which he would have an opportunity t connect directly with voters.

CAMPAIGN RALLIES: 7.  The rallies were for Gov. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds, D-Va, and U.S. Senate Candidate Martha Coakley, D-Mass. All of them lost.   Despite the fact they all lost - he still had the chance to connect with voters at every stop, every occasion, and give his opinions on the issues of the day.


Source:  CBS News, January 20, 2010.

So is his problem that he didn't connect with the people, he didn't communicate, get the message out?

And no, Ellie Light, it is not that we gave up because he didn't fix everything - rather, he is not fixing anything and is breaking even more stuff.  That is why the public has turned on him.





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Obama

Obama: Polling and a tax on the banks (people)

I am not quite clear where Obama is on much.  Perhaps it is the fact he has not held a press conference in over 6 months, but has spent considerable time during that period playing golf.  Perhaps it is because he doesn't know what he is doing and quickly realized he was out of his league, BUT he can't tell the people they made a mistake.  He can't change history and slink back into community organizing, he has to, as we all do, live up to our obligations whether we feel we can or not.

Obama gave himself a B+ was it, or an A- as a grade for his first year.  Apparently the American people feel differently.


Majority Would Vote Against Obama


January 14, 2010 9:15 AM
By Reid Wilson

A year into his tenure, a majority of Americans would already vote against Pres. Obama if the '12 elections were held today, according to a new survey.

The Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor poll shows 50% say they would probably or definitely vote for someone else. Fully 37% say they would definitely cast a ballot against Obama. Meanwhile, just 39% would vote to re-elect the pres. to a 2nd term, and only 23% say they definitely would do so.

Obama's first year in office has been marked by an unemployment rate that surged to 10%, an increased commitment of troops to Afghanistan and a health care battle that has taken a serious political toll on the WH.

Obama's approval rating is down to 47%, the poll showed, a 14-point drop since the April survey. 45% disapprove, up 17 points from April. Only 41% say they trust Obama more than Congressional GOPers, while 33% pick the GOP over the WH. That 8-point gap is down from a 21-point edge Obama sported as recently as Sept.

Just 34% say the country is moving in the right direction, down 13 points since April, and 55% say it is off on the wrong track, up 13 points over the same period.

But as GOPers focus on taxes and spending, that message seems to be causing Obama the most harm. Among those who believe Obama's policies have moved the country in the wrong direction, 45% cite spending and government regulation as a top cause for their opposition.

Meanwhile, those who think Obama's policies are moving the country down the right track largely cite long-term benefits of his initiatives.

In the meantime, health care legislation is by no means popular, but a majority of Americans don't oppose the legislation yet. 44% said they support the legislation under consideration, down 5 points from the last poll in Sept., while 46% oppose it.

The poll, conducted by Financial Dynamics, surveyed 1,200 adults between Jan. 3-7 for a margin of error of +/- 2.8%.


He is anxious, and when presidents get anxious, they tend to make mistakes.  Anxious = frustrated and seemingly pushed into a corner.


He is wielding a big stick now.  TARP funds - intended to aid homeowners, never fully ended up helping many.  We have record foreclosures.  So instead the money went to auto and banking.  Now Obama wants to recoup some of that money to help with his multi-trillion dollars deficits.

The PROBLEM with taxing the banks is ........



AP source: Obama seeking tax on biggest banks



Jan 14, 2010.  6:00 AM (ET)
By JIM KUHNHENN

WASHINGTON (AP) - Mindful of soaring deficits and an anti-Wall Street mood, President Barack Obama wants a new 10-year tax on the country's largest banks to cover a projected $117 billion shortfall in the government's financial crisis bailout fund.

The president planned to propose Thursday a levy of 15 basis points, or 0.15 percent, on the liabilities of large financial institutions to make sure every dollar spent from the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program to rescue Wall Street firms, auto companies and mortgage holders is either repaid or paid for. Congress would have to approve the tax.

