President Barack Obama Forum Approval Rating

[Torie]

Somewhat disapprove (unchanged).

[memphis]

Somewhat approve. Hard to think of a president who has done better given the circumstances, but I can't think of any president I'd strongly approve of.

[Fuzzybigfoot]

Somewhat disapprove.  But I'm still voting for him. 

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Somewhat disapprove.

[Joe Biden 2020]

but he's also done some pretty crappy things, as well.

I agree, but I highly doubt you're thinking of the same things I am. Out of interest, which things do you disapprove of?

Basically, and I've mentioned this before, but the slow response to the oil spill.  There is also one thing in the health care bill which I disapprove of, which is forcing everybody to have health insurance.  I agree with the majority of the health bill, but to force people to buy health insurance when they don't want to, or don't have the financial means to do so, is not right.  I don't think that this government has any right to force their way into their citizens lives.  Now, the government is doing a great thing with this health care bill, but if we could do a line-item removal on the bill, I would remove the aforementioned requirement.  I guess, though, you have to take the good with the bad in a lot of cases, so I guess if it has to stay, it's not that big of a deal.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Basically, and I've mentioned this before, but the slow response to the oil spill.

...and you admire the guy who was President under Katrina ?

[Joe Biden 2020]

Basically, and I've mentioned this before, but the slow response to the oil spill.

...and you admire the guy who was President under Katrina ?

Yes, but not for the Katrina response.

[tmthforu94]

Somewhat Disapprove
It seems like he's going to be a sell-out to the GOP, which has genuinely surprised me. A shame he doesn't have a spine, though.

[Badger]

Somewhat Disapprove
It seems like he's going to be a sell-out to the GOP, which has genuinely surprised me. A shame he doesn't have a spine, though.

Wait a minute. You, Mr. Blue Avatar, are concerned he's overly cooperative with the Republicans?

Some people just are never satisfied.

[Franzl]

There is also one thing in the health care bill which I disapprove of, which is forcing everybody to have health insurance.  I agree with the majority of the health bill, but to force people to buy health insurance when they don't want to, or don't have the financial means to do so, is not right.  I don't think that this government has any right to force their way into their citizens lives.  Now, the government is doing a great thing with this health care bill, but if we could do a line-item removal on the bill, I would remove the aforementioned requirement.  I guess, though, you have to take the good with the bad in a lot of cases, so I guess if it has to stay, it's not that big of a deal.

Do you have any idea what role mandates pay? Do you have any idea what would be the result of keeping everything in the healthcare bill but the mandate?

Your suggestion is the worst possible scenario...including the possibility of keeping pre ObamaCare style healthcare.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

There is also one thing in the health care bill which I disapprove of, which is forcing everybody to have health insurance.  I agree with the majority of the health bill, but to force people to buy health insurance when they don't want to, or don't have the financial means to do so, is not right.  I don't think that this government has any right to force their way into their citizens lives.  Now, the government is doing a great thing with this health care bill, but if we could do a line-item removal on the bill, I would remove the aforementioned requirement.  I guess, though, you have to take the good with the bad in a lot of cases, so I guess if it has to stay, it's not that big of a deal.

Do you have any idea what role mandates pay? Do you have any idea what would be the result of keeping everything in the healthcare bill but the mandate?

Your suggestion is the worst possible scenario...including the possibility of keeping pre ObamaCare style healthcare.

Yea, the individual mandate is the critical linchinpin without which the whole bill needs to be repealed pretty damn quick, or there will be serious consequences.


The superiority of Obamacare over what proceeded it is entirely dependent upon the accuracy of the "projections". If they are way off to the point of "worst case scenario" then the pre-Obama care style health care is not only preferable but strongly desired.  I am pretty sure the truth lies somewhere in between the CBO numbers of about 1 trillion and the GOP numbers of 2.5 trillion. If its even slightly above the CBO estimates, then the reform harms the deficit and the repeal accually helps reduce it, the opposite of what the current "facts" are.

[tmthforu94]

Somewhat Disapprove
It seems like he's going to be a sell-out to the GOP, which has genuinely surprised me. A shame he doesn't have a spine, though.

Wait a minute. You, Mr. Blue Avatar, are concerned he's overly cooperative with the Republicans?

Some people just are never satisfied.

First off, lime green. Get it right.

Secondly, I want a President with a spine. Barack Obama didn't have much of a spine the last two years when he couldn't get his party to cooperate with him on several occasions. Now he's turning to the Republicans to compromise. I just wish he'd take one stance, liberal or moderate, and stick with it. I bet if he wins reelection in 2012 and Democrats take majorities, he'll go back to liberal.

