Suomi on galluppien sekä erilaisten kyselyiden luvattu maa. Eri asia sitten onkin, miten totuudenmukaisia näiden galluppien tulokset ovat ja kyynikko voisi jopa väittää, että tämä riippuu pitkälti kyselytutkimuksen tilaajasta.

Iltalehden verkkoversiota selatessa silmille lävähti uutinen, jonka mukaan Valitut Palat on teettänyt TNS Gallupilla otokseltaan 1002 kansalaisen kyselyn, jossa tiedustellaan äänestäisikö henkilö mieluummin Barack Obamaa vai Tarja Halosta mikäli nämä olisivat vastakkain ehdolla Suomen presidentiksi.

Kyselyn tuloksena oli, että Obamaa äänestäisi 38 prosenttia ja Halosta 52 prosenttia suomalaisista. Joka kymmenennellä kyselyyn vastanneella oli ilmeisesti tarpeeksi järkeä päässään ollakseen ottamatta mitään kantaa asiaan. Kyselyssähän sinällään ei ole mitään järkeä; aivan yhtä hyvin olisi voitu kysyä äänestäisivätkö suomalaiset mieluiten Tarja Halosta vai Ron Jeremyä. 

Tällaisen hypoteettisen gallupin tuloskin on äkkiseltään ajateltuna täysin yhdentekevä, mutta toisaalta se on melkoista mannaa Tarja Halosen tukijoukoille ja Haloselle itselleen. Halonenhan on nyt todistetusti suositumpi kuin Obama ja jos joku on suositumpi kuin tämä tummaihoinen nobelin voittanut varajeesus, täytyy tällaisen henkilön olla todella suosittu ja hyvä työssään.

Minua kiinnostaa suunnattomasti miksi tällaisia kyselyitä tehdään? On tietysti Valittujen Palojen oma asia mihin he rahansa käyttävät, mutta miksi tällaisesta uutisoidaan muissakin medioissa? Onko Tarja Halosen ympärille rakennettu henkilökultti niin murtamaton, että kannattajienkin täytyy todistella itselleen miten hyvä, fiksu ja filmaattinen Halonen on?

Totuus on kuitenkin aivan päinvastainen ja Halonen tullee jäämään historiaan maamme toistaiseksi huonompana presidenttinä, joka ei ole saanut kahdella kaudellaan mitään hyvää aikaiseksi. Mitä muuten luulette tämän kyselytutkimuksen tulokseksi, mikäli Halosen vastaehdokas olisi Obaman sijaan ollut vaikkapa Niinistö?

Support has declined much more among whites than among nonwhites

by Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ — Since the start of his presidency, U.S. President Barack Obama’s approval rating has declined more among non-Hispanic whites than among nonwhites, and now, fewer than 4 in 10 whites approve of the job Obama is doing as president.

Obama last week fell below 50% approval in Gallup Daily tracking for the first time in his presidency, both in daily three-day rolling averages and in Gallup Daily tracking results aggregated weekly.

In his first full week in office (Jan. 26-Feb. 1), an average of 66% of Americans approved of the job Obama was doing, including 61% of non-Hispanic whites and 80% of nonwhites. In the most recent week, spanning Nov. 16-22 interviewing, his approval rating averaged 49% overall, 39% among whites, and 73% among nonwhites. Thus, since the beginning of his presidency, his support has dropped 22 points among whites, compared with a 7-point loss among nonwhites.

Given the 17-point drop in his approval rating among all U.S. adults, it follows that Obama’s support has declined among all major demographic and attitudinal subgroups, with one notable exception — blacks.

Blacks’ support for Obama has averaged 93% during his time in office, and has been at or above 90% nearly every week during his presidency. Thus, part of the reason Obama’s support among nonwhites has not dropped as much as his support among other groups is because of his consistent support from blacks. (With Hispanics’ approval rating down five points, greater declines among Asians, Native Americans, and those of mixed races account for his total seven-point drop among nonwhites.)

The accompanying table shows how Obama’s approval rating has changed by subgroup from his first full week in office to the most recent week. The only subgroup showing a greater change than whites is Republicans, down 24 points during this time. Independents’ approval of Obama has declined nearly as much (down 18 points), whereas support among Democrats is down only 6 points.

