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The Spectacle Blog
Yesterday, toward the end of a post taking issue with Andy McCarthy for using shoddy sourcing to raise questions about President Obama's biography, I noted that what's driving down Obama's approval ratings are his positions on the issues, not concerns about him personally. I just wanted to add some data to back up my point.
If you examine the recent Pew survey titled, "Obama's Ratings Slide Across the Board" you will find that he has a 54 percent approval rating overall, while on any given issue, he polls lower: a minority of 42 percent approve of Obama’s handling of health care; just 38 percent approve of his stewardship of the economy; and a mere 32 percent like the way he is handling the budget deficit. Yet if you keep scrolling down you will notice that an overwhelming 74 percent of Americans say they like Obama personally, compared with just 12 percent who say they dislike him.
So, putting aside any disagreements that may exist between McCarthy and I concerning Obama's biography, from a purely pragmatic perspective, the best chance conservatives have toward stoping Obama from implementing big government policies that will damage our country, is to focus our critcisms on intellegently explaining why his policies are failing and why his proposals will prove destructive. The American people have already decided that they generally like Obama the person, and barring a smoking gun, that isn't going to change in the near future, and certainly not by peddling stories based on pure speculation. Focusing on Obama the person rather than on his policies doesn't help stop the march toward socialism, if anything, it accelerates it.
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More Blog Posts by Philip Klein
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/07/31/strictly-business-nothing-pers
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Grzmlyk| 7.31.09 @ 3:35PM
Not for nothing, but that should read, "McCarthy and me" - Not "McCarthy and I."
Put me down with the 12%.
I don't think it's at all certain whether Obama will remain personally popular.
In fact, I don't think he'll wear well with the American public for very much longer - particularly if his mask slips off entirely at some point - which will happen if the press ever snaps out of its trance and decides to be something other than lovelorn cheerleaders.
But like him personally? How do people manage it?
He's thin-skinned, prickly, arrogant, ignorant, angry, immature, petty and emotionally distant. Sure, he has a patina of amiability, but it's already painfully thin; it won't last.
Then again, I never understood why people liked Clinton personally, either - though he had five times the charm Obama does. And Jimmy Carter, of course, was a self-righteous, sanctimonious phony too. As for the would-be POTUSes, well, Gore and Kerry were every bit as unappealing personally as were their more successful brethren.
Of course I'm partisan, but how is it that Democrats keep fielding thoroughly unlikeable narcissists as presidential nominees?
Maybe it's me.
ECM| 7.31.09 @ 4:35PM
Let it go, Klein: nobody even disagrees with you on this point except for the lunatic fringe (and nothing you say or do is going to matter with them, just like nothing ever mattered to the 9-11 truthers, etc.), so why do you insist on going on about this?
Is it because you think it's A-OK that Obama gets a pass on his background (as McCarthy ably entailed and which you seem hell-bent on ignoring to beat the birther hobby horse) where every other candidate for Prez in modern history has had their lives turned inside-out by the media? (Principally, Republicans.)
Pingback| 7.31.09 @ 5:06PM
Widespread Panic | The League of Ordinary Gentlemen links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Julie| 7.31.09 @ 9:30PM
Klein, if you really believe the only way to defeat Obama is to focus on his destructive policies, why do you waste so much time and effort on an issue you believe is full of crap? I don't get it.
JJC| 7.31.09 @ 10:12PM
The man is a cipher.
His past is tightly locked away.
His entire legitimacy has been built not on a track record of experience and accomplishment, but a story. A story that, if clearly a work of fiction, leaves him just exactly where and just exactly what? A liar? Indeed, but more than just a man who has trouble with the truth, but a complete fraud.
A few items in his past might be reasonably explained away and some not so serious. But not all, in fact too many of these irregularities are quite well documented and all of them show a pattern of behavior; of deception.
So now we find that the "birther" controversy may offend one and all.
The conservatives for being ignored
The Republicans for putting themselves- and the nation- into such a defensless position against the rotted tide of socialism
The liberals for having their messiah gored on the alter of public scrutiny
The electorate for being sold a bill of goods and and empty suit
The foruth estate for have been exposed as totally incompetent and grossly negligent in their duties
Alan Brooks| 7.31.09 @ 10:53PM
Mike Corleone:
"Don't kid yourself , Tom, it's all personal"
Alan Brooks| 7.31.09 @ 10:55PM
Mike Corleone:
"Don't kid yourself , Tom, it's all personal"
Pingback| 8.1.09 @ 12:10AM
A Tale of Two Polls | CatherineFavazza.com links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Jon| 8.1.09 @ 10:30AM
Actually, the Pew poll is an outlier in this respect, Obama's average personal approval rating (see pollster.com) is 57%, only about 5 points higher than his average job approval rating.
Also, altho it turned out there was no significant Bradley effect in the "who will you vote for" polling last year, I wonder if there may be one in the likability polling. It's un-PC to say you dislike the first black president.
Having said that, I agree that Obama's opponents are better off focusing on his policies.
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