A senior administration official said the tax, which officials are calling a "financial crisis responsibility fee," would apply only to financial companies with assets of more than $50 billion. Those firms - estimated to amount to about 50 institutions - would have to pay the fee even though many did not accept any taxpayer assistance and most others already paid back their government infusions.

The official said banks could pay for the tax by tapping their generous executive bonus pools. The administration official described the plan on the condition of anonymity because it had not been officially announced.

At issue is the net cost of TARP, the fund initiated by the Bush administration to help financial institutions get rid of toxic assets. The fund has since evolved, helping not only the banking sector, but also autos and homeowners.

Insurance conglomerate American International Group, the largest beneficiary with nearly $70 billion in bailouts, would have to pay the tax. But General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC, whose $66 billion in government loans are not expected to be fully repaid, would not be subject to a tax.

Bankers did not hide their objections.

"Using tax policy to punish people is a bad idea," Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co., told reporters even before details of the tax were known.

"It would be very hard for the industry to pay for the auto companies," Dimon added. "I mean, at one point you have to be a little fair."

The plan serves Obama in two ways - it capitalizes on public antipathy toward banks blamed for causing the crisis, and it addresses a desire to show progress toward reducing record federal deficits.

The administration official said Obama wanted to accelerate a requirement in the existing TARP law that requires the president to seek a way to recoup unrecovered money in 2013, five years after the law was enacted.

The administration is also rejecting Dimon's argument that banks should not pay for shortfalls from the auto industry. The official said the thinking is that major financial institutions were both a significant cause of the crisis and major beneficiaries of the government's rescue efforts and should thus bear the brunt of the cost.

For banks, the official said, the tax would not affect their biggest liability - insured deposits, which already are assessed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

The bank levy would generate an estimated $90 billion over 10 years. It could remain in place longer, however, if needed to eliminate the shortfall. The official said that if the shortfall was eliminated within a decade, the tax would still remain in place for the full 10-year minimum.

Banks have been paying back their infusions. Any shortfall would probably come from money used to prop up AIG, to support GM and Chrysler through bankruptcy protection and to assist homeowners with their mortgages.

So far, the Treasury has given $247 billion to more than 700 banks. Of that, $162 billion has been repaid and banks have paid an additional $11 billion in interest and dividends.

In Congress, the idea was receiving a predictable partisan reaction, with Democrats embracing it and Republicans rejecting it.

"Look, the financial institutions collectively, particularly the larger ones, caused problems by their errors - their errors of judgment, their irresponsibility, in some cases their skating around dishonesty," said House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass.

"I think it is entirely reasonable to say that the industry that, A, caused these problems more than any other and, B, benefited from the activity, should be contributing," he said.

Republican Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, a member of Frank's committee, ridiculed the idea. "To think that banks will loan more money if you tax them is beyond economic ignorance," he said.




...... the banks will raise fees and costs to the customers!  The BANK will not absorb the loss, WE WILL.   A tax on the American people without raising taxes.  : )



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Obama

2009 American Jews Opinion Poll

Talk about one group that defies reaosn on many issues.  They speak one way, very passionately so, then vote another.  Their views are so contradictory as to cause a psychologist to get whiplash.


Odd.  The Jews in America and their views in 2009.











strange

Obama Polls Poorly

Things just don't seem to go right for The One.  He can't seem to catch a break.  I wouldn't worry.  He has, by all measure, pulled a great deal out of his sleeves in the last year - he should be able to overcome this dip.

Rasmussen Polls








polls

Soak the Rich: Give it all to me

Americans Want Government to Spend for Jobs, Send Bill to Rich




Mike Dorning and Catherine Dodge
Wed Dec 9, 6:00 pm ET


Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Americans want their government to create jobs through spending on public works, investments in alternative energy or skills training for the jobless.



They also want the deficit to come down. And most are ready to hand the bill to the wealthy.



A Bloomberg National Poll conducted Dec. 3-7 shows two- thirds of Americans favor taxing the rich to reduce the deficit.