Obama’s strongest support comes from blacks, Democrats, and liberals — all of whom give him approval ratings above 80%. He maintains solid support of more than 60% from nonwhites, Hispanics, and young adults.

via gallup.com

A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll published today expresses surprise over the drop in public opinion on Obama’s handling (or, to be more precise, his non-handling) of the Afghan war. 55% of Americans now disapprove of the way he is handling Afghanistan and only 35% approve. This is a reversal of 56% approval rating he had only four months ago.

What I find more surprising is that 35% of Americans still approve of his mishandling of the Afghan war. Who are these people? They must not read or listen to the news! It amazes me how Obama’s loyal supporters can continue to ignore his incompetence and still blindly support him.

I applaud the President for looking at options. The generals are not always right. They have a tendency to fight current wars with tactics from the last war. However, in this case, we know what worked under similar circumstances in Iraq and that was a troop surge. Mr. Obama is a politician first and a President second. He still acts like he is a candidate, not the incumbent. Get off the fence and do what is right. If you alienate your liberal support, so be it. That is what being President is all about. Thank God that George Bush many times made the right, hard choices, not the political expedient choices.

I have learned in life that making timely decisions is almost always better than making the right decision. No decision is worse than the wrong decision. My fear is that Obama will make the wrong decision after delaying the decision too long. My prediction is that he will propose a compromise. He will send in about half the troops needed and set a date to pull out of Afghan (prematurely) in an attempt to mollify his liberal base.

Please Mr. Obama, send the troop number in that your generals requested. They better know what to do.

Racism defined as disagreeing with the Leftist-Ideologue-in-Chief.

From Gallup:

Since the start of his presidency, U.S. President Barack Obama’s approval rating has declined more among non-Hispanic whites than among nonwhites, and now, fewer than 4 in 10 whites approve of the job Obama is doing as president.

Source

The most recent USA Today/Gallup Poll shows Obama’s numbers continuing to tank. 

On Afghanistan:

His extended deliberations may be taking a toll: 55% disapprove of the way he is handling Afghanistan and 35% approve, a reversal of his 56% approval rating four months ago.

On Gitmo:

By more than 2-1, Americans say the United States shouldn’t close the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, as Obama has promised.

On Health Care:

 By 49%-44%, they oppose passing a health care bill in Congress this year, which he calls critical.

On trying KSM in NYC:  

 A majority are against holding the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York, and nearly six in 10 say the self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind should be tried in a military rather than a civilian court. That’s at odds with the decision announced this month by Attorney General Eric Holder.

Put it all together and you get this:

When it comes to seven specific areas, Obama no longer commands majority support on any. On only two — energy policy and global warming — does he have a net positive rating. On the economy, health care, jobs and Afghanistan, a majority disapprove of how he’s doing. There’s an almost even divide on his handling of terrorism: 45% approve, 47% disapprove.

 Epic fail.

COPIO-INCOLLO DA
ITALNEWS.NET

Roma, 24 nov. (Apcom) - Prosegue negli Usa il dibattito sull’usoterapeutico della marijuana, stavolta – in particolare – sui benefici per i bambini affetti da autismo. Una madre californiana, Mieko Hester-Perez, ospite in diverse trasmissioni popolari – da ‘Good Morning America’ sulla Abc all”Early Show’ della Cbs – ha raccontato della sua decisione di adottare la terapia alternativa quando il figlio autistico di 10 anni, Joey Perez ha cominciato a perdere troppo peso per inappetenza.
“Ormai era pelle e ossa, stava per morire” ha spiegato la signora Hester-Perez ai microfoni della Abc, sostenendo che “la marijuana abbia dato un equilibrio” al figlio.  Joey, ha proseguito, “aveva tendenze autolesioniste. Era estremamente aggressivo, scappava da casa ed era diventato un pericolo per sé e per gli altri”. Ma appena poche ore dopo avergli fatto mangiare delle tortine con un impasto a base di marijuana, ha detto di aver constatato un cambiamento notevole in Joey, sia nell’appetito sia nel comportamento.
Negli ultimi mesi, i media americani hanno riportato diverse testimonianze di questo tipo, insistendo sul fatto che l’American Academy of Pediatrics si oppone alla legalizzazione della marijuana e si limita a sostenere nuove ricerche in questo campo. L’American Medical Association ha però nel frattempo ribaltato la propria posizione sostenuta per anni, raccomandando che il governo federale cancelli la cannabis dalla Controlled Substances Act, la lista delle sostanze proibite, che la equipara all’eroina e alla cocaina.
E in un recente sondaggio della Gallup, il 44% degli americani si è detto favorevole alla legalizzazione della marijuana – una crescita di 13 punti rispetto a un’indagine del 2000.
Secondo l’istituto di ricerche sociali, se il sostegno della popolazione continua a crescere con uno o due punti percentuali all’anno “la maggioranza degli americani potrebbe essere favorevole alla liberalizzazione della droga nel giro di quattro anni”.

