Showing posts with label American voters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American voters. Show all posts

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Half of Americans Unlikely to Vote to Re-Elect Barack Obama


President Barack Obama's killing of Osama bin Laden is not enough to re-elect him

19 May 2011 16:19 Africa/Lagos


President Obama's Job Rating Unchanged Since Early May, but Half of Americans Unlikely to Vote to Re-Elect Him

Employment/Jobs and the Economy still most important issues for government to address

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, May 19, 2011

NEW YORK, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- While President Obama's job ratings may not have changed much from the gain they saw after the death of Osama Bin Laden, there are some shifts the White House probably should worry about as they pertain to his re-election numbers. Currently, 45% of Americans give the President positive ratings for the overall job he is doing while 55% give him negative ratings. Earlier this month, right after the death of the terrorist leader, 46% gave President Obama positive ratings and 54% gave him negative marks.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO)

There are two groups that give President Obama higher ratings. Among regions, 54% of Westerners give him positive marks compared to 40% of Southerners, 42% of Easterners and 44% of those in the Midwest. Almost two-thirds of those with a post graduate degree (64%) give the President positive ratings as do 49% of college graduates and half of those with some college education (50%) while just one third of those with a high school diploma or less (34%) give President Obama positive ratings.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,184 adults surveyed online between May 9 and 16, 2011 by Harris Interactive.

Congress, which did not get much of a post-Osama killing bump, also hasn't seen their ratings change much in the past two weeks. Earlier in the month, 13% of Americans gave them positive ratings while 87% gave them negative ones. Now, 12% of U.S. adults give them positive marks while 88% of U.S. adults give Congress negative ratings for their overall job.

Also slipping downward slightly is the direction of the country. Just under two in five Americans (38%) say the country is going in the right direction, down one point from earlier this month. Slightly over three in five say the country is going off on the wrong track (62%), up one point from early May. One reason for this overall sense of dissatisfaction is still the economy. One-third of Americans (33%) say that employment/jobs are one of the two most important issues for the government to address, unchanged from January. One in three U.S. adults (29%) says the most important issue is the economy overall, up from 24% who said this in January. Rounding out the top five most important issues to be addressed is healthcare (18%), the budget deficit/national debt (17%) and gas and oil prices (12% up from 1% who said this in January).

It is this worry and concern over the economy that may be driving the numbers the White House is starting to care most about – likelihood of the American public to vote for President Obama again next November. Half of Americans (49%) say they are unlikely to vote for Barack Obama if the election for president were held today, up from 47% who said this in early May. Just over two in five Americans (43%) say they are likely to vote for him, down from 46% who said so earlier this month. Even more concerning for the re-election committee is that one in five Democrats (20%) say they are not likely to vote for the President while 7% at not at all sure.

So What?

The death of Osama Bin Laden brought the country together, but the question was always how long would that cohesion last. So far, the overall job ratings for the President are holding steady, but at this point in the election cycle President Obama and his advisors are not just thinking about the current job he has, but of extending it for another four years. Come next November, voters will be asking themselves if they are better off than they were in 2009. If the answer isn't yes, there could be issues for the re-election chances of President Obama.


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Wednesday, May 4, 2011

American Voters unaffected by President's bin Laden Victory


President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House, in this May 1, 2011 handout photo. Pete Souza/The White House

3 May 2011 20:02 Africa/Lagos

Newsweek / Daily Beast Poll Reveals American Voters Unaffected by President's bin Laden Victory

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, May 3, 2011

NEW YORK, May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- An exclusive Newsweek / Daily Beast poll using exclusive data conducted immediately before the president's Sunday announcement about the death of the FBI's most wanted terrorist - and immediately after - indicates that President Obama's approval ratings have remained static despite media rhetoric to the contrary.

Polling 1200 voters – 600 on Saturday April 30th and Sunday May 1st, and a further 600 on Monday May 2nd and Tuesday May 3rd - Newsweek and The Daily Beast discovered that in the aftermath of bin Laden's death;

There was no change to President Obama's overall approval rating

BEFORE: 48% APPROVE, 49% DISAPPROVE

AFTER: 48% APPROVE, 49% DISAPPROVE

There was a 10% increase in those who now feel the country is headed in the right direction

BEFORE: Right, 20%, Wrong, 65%

AFTER: Right, 30%, Wrong 55%

27 % feel the economy is headed in the right direction

BEFORE: Right, 31%, Wrong, 56%

AFTER: Right, 27%, Wrong 60%

Further research revealed;

- 55% think President Obama is a strong leader overall

- 63% think President Obama is a strong leader in the war on terrorism

- 38% feel President Obama has made the world more safe

- 45% of American's say President Bush has done a better job at prosecuting the war on terror than President Obama

- 26% of American's feel safer following the news that Osama bin Laden has been killed

- Only 5% of Americans say news that Osama bin Laden has been killed has changed the way they will vote in the 2012 presidential election

Looking ahead to the 2012 election;

In an Obama / Romney 2012 race, 42% would vote for Obama / 36% for Romney

In an Obama / Huckabee 2012 race, 42% would vote for Obama / 38% Huckabee

In an Obama / Palin 2012 race, 50% would vote for Obama / 29% Palin

In an Obama / Trump 2012 race, 53% would vote for Obama / 25% Trump

To review the comprehensive poll findings and full methodology, please visit www.thedailybeast.com

The poll was conducted by Douglas E. Schoen, LLC on behalf of Newsweek/The Daily Beast, and has a margin of sampling error of +/-3 percent.

SOURCE The Daily Beast

CONTACT: Andrew Kirk, +1-212-524-8856

Web Site: http://www.thedailybeast.com































Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
3 May 2011
20:02Newsweek / Daily Beast Poll Reveals American Voters Unaffected by President's bin Laden Victory
19:25Business Lessons Could Hold Clues to How Bin Laden's Death Will Impact Al Qaeda, Economy
18:53The Lonesome Winner: The Obama Triumph From a European Perspective
15:34Week of Programming on the Hunt for Bin Laden and Attacks of 9/11 to Air on National Geographic Channel in the Wake of Bin Laden's Assassination
13:30Osama Bin Laden to Cause U.S. Hyperinflation, Says NIA