[President Mitt]

I somewhat disapprove of Bill Clinton II.

[courts]

Somewhat Disapprove
It seems like he's going to be a sell-out to the GOP, which has genuinely surprised me. A shame he doesn't have a spine, though.

Wait a minute. You, Mr. Blue Avatar, are concerned he's overly cooperative with the Republicans?

Some people just are never satisfied.

First off, lime green. Get it right.

Secondly, I want a President with a spine. Barack Obama didn't have much of a spine the last two years when he couldn't get his party to cooperate with him on several occasions. Now he's turning to the Republicans to compromise. I just wish he'd take one stance, liberal or moderate, and stick with it.

I hate being a broken record but remember who he appointed to his cabinet and his shameless continuation of Bush's foreign policy (and then some). The truth if he was never really an ideological liberal, even his more keynesian policies were basically supported by the 'mainstream free market' Chicago school types like Summers, Rubin, etc. and 'neo-liberal' publications like the NYT or Economist as 'necessary.' By the standards of those actually in positions of influence he's always been pretty firmly 'centrist.'

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I strongly disapprove of Obama's performance and this is just two of the reasons why. The guy is not as pragmatic and moderate as some are portraying to whore him out to the moderate heroes for 2012. The guy took three different positions on oil drilling, each time for his own political benefit, and one time he even suppressed "experts" who argued against such action, so he could claim it was a "responsible", "reasonable" reaction to a situation, when actually it was nothing more then pandering and showmanship.

In the State of the Union, he focused a lot of attention on research and education and he wants to put even more money towards them. However, he, like most on this damn forum, doesn't understand how innovation and technological innovation impact the economy. In the past, innovation has benefitted the economy because it was either a cost reducer, a boost in efficiency, an added convenience, or for entertainment purposes. However, when it comes to energy, any net increase in energy prices will damage the economy. Whether the increase is from current energy sources or from switch to a higher cost but alternative energy source.  The other consideration is that the alternative will result in a net negative impact on employment, since the incentive is to use the latest most efficient production method in the new source since its just starting whereas a current source may be using last generation methods, and also by nature of the energy source itself. Yes there would be an overall benefit to society but only if the the new source was a 1. Net cost reducer, or 2. a Net gain for efficiency. If its neither, the overall result on the economy will be negative. The is why his energy policy is so alarming. Mandates and Cap and trade are a recipe for disaster, and yet he keeps claiming that it will be a net benefit, which with current technologies, it definatively won't be for the reasons stated above.

We need to invest in alternatives, but we need to be realistic and work to increase production of traditional energy sources simultaneously, with an overall goal of keeping energy prices as low as possible. Oil is so intergrated into the economy, that we can't really afford Obama's "your energy prices will necessarily skyrocket", without a severe, possibly even serial economy dislocation as a result of it.

And his recent embrace of Reagan comes acrossed as phony, especially when just two years ago, Obama was FDR, not Reagan. Well whatever works as they say.

[Marty4Bayh]

i strongly disaprove of obama

/marty

[WBCKansas]

Nuetral.

[krazen1211]

He's turned most of my family into Republicans. So I guess I'll take that for what it's worth.

[feeblepizza]

He's turned most of my family into Republicans. So I guess I'll take that for what it's worth.

My father, once a liberal Democrat, considers himself a Republican-leaning independent after two years under Obama. And my mother, formerly a liberal Republican, has certainly become more conservative.

[Franzl]

He's turned most of my family into Republicans. So I guess I'll take that for what it's worth.

My father, once a liberal Democrat, considers himself a Republican-leaning independent after two years under Obama. And my mother, formerly a liberal Republican, has certainly become more conservative.

That doesn't make sense...but in your case unsurprising.

[exopolitician]

Somewhat Disapprove
It seems like he's going to be a sell-out to the GOP, which has genuinely surprised me. A shame he doesn't have a spine, though.

Its damned if you do, damned if you dont. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices, I give Obama a lot of credit for striking a deal with GOP lawmakers and atleast getting something done.

[To be is the answer to all penus]

STRONGLY Disapprove.

[Citizen (The) Doctor]

Main issue with his presidency so far is that he's not mastered the message war yet, and he's let the opposition define him a lot more than he has for himself and for the Democrats.  To quote a friend of mine:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

^Mainly due to the fact that if there has been any success in the past two years, it hasn't been touted.  I still personally approve of the guy but he needs to figure out how to sell himself to his constituents, as well as his party.