Even though almost 9 of 10 respondents also say they believe the middle class will have to make financial sacrifices to achieve that goal, only a little more than one-fourth support an increase in taxes on the middle class. Fewer still back cuts in entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare or a new national consumption tax.



These long-standing contradictions in voters’ attitudes toward taxes, spending and the deficit are intensified as the U.S. grapples with the most severe economic crisis in decades, says J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., a Des Moines, Iowa-based firm that conducted the nationwide survey. The rich have become an especially inviting target as the combination of a bank bailout and big bonuses stoke resentments, she says.



“People are hurting,” Selzer says. “They want anything that can help and not hurt them more.”



“It’s hard enough just to get by,” says poll respondent Trevor Wofsey, 32, a postal carrier in Big Pine Key, Florida. “We’re being cut at every level: There are less hours at work and they want us to pay more into medical. Food is up, gas is up.”



Obama Jobs Initiative



The findings are in tune with the job-promotion initiatives President Barack Obama announced Dec. 8, as well as the administration’s assurances it will address the deficit, and proposals from some Democratic lawmakers to raise taxes on the wealthy.



The difficulty of reconciling public demands for government action on jobs while at the same time reducing the deficit is shaping up as a major political theme ahead of the 2010 midterm elections. Obama and Democrats in Congress confront an unemployment rate that was 10 percent for November and a deficit that is forecast to be more than $1 trillion over each of the next two years.



While the public sees both unemployment and the deficit as a threat, anxiety over unemployment is higher. Eight out of 10 poll respondents rate unemployment a high risk to the economy in the next two years and 7 of 10 say the same about the deficit.



Infrastructure Spending



The poll contains some of the features Obama announced in his jobs plan. Two-thirds of Americans back boosting spending on infrastructure. Six of 10 also support more spending on alternative energy to stimulate job growth, another measure Obama announced.



“The best thing we could do is take some public money to rebuild our infrastructure and improve it,” says poll respondent Richard Kellaway, 75, a Unitarian Universalist minister who lives in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Unemployed people “could be put to work in a matter of days.”



Americans support a range of other potential new government initiatives presented as employment programs, with ideas from both parties backed by wide majorities. An across-the-board tax cut, a favorite of some Republicans, also is supported by 6 of 10 Americans.



A tax credit for businesses that hire new workers, which Obama favored as a presidential candidate and this week proposed in a limited form available only to small firms, gains backing from 7 of 10 Americans.



Skeptical About Results



Americans support the proposals even as they express doubts the federal government will help cut joblessness. A 51 percent majority say they are pessimistic about the prospects.



When it comes to the deficit, they are more distrustful: 61 percent say they are pessimistic the government will bring down the budget shortfall.



Nearly 9 out of 10 Americans say the middle class will have to make sacrifices to cut the deficit. That doesn’t mean that they are ready to embrace the idea.



“With the middle class making more sacrifices than they are already making because of what the government ran up, it’s going to eventually leave the middle class at the bottom,” says poll respondent Laisha Wright, 25, an unemployed resident of Columbus, Ohio.



The wealthy would be better able to bear the burden of more taxes, she says. “I don’t think it would be a big issue for them.”



Across Party Lines



The appeal of taxes on the wealthy crosses party lines. About half of Republicans back the idea and it is more popular among Democrats and independents.



House Democrats have proposed surtaxes on the wealthy to pay for the health-care overhaul and the decision to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan Obama announced last week.



Obama made tax increases on the wealthy a theme of his presidential campaign, promising to roll back the Bush administration’s tax cuts for families that earn more than $250,000.



White House Budget Director Peter Orszag has promised to produce a budget that will cut the long-term federal deficit, and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, a Democrat from North Dakota, is pressing for a bipartisan commission on deficit reduction.



The poll shows that an across-the-board 5 percent cut of all discretionary government spending also attracts support as a deficit-reduction measure, with 57 percent saying they would back it.



Majorities of poll respondents also say some big government programs either are not justified or could be cut. They included the $700 billion rescue of the nation’s banking system, the auto industry bailout, Iraq War funding, the $787 billion economic stimulus package and funding for the Afghanistan War.