Yksinkertainen kysymys. Juuri SINULLE!

Mitä ihmisen SINUN MIELESTÄSI pitäisi syödä?

Kysymykseen ei ole oikeita eikä vääriä vastauksia. Mä haluan kuulla erilaisia mielipiteitä asiasta ja pohtia sen jälkeen juttua eteenpäin. Älä mieti vastaustasi sen syvällisemmin vaan kirjaa kommenttiosastolle muutamalla lauseella tiivistäen se, mitä mieleesi ensimmäiseksi tulee. Älä anna myöskään muiden vastausten johdatella itseäsi; kerro oma rehellinen mielipiteesi  katugallup -tyyliin. Toivottavasti saan mahdollisimman monta erilaista näkemystä

Olen kiitollinen jokaisesta mielipiteestä ja jokaisen avusta! Avautukaa rohkeasti, ihmiset!

Kerron myöhemmin oman mielipiteeni ja taustat kysymykselle.

Did you doubt for a minute that the Mammogram advisory would have a devastating impact on public support for health reform? It became clear to America that under ObamaCare an advisory like the one issued last week would no longer be an advisory – it would be a command.

Just 38% of voters now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s the lowest level of support measured for the plan in nearly two dozen tracking polls conducted since June.

The drop in support is devastating – suddenly, everyone understands that Death Panels are real. But is it in time to scare Democrats enough to abandon their death march?

Prior to this, support for the plan had never fallen below 41%. Last week, support for the plan was at 47%. Two weeks ago, the effort was supported by 45% of voters.

The more America learns about the new era of socialism, the more they like things the way they are. How long will it be before voters will fall for the Dems again?

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% now oppose the plan.

Oh, but Democrats love to tell you how much citizens love the public option. What they fail to mention is that while the PO polls well, voters hate the legislation!

Half the survey was conducted before the Senate voted late Saturday to begin debate on its version of the legislation. Support for the plan was slightly lower in the half of the survey conducted after the Senate vote.

So numbers may just drop further tomorrow.

I’ll tell you why that’s a good thing

Last week, President Obama’s approval rating slipped below 50 percent in the Gallup poll for the first time since he took office, making him the third-fastest president to fall below that bar since World War II.  Ford did it in his third month, Clinton in his fourth, and Reagan in his tenth.  I challenge anyone to argue that these men were unpopular presidents.

Long term perspectives were seldom considered by our reactionary media this week as pundits and commentators responded to Obama’s falling numbers.  Some fated him to a failed presidency.  Another argued that his numbers will “make re-election an uphill struggle.”  Susan Page of USA Today reported that others are still willing to give Obama some time to deliver on the promises he made from the campaign trail, but “not too much more.”

Only one article that I came across seemed to get it right; Domenico Montanaro, NBC News political reporter, had this to say:

“Three, taking George W. Bush out of the equation due to 9/11, every president who has ended up winning re-election since 1980 saw his approval rating drop below 50% in his first year. Moral of the story: If your goal is to get re-elected, it’s better to have your political struggles early (Clinton, Reagan) rather than later (Bush 41). Kind of like a college football season, right? Better to lose early than late. So be careful what you read into what Obama’s approval rating right now means for his presidency. There’s really no correlation between how quickly a president’s poll numbers drop and the overall success of his presidency.”

