Some New Polls - a.k.a. How The Country Loves Obama

Some interesting poll numbers out today.

The Lar analysis:

1. Obama's approval rating is standing strong at 62%.

• This is not surprising, the guy is the best. And take that number in context - the country is in the most perilous state in 80 years, yet he is at 62% (more in some other polls - including the Fox News poll). And as was stated by the National Journal today, Obama has done more before his 100th day than most presidents try to do in four years. To have fought this many battles and still be so popular is quite remarkable.
  

2. Congressional approval rating is up to 39%, the highest it has been in four years.

• This is because the country supports the Democrat's policies and is happy that they hit the ground running on January 21, they are taking action, and actually passing laws that are helping the American PEOPLE. The Republicans can keep spouting their 30 year old mantra about big government and taxes and all that bullshit, but the American people don't buy it. They see that the DEMOCRATS in Congress are working with Obama and as they see Congress now enacting the policies that Obama promised in the campaign. These are the policies that the majority of the American people wanted, as evidenced by the election, and the policies that even more now support. And the American people also see that the Republicans in Congress are obstructing the well-being of the country for their own partisan agenda, as the Congressional Republicans' dismal approval rating shows.

3. Upper-income consumers became more pessimistic in February, while the mood of lower-income Americans remained unchanged (lower-income Americans started becoming more pessimistic last year).

• Gee, shocker there. Last year food and gas prices were through the roof. The stock market didn't start to really tank until October. Rich people buy stocks. Poor people buy gas and food.
  

4. A new Gallup analysis finds that worry about money is far greater among U.S. workers whose companies are reducing the size of their workforces (50%) compared to those whose companies are either keeping their workforces steady (35%) or hiring (30%).

• No shit Sherlock.
  

5. Immediate financial concerns such as a lack of money (16%) and too much debt (15%) are the most commonly mentioned responses when Americans are asked to name the most important financial problem facing their families.

• Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that when asked to name their biggest financial problem, somebody said it was lack of money? Holy shit, I never saw that answer coming! I mean, I thought for sure they would say too much money. Good thing there are people out there conducting useful polls.
  

6. Americans' satisfaction with the state of the nation remains low, but has been steadily increasing since the beginning of February.

• American's know that it will take a while to fix this crisis, so slow and steady progress begets slow and steady satisfaction increases. But maybe it has something to do with that new guy in the White House and that fact that since then he has:
  
  · Passed the biggest stimulus bill in history - at a time when the economy is in mortal need of a jump start
  
  · Addressed the American people and Congress as if they were adults, and gave them the TRUE state of the union
  
  · Closed Guantanamo.
  
  · Banned torture.
  
  · Released an honest budget.
  
  · Committed to withdrawing troops from Iraq within 19 months (with support from the military, Iraq Ambassador, Iraqi government, and even John McCain)
  
  · Reversed the policy set by the first Bush to allow military coffins to be photographed with the permission of the families.
  
  · Signed legislation on equal pay.
  
  · Signed legislation that provides more health care to children.
  
  · Implemented the strictest lobbying rules for any administration in US history.
  
  · Issued a memorandum ordering government agencies to examine Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with a bias toward release of the documents -- overturning eight years of a Bush administration directive to find ways not to disclose information.
  
  · Launched a website for the country to view where the stimulus money is going, thus bringing transparency to Washington.
  
  · Appealed the abortion gag-rule.
  
  · Announced the plan to impose pay limits on executives of bailed-out financial institutions.
  
  · Garnered the support of the American people, with almost 90% believing that his policies will put our country in the right direction.
  
  · Reversed the Bush policy on government contracts, substantially limiting no-bid contracts.
  
  · Reversed the Bush ban against funding stem-cell research.
  
  · Reversed the Bush policy that hampered the protection of endangered species.
  
  

Just saying, maybe that has a little something to do with it. Just a little.

Lar