Cuts in funding for the Medicare prescription drug program would be resisted by 71 percent.

















polls

Bad News Piles on to Bad for the White House: Now they want Bush back.

Bush closes the gap

Ben Smith
December 09, 2009
Politico.com



Perhaps the greatest measure of Obama's declining support is that just 50% of voters now say they prefer having him as President to George W. Bush, with 44% saying they'd rather have his predecessor. Given the horrendous approval ratings Bush showed during his final term that's somewhat of a surprise and an indication that voters are increasingly placing the blame on Obama for the country's difficulties instead of giving him space because of the tough situation he inherited. The closeness in the Obama/Bush numbers also has implications for the 2010 elections. Using the Bush card may not be particularly effective for Democrats anymore ...


Note to White House:  I know that, according to the current speaker of all things White House, Mr. Obama does not pay attention to polls, but - get over it, you won, now deal with the fact 44% wish Bush was back and 50% don't want Obama.








Obama

World: We want to move to the West, and specifically the US, but we hate the US

Millions worldwide would like to switch countries: study


Tue Nov 3, 2009


WASHINGTON (AFP) – Some 700 million people worldwide, or more than all the adults of North and South America combined, think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence and want to permanently move to another country, a poll showed Tuesday.

Residents of sub-Saharan African countries were the most likely to want to move abroad permanently, the polls conducted in 135 countries between 2007 and this year by Gallup showed.

On average, 38 percent of the adult population in sub-Saharan Africa, or around 165 million people, said they would up stakes and head for another country if they had the chance.

The most popular destination was the United States, where nearly a quarter of the 700 million -- around 165 million people -- said they would like to settle.

In joint second were Britain, Canada and France, each being named as the preferred destination of around 45 million people.

Thirty-five million said they would go to Spain, 30 million to Saudi Arabia, and 25 million each to Australia or Germany.

The least likely to want to emigrate were Asians -- only one in 10 Asian adults said they would move to another country.

Nearly 260,000 people aged 15 years and older were surveyed, either by phone or face-to-face, for the poll, which has a margin of error of around five percent.

************************************************
 
What is interesting is, given the US, Canada, Britain, France, Spain, Australia, and Germany = the West.  Of the total 700 million who want to move elsewhere - 385 million want one of the above 7 countries.
 
The poll was conducted by Gallup.  If you click the link, it will take you to the site.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
polls

Oh Canada, what a waste ...

We should do a poll here - who trusts Canada to prevent a terrorist from entering their country and using Canada as a staging ground for an attack against the US.  I don't.  Who trusts the Canadian government to seek out and find all those involved in the terrorist acts and planning that have gone on in Canada?  I don't.

I think we should do a poll.



Canadians still 'distrust' United States: poll



Agence France Presse
Nov 2, 2009
Canadians are no more loving of the United States under its current leadership than during George W. Bush's presidency, suggested a poll published Monday.

But they do like President Barack Obama a whole lot more than his predecessor, said the Historica Dominion Institute survey of 1,018 Canadians.

Obama was viewed favorably by 86 percent of respondents, compared to only 21 percent for Bush in 2005.

"What's striking about these findings is how Canadians have detached their personal view of Barack Obama, whom they quite like and respect, from the United States, which they still view with skepticism, even distrust," said Andrew Cohen, president of the institute.

Compared to results of a similar poll taken four years ago, Canadians have a marginally improved view of Americans as individual people, with 71 percent expressing a favorable view in 2009 versus 68 percent in 2005.

Fewer Canadians (17 percent versus 24 percent in 1995) also said they felt Canadian and American values are diverging.

Canadians were split as to whether the United States is now "a force for good in the world." Forty-four percent agreed while 46 percent disagreed. This question was not asked in 2005.

"There really does appear to be a hardy strain of anti-Americanism in Canada," Cohen said. "Almost half of us don't believe America is a force for good in the world, even with Obama as president."

