New Poll From NY Times/CBS News

I think the article in the New York Times ( http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/us/politics/25poll.html ) regarding the results of this poll seems to be negative on the numbers as it relates to Obama, even though all of his numbers as compared to Democrats, and especially, Republicans in Congress are quite better.

An excerpt:

There is evidence of public distaste with Washington that washes across both parties. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they believed that Republicans in Congress were opposing Mr. Obama’s bill only for political gain; just over half said Democrats in Congress backed the bill for political reasons.

Just 30 percent said they had a favorable view of Republicans in Congress. By contrast, 47 percent said they had a favorable view of Congressional Democrats.

I understand that Obama has lost some of the sheen from his early, crazy-high numbers from just after his election. When you get pummeled they way he has been you are bound to lose some percentage points. People believe all kinds of shit, thus the popularity of the Limbaughs and the Becks, though it seems that the conservatives haven't gained much from their machinations on TV and radio, based on the popularity of their party in this poll.

My favorite part of these numbers is Obama's popularity at this point in his presidency versus previous presidents:

At 56 percent, Mr. Obama’s job approval rating is similar to what President Ronald Reagan’s was at this point in his first term (53 percent); President Bill Clinton’s was at 43 percent. Still, Mr. Obama’s approval is down from 68 percent in the spring.

The article failed to note, however, where Obama's immediate predecessor, George W. Bush was during a similar timeframe. Bush started at about 57% and hovered there and in the low 60s at or about his inauguration. He fell to the low 50s during the first months of his presidency, all the way through to 9/11. So when Obama was in the high 60s Bush was in the low 50s.

Lest we read too much into these approval ratings, Bush's approvals went through the roof in the days following 9/11, as this chart shows:


He was unable to sustain these high numbers because he was an idiot, as we all now know. And what this chart does not show is his rating at the end of his presidency, which ranged from an average 22% to one low of 19%.

When it comes to numbers, I think I'll stick to watching Numb3rs on CBS rather than dwelling on this NYT/CBS poll!