Washington, D.C., November 18, 2013— After a government shutdown, near-default on the federal debt, the calamitous debut of President Obama’s health care plan, and continued sluggishness in the economy, Americans aren’t feeling much holiday cheer about the country’s direction or anyone setting it.
In the 19th Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll to be released Friday, just 38 percent of those polled said they approved of President Obama’s job performance, with 55 percent disapproving. That’s the lowest approval, and highest disapproval, the Heartland Monitor Poll has recorded for Obama since the poll began asking the question, quarterly, in April 2009. These latest numbers show a continued slide for Obama that had taken his approval rating from 54 percent immediately after his reelection last November to 40 percent in September.
Americans are even more dubious about Congress. Just nine percent of those polled (down from 21 percent last November) approved of its performance, and fully 84 percent disapproved. Just 23 percent of those polled said America is moving in the right direction; 65 percent say it’s on the wrong track. After the 2012 election, those numbers stood at 41 percent right track and 51 percent wrong track.
Other measures continued to produce consistently grim verdicts. Just 23 percent said Obama’s agenda would increase opportunity for people like them to get ahead, while 47 percent said it would diminish their opportunities; another 25 percent said it would have no impact. That was essentially unchanged since September, but a significant decline since fall 2012, when two surveys found adults split about evenly on whether Obama’s plans would improve or diminish their chances.
Obama’s tumble reflects a decline both among groups skeptical and traditionally supportive of him. Among two groups that have consistently resisted him, Obama set a new low in approval among whites without college degrees (23 percent), while tying his low point among college-educated white men (32 percent). But the poll also shows him attracting his lowest approval rating ever among non-whites (only 59 percent) and tying (at 40 percent) his weakest performance with college-educated white women, the portion of the white electorate historically most open to him. Obama also hit an all-time low among independents (at 29 percent).
Read the rest of Atlantic Media Editorial Director Ronald Brownstein’s analysis here. The full Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor Poll will be released on Friday.
(Editor’s Note: The above communication is a news release and does not necessarily reflect the editorial position of FITSNews.com. To submit your letter, news release, email blast, media advisory or issues statement for publication, click here).
21 comments
They all suck.
Amen, let’s get rid of all of them! Start with Haley and joe Wilson, we unfortunately have Obummer for 3 more years and Clyburn needs to go; but, his district was specificly carved out for him and wer are probably stuck with him too; but, there are many, many more from top to bottom to rid ourselves of.
Still, a hell of a lot better than the Republicans!!
Nah, Nolff’s right. If there’s one place I can be egalitarian, it’s in the consideration of politicians in general.
Question for America: if you disapprove of your leaders, why do you keep voting for them?
Would it kill you to view third party? Will you at least try it, see if you like it?
Just the tip?
Way to fumble the football America.
I think America would in fact consider a third party if given a viable option. But not the Libertarians or the Tea-nuts. Until a reasonable party emerges Americans will continue to select what they perceive as the lesser of two evils.
Tea-nuts…you don’t really want a third party.
It has nothing to do with what I want. I am and independent. If a third party arises I will give it due consideration. Just as I gave the Tea-nuts due consideration and quickly decided they were nuts. As did most of the rest of America.
Consequently they will not be part of any successful third party, and I would not support any party they are a part of.
So you considered them and decided to call them Tea-nuts. Yep, that is really independent, sounds more like the extreme liberal left trying to vilify the position. Tell me do you call those that disagree with the President racist?
Libertarians read Reason magazine. What more do you want?
I renewed my subscription last week.
Democracy is only as sound as the minds of those who vote.
Keep in mind that the entire process, from the media’s selective spotlight, to the debates, to the super PACs, to attack ads, polls with loaded questions, selective voter registration drives, etc., to state laws designed to hinder third party or independent candidates (or to defend partisan affiliation being shown on the ballots to ensure party-line voters’ loyalty), to the “straight ticket” options on the voting machines themselves, is designed to reinforce the two-party system and control to the best of their abilities who gets nominated to run for those two parties. Remove all thought and give an illusion of choice.
As long as there isn’t enough people seeing through it, they’ve won.
Excellent !
SHIT in; SHIT out.
There are no leaders in D.C. only politicians. They lie, rob Peter to pay Paul, and spend We the People’s hard earned money not on what is good for America but what is good for them. That still isn’t enough, they keep printing money thus increasing the ever climbing debt to over $17 Trillion that our grandchildren will not be able to pay off.
As long as the masses continue to be low information voters nothing will change and one day it will be too late to recover, God help our grandchildren.
Damn right! I am disgusted with Republicans and Democrats. I’m not voting for either party for the next three congressional elections
This is so unfair to the teabaggers – the lone sane voices in the wilderness of insane politics.
Make no mistake about it, regardless of what these sacks of shit do to try and save themselves, there is going to be a historical number of them getting fired. Graham will be one of them. With that said, the best is still yet to come that will ruin him.
We, the people are the culprit because we continue to vote these clowns into office who clearly have forgotten they happen to work for WE, the people not the other way around so time to Wake Up People doing some serious housecleaning in DC……out with the old in with the new such as bring in some Engineers, Economists, Teachers, Accountants, Businessmen/women, anything but LAWYERS. The Fat Cats in DC including Obama are suppose to be ” by the people, for the people” but now it appears to be like a bunch of sulking bullies fighting on a playground to get their own way pointing fingers at each other when they are called out…..and they get paid for this???????
Here is a depressing chart on where employment sits following our “recovery” from the Great Recession (shows Bureau of Labor Statistics results for employment population ratio since 2000):
http://data.bls.gov/generated_files/graphics/latest_numbers_LNS12300000_2000_2013_all_period_M10_data.gif
ahhh, another useful poll of cantankerous old white people. put it on the stack with the others.