The survey has a 3.1 percentage point margin of error.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Canada

Obama, Nobel, Congress - The general State of Things, according to Fox Poll

Fox News Poll: 43 Percent Would Vote To Re-Elect President Obama


If the election were held today, 43 percent of American voters would back Barack Obama for president, according to a new Fox News poll.


FOXNews.com
Thursday, October 15, 2009



In what may be the ultimate job rating, 43 percent of voters say that they would vote to re-elect President Obama if the 2012 election were held today, down from 52 percent six months ago, from April 22-23, 2009.

Obama's job approval rating comes in at 49 percent this week. That's down just one percentage point from late September, but it marks a new low approval for the president -- and the first time the Fox News poll has measured his approval below 50 percent.

Moreover, the number of Americans saying they would vote to re-elect President Obama has dropped. If the election were held today the poll finds more voters say they would back someone else in the 2012 election than would back the president.

Despite winning the Nobel Peace Prize last Friday, the latest Fox News poll finds the president's ratings on foreign issues are lower than his overall job ratings. All in all, 49 percent of Americans say they approve of the job President Obama is doing and 45 percent disapprove. His average approval for the term so far is 58 percent.

On Afghanistan, 41 percent of Americans say they approve of the job Obama is doing and 43 percent disapprove. For his handling of Iran, 44 percent approve and 43 percent disapprove.

On the president's handling of the economy, voters are almost equally split: 48 percent approve and 49 percent disapprove. On health care, some 42 percent approve of the president's performance and half disapprove, 50 percent.

Among Democrats, 78 percent say they would vote to re-elect President Obama, down from 87 percent in April. For 2008 Obama voters, 81 percent say they would vote to re-elect him -- that's a slight up tick from the 79 percent who said so previously.

Six in 10 Americans -- 60 percent -- think Obama is a strong and decisive leader.

And while 38 percent think President Obama is getting good advice from his advisors, a larger number -- 45 percent -- think he is "listening to the wrong people"

Opinion Dynamics Corp. conducted the national telephone poll of 900 registered voters for FOX News from October 13 to October 14. The poll has a 3-point error margin.

Did He Deserve It?

Upon winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Barack Obama said, "To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many transformational figures." Most Americans agree with the president -- 65 percent say he did not deserve to win, while 29 percent say he did.

Furthermore, a slim 54 percent majority of Democrats think Obama did deserve to win, while 38 percent disagree. For independents, 19 percent think he deserved it, while nearly three-quarters, 74 percent, say he did not. Among Republicans, almost all -- 91 percent -- say he did not deserve it.

When asked why the Nobel Committee gave the president the prize, about a third of Americans, 32 percent, say because he deserved it, while the largest number -- 44 percent -- think the committee hoped the prize would make Obama "think twice before using military force in the future."


Congress

Most Americans are unhappy with Congress these days -- 66 percent disapprove, including 45 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of independents and 84 percent of Republicans. Overall, less than one of four Americans, 24 percent, approve of the job Congress is doing.

Looking ahead to the 2010 Congressional election, for the first time this year the Republicans have the advantage: 42 percent of voters say they are more likely to back the Republicans to provide a check on President Obama's power, while 38 percent say they would vote for the Democrat to help the president pass his policies.

Finally, in a rare example of bipartisan agreement, majorities of Democrats, 53 percent, Republicans, 78 percent, and Independents, 61 percent, agree the country is more divided these days. All in all, 64 percent of Americans think the country is more politically divided today -- that's more than twice the number who say it is not more divided, 31 percent.








 
 
 
Obama

World Respects the United States thanks to Obama

Obama to thank?


- Then what happened with the Olympics!



U.S. most admired country globally: survey


Mon Oct 5, 2009


NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - The United States is the most admired country globally thanks largely to the star power of President Barack Obama and his administration, according to a new poll.

It climbed from seventh place last year, ahead of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan which completed the top five nations in the Nation Brand Index (NBI).

"What's really remarkable is that in all my years studying national reputation, I have never seen any country experience such a dramatic change in its standing as we see for the United States for 2009," said Simon Anholt, the founder of NBI, which measured the global image of 50 countries each year.

