Posted by
Andrews on Thursday, December 17, 2009 3:59:28 PM
Best of the Web seems puzzled by the fact that Obama's job approval rating is relatively high (well, lower than earlier this year, but not that low), while his specific policies enjoy little support. Here is the article:
Obama's OK, His Policies Not So Much
"The public is turning against an overhaul of the health-care system,
complicating Democrats' effort to pass a sweeping bill in the Senate,"
The Wall Street Journal reports:
More Americans now believe it is better to keep the current
health system than to pass President Barack Obama's plan, according to
a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. The findings mark a shift from
the fall, when the overhaul enjoyed a slight edge over the status quo.
They could make it more difficult to get wavering lawmakers on board as
the Senate prepares to vote on the measure as soon as next week. Some
Democrats expect support will rebound if they can pass a bill quickly
and start selling it.
According to the poll, 44% of Americans said it is better
to pass no plan at all, compared with 41% of Americans who said it's
better to pass the plan. In early October, 45% of respondents preferred
passing a bill, while 39% preferred passing no bill. Uninsured people
were among those who have grown less supportive of the plan.
The Washington Post
reports similar findings from its poll: "51 percent say they oppose the
proposed changes to the system; 44 percent approve of them. Two-thirds
say the health-care reforms would add to the federal deficit, with
two-thirds of those people calling such an increase 'not worth it.' "
Gallup, meanwhile, finds 64% opposed to Obama's plans to import terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to Illinois, with only 30% in support.
Yet Obama's job-approval ratings are considerably better than abysmal: 47% in the Journal's poll, 50% in the Post's. If only he didn't have any policies, he would be coasting to re-election.
It does seem puzzling that a man could hold so many unpopular positions yet enjoy greater popularity than any or all of his policies. But the answer is simple.
His policies have no been put into effect. Ever since his massive bailout and budget boondoggle, Obama has managed to pass nothing of note. Cap and trade stalled. The cut and run from the middle east is on hold. Guantanamo is still open. ObamaCare is on the ropes. Even his plan for civilian trials for terrorists has been scaled back to a handful.
Thanks to these many failure, the public has been spared from living under the many hurtful policies the man has proposed, and, as a result, they like him better than they would had he succeeded. If you doubt that, just look at the much more successful George W. Bush administration and the high price he paid for getting most of his agenda enacted.