He believes that during the previous administration of George W. Bush the United States suffered in the world ranking with its unpopular foreign policies but since Obama was elected, and despite the recent economic turmoil, the country's status has risen globally.

"There is no other explanation," Anholt said in an interview, referring to the impact of Obama.

The global survey, conducted by GFK Roper Public Affairs & Media, involved 20,000 people in 20 rich and developing countries around the globe. They were asked to rate 50 nations in categories such as culture, governance, people, exports, tourism, landscape and education.

Canada took the biggest hit in the latest survey, falling to seventh from fourth place, while China climbed several spots to 22nd, which Anholt believes in due in part to the successful staging of the Olympics.

China has always scored low on human rights and environmental policies but high on cultural heritage.

"It is the first time China's profile has risen," said Anholt, who has been doing the annual poll since 2005.

"Since the Olympics its score for tourism and its people has risen and that has helped to stem its decline," Anholt explained.

Italy maintained the sixth spot in the survey for the second year, while Switzerland came in eight, followed by Australia in 9th place and Spain and Sweden, which tied for 10th place.

At the opposite end of the survey Colombia and Kenya tied for 47th place. Angola was number 49 and Iran came in last at number 50.










polls

I knew there was something wrong with German guys, and you can never trust the Swedes.




29 Sep 2009
The Telegraph


A poll of 15,000 women found that Germans are considered "too smelly".

English lovers came second because they are so lazy, while men from Sweden were branded "too quick to finish" and came third.

Spanish men topped the table as the best lovers, followed by Brazilians and Italians.

The poll, carried out by global research site www.OnePoll.com, asked women from 20 countries to rate nations on their ability in bed and give reasons for their answers.

Germans were deemed to have bad body odour, Englishmen were accused of letting women do all the work, whilst Swedes were a bit too quick to finish.

Men from Holland were "too rough" between the bed covers and Americans were accused of being "too dominating" in the bedroom.

Greek men were said to be a bit too soppy.

Other countries who didn't fare well in the poll were Scotland (too loud), Turkey (too sweaty) and Wales (too selfish).

Russian men crept in at tenth place amid accusations they are too hairy for the average woman.

A spokesperson for www.OnePoll.com added: ''These results are an eye-opener for thousands of men around the world and female travellers might judge potential new lovers by looking at these results.''

WORLD'S WORST LOVERS:

1. Germany (too smelly)
2. England (too lazy)
3. Sweden (too quick)
4. Holland (too dominating)
5. America (too rough)
6. Greece (too lovey-dovey)
7. Wales (too selfish)
8. Scotland (too loud)
9. Turkey (too sweaty)
10. Russia (too hairy)


WORLD'S BEST LOVERS

1. Spain
2. Brazil
3. Italy
4. France
5. Ireland
6. South Africa
7. Australia
8. New Zealand
9. Denmark
10. Canada












Polls are funny things

Voters Not Happy with Obama

Mr. Obama, just be glad the voters don't go to the polls today.



Daily Presidential Tracking Poll

Monday, August 31, 2009

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 30% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-one percent (41%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -11 (see trends).

Twenty-nine percent (29%) are confident that Congress knows what it’s doing when it comes to the economy. If Americans could vote to keep or replace the entire Congress, 57% would throw out all the legislators and start over again. Just 25% would vote to keep the Congress.

The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve. It is updated daily at 9:30 a.m. Eastern (sign up for free daily e-mail update). Updates also available on Twitter and Facebook.

Overall, 46% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. That’s the lowest level of total approval yet measured for Obama. Fifty-three percent (53%) now disapprove. Eighty-one percent (81%) of Democrats approve while 83% of Republicans disapprove. As for those not affiliated with either major party, 66% disapprove.


See other recent demographic highlights from the tracking polls.







Obama

Obama and Rasmussen - From bad to worse

He hasn't started any wars, hasn't yet caused the deaths of 4,800 people ... and his numbers have plummeted.


50% disapproval <-- the Rasmussen poll results - approval ratings.


Not a good sign. He will have to save a little old lady from being run over, perhaps pull a child from the fire, sent missiles against an invading alien force or kill bin Laden, to pull his numbers up - but remember, if he kills bin Laden, he should have showed restraint and not caused unnecessary damage or deaths, not taken chances and risked the lives of innocents.

It will be funny to watch although i suspect he will, revise history and the facts and create his own reality, and people will follow. I don't expect 50% disapproval for long .... if we had a parliamentary system, he would be on the verge of going.

But then, so would Bush ... on the other and, Clinton's government would have fallen also.



So maybe the good with the bad.










Bad day for Obama

We are the world - Obama and the Obamettes

Why?

Why do they French embrace Americans now and call them the 'children of Obama'?

Why?

Why do the Mexicans like Obama?

Why?

Why do they feel so positively towards the US?

It cannot be because Obama has done anything? He hasn't done anything for them, other than to prolong the US recession, which in turn impacts their economies.

So what has he done - has he done anything to make their lives better? None. In fact, with the exception of his socialist domestic leanings, his foreign policies when they are not convoluted and arrogant, reflect much of the past - minus Bush. The same attitudes are on display, the same arrogance that we will help you fix your lives - all on display for them to see.

So why is it they feel so warmly toward the US?

My answer - because they are insipidly pathetic ignorant children who react to what they feel when they hear people speak, not to what those people do when they act. Hitler anyone. They are ripe for a totalitarian speaker and they don't even know it.

The French, German, Russian, and Indian leaders do not like Obama. The English leader would like to forget Obama. The Queen, the real head of their country - will avoid him like a plague if she can. The Egyptian president will use him if it will save his reign - but he doesn't like the guy. The Saudi King appreciates bowing, unlike Bush who didn't, Obama does - but the thing with these Arab potentates is they may smile and pat you on the back, hand you billions, but they despise weakness and Obama has done nothing but show weakness to the Arab leaders.

Arab intellectuals may well find Obama to be their mahdi, but that is in part because they are part of the problem that has allowed the anti-intellectual Islamic fascist few to dominate. The Islamic fascists find Obama to be weak and pathetic - thus engendering more hatred. The others within the Muslim world will do as they are told, and most lean toward doubt, simply because they are told to doubt the US. Despite the fact that today 25 million people are free who were not free 7 years ago - they are not interested in that. Despite the fact the US is working very hard to provide for a free Afghanistan - they are not interested in that either.

It is unfortunate that the masses of Muslims in the world demonstrate to the liberal elite in the US, repeatedly, why it is the belief that all mankind seeks freedom, is not valid. They prove it with their foolish statements and ignorant opinions on the world. They have shifted the focus from their belief system harboring the most evil of men on earth at this time, to the US being untrustworthy. That is brilliantly hilarious. It says all that needs to be said about the world Muslim opinion.

The Europeans don't realize their leaders do not like Obama for some reason - perhaps if they paid attention to how he treats them, they might understand. It is surely not because they disagree with his domestic policies - most of Europe is enamored by the failed policies of the socialist state.

Why do the Mexicans like Obama? 24 hours on US soil and they become legal residents. I would like him also, a lot. I'd be sending him a Christmas card every year thanking him for making all my illegal actions suddenly legal. Not only do they become legal residents but they have amnesty from not paying past taxes, and if they cannot afford the fine that is levied upon illegals ... it will be waived. I'd be standing in line also. I would love Obama, more than Calderon. After all, Obama offers more than their own president does. Which reminds me - you don't want to be an illegal immirgant into Mexico, from say Guatemala - you could die, or get beaten by the police and given a one way ticket back - in a box car.

It is not that I believe the United States is the single greatest country on earth - which it is, but it is very easy to see through the charade of world opinion - the pettiness, hate, racism, and ignorance is all on parade for the world to see - except the world is blind. The fact I believe we are the single greatest nation on earth does not mean we have to treat other countries poorly.

One of my best friends is a very good surfer. He has done professional competitions, and while never quite making it, is none the less, very good to even be able to compete. Me - I have no idea how to even stand on the board let alone make it move or stay on. He does not mock me, nor does he treat me like a fool because I cannot surf, and vice versa - I do not hate him because he can (except I always envied his ability with scooping up women wherever he went without effort. I do not hate him because he has an ability that few possess, and would never take a Pew Poll and claim I distrusted him, when in reality I was simply a little jealous).

I think I have made it crystal clear why the polls show what they do ....




Obama boosts U.S. image around the globe

By Chuck Raasch, Gannett National Writer
July 23, 2009
USA Today

WASHINGTON — President Obama is more popular in some key foreign countries than he is even at home, but does it matter to the United States' global interests?

That was the question in the wake of a comprehensive new study of attitudes in 25 countries toward the United States. The surveys of more than 27,000 people were taken in May and June by the Pew Global Attitudes Project. The findings show a reversal of the deep anti-Americanism that took hold during George W. Bush's presidency.

"The image of the United States has improved markedly in most parts of the world, reflecting global confidence in Barack Obama," Pew Research Center President Andrew Kohut said.

The most dramatic rises were among longtime allies, especially in Western Europe. The percentage of those favorable toward the U.S. rose from 51% in Britain in 2007 to 69% this year. In Germany, favorability more than doubled, from 30 to 64%. And it went from 39 to 75% in France. Favorable feelings toward the U.S. were also up significantly in Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and South Korea, according to Pew.

But people in many Muslim countries, including such key places as Pakistan, remain dubious about Obama and American foreign policy. Pakistani favorability toward the U.S. remained low and flat: 15% in 2007, 16% this year. The Palestinian territories had a 13% favorable rating toward the U.S. two years ago, 15% this year.

The one Muslim country where favorability toward the U.S. rose significantly was Indonesia, from 29 to 63%, which Kohut ascribed to widespread knowledge in Indonesia that Obama spent part of his childhood there.

The percentage of people expecting Obama to do the "right thing" in global affairs rose significantly in most allied countries except Israel, where U.S. popularity has actually fallen in the last two years. Views of Obama and the U.S. fell in Israel after his June 4 Cairo speech, which attempted to reassure Muslims that the U.S. was not hostile to their religion or national interests.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who served under Democratic President Bill Clinton, said the survey's results do not guarantee a new spirit of cooperation on tough problems like terrorism and climate change, but they do provide Obama with a better platform to launch what she called a necessary multilateral approach to foreign policy.

"Most Americans have been concerned about the image of America, and I think they are going to read this as good news and as a credit to Obama," Albright said at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.

"The bottom line is I think we were in a hole in our reputation and leadership (under Bush), and we were not able to get what we wanted," she said. "And in fact people all over the world made fun of us, criticized us, didn't want to help at all. And this is just a lot better way to begin six months into a presidency than the other way around."

But former Republican senator and United Nations Ambassador John Danforth said that while Obama is a "rock star" to many around the globe, "I guess my response is, 'So what?' Where do we go from here? What is next?"

He noted that Obama is hugely popular in France, and that 82% of French poll respondents approved of Obama's intention to close the terrorist prison in Guantanamo, Cuba. But Danforth pointed out that when Obama asked the French government take some of the Guantanamo prisoners, France accepted only one.

Danforth also said that while Obama remained popular in France, Germany and Britain, those countries are increasingly reluctant to help fight the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The poll found similar contrasts between rising attitudes toward the U.S. taking a more aggressive approach to fight global warming, and the reluctance in many countries to make sacrifices to fight climate change.

"How do you get from the personal popularity of Obama to dealing with Darfur?" Danforth went on, referring to a war-ravaged region of Sudan. "I think what this says is we like the style and we like the U.S., provided it is not really doing much, and (allies) don't want to do much either."



















Obama

Obama: Polls Not Happy

Going the wrong way!




The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 32% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-seven percent (37%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –5.









Obama