I would have to take issue with Montanaro on one component of his argument.  He proposes that there is no correlation between dropping poll numbers and presidential success, but I would argue that dropping poll numbers early in a presidency foretell future success.  Seems to defy logic, right?  I’ll explain.

If at first you don’t succeed, be sure to fail

Ronald Reagan addresses Congress

Clinton and Reagan are good examples to use, especially since they represent opposite political ideologies.  When Reagan assumed office, he shocked the political system by powering through his Republican agenda and overhauling the financial system all within his first year.  His popularity took a hit at first, but change, especially drastic change, is a taste acquired over time.

courtesy of blognetnews.com

Clinton provoked a similar stir when he signed the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 and adopted the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy during his first year in office.  His numbers fell too, but rebounded once people realized he was getting things done.  These significant government reforms made people uneasy at first, which explains both men’s fallen poll numbers.  Both resurged, however, when the public realized these presidents were willing to act and actively address the problems facing our country.

Nobody trusts a rookie to catch the ball

Don’t confuse long-term action with inaction.  Too many critics are blasting Obama for sitting on his hands and doing nothing.  This is simply not true.  Since taking office, Obama has:

• Pushed relentlessly for the adoption of landmark health care legislation even in face of almost unanimous Republican opposition in both houses of Congress and resistance from Blue Dog Democrats as well
• Banned the use of “harsh interrogation,” and ordered the closing of the Guantánamo Bay Prison
• Repealed Bush’s environmental legislation that re-allowed industrial plants to pollute waters with previously banned toxins, among other things
• Signed the $787 billion dollar stimulus bill
• Announced American withdrawal from Iraq
• Repealed bans put in place by Bush that disallowed federal funding for stem-cell research
• Introduced the incredibly successful “Cash for Clunkers” and “First-Time Homeowners” rebates that economists are crediting as having helped facilitate our economic recovery

Take a deep breath, relax… and ignore O’Reilly

These are just a few of the more notable things Obama has done in his eight months in office, but you rarely see them mentioned in news stories.  That’s because Fox News is too busy covering the developing “bow-gate” scandal and O’Reilly is seriously contemplating whether or not Obama is Lucifer with Lou Dobbs.

Good public relations in the presidency require that you have a product to promote.  In order to have something to promote, you have to introduce social and governmental reform, and that change agitates the public.  This unease will pass, and eventually we will realize that Obama’s strategy is right on point.  Considering the fact that Bush’s approval rating fell from 91 percent in his first year to 22 percent when he left office, I think a slow start really is best.

Things aren’t looking up for President Obama’s allies because Obama no longer woos the majority for the first time in his presidency. Gallup polled his job rating at 48% today and released a memo about him dropping below 50% this week:

Of the post-World War II presidents, Obama now is the fourth fastest to drop below the majority approval level, doing so in his 10th month on the job. Gerald Ford dropped below 50% approval during his third month in office, and Bill Clinton did so in his fourth month. Ronald Reagan, like Obama, also dropped below 50% in his 10th month in office, though Reagan’s drop occurred a few days sooner in that month (Nov. 13-16, 1981) than did Obama’s (Nov. 17-19, 2009).

The marriage between President Obama and the American public may have to be annulled given the meteoric decline in his poll numbers during the first year of his four-year term. According to Gallup Daily tracking, Obama is down to just a 49% approval rating which sends him below the majority approval level for the first time.

As the polling indicates, much of the decline for support is based on domestic policy, such as the contentious health care reform, and the massive fiscal deficit which has surged well above the numbers predicted even under the model forwarded by the Obama administration for what would occur without the “stimulus” bill.

This is the fourth fastest drop in Presidential approval numbers, putting him in the company of Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan. If it’s any consolation at all, the above Presidents all recovered to strong approval numbers during their own Presidencies. As Gallup points out, Barack Obama’s predecessor George W. Bush dipped below the 50% approval mark and returned in the same month, although he served his first term without ever dipping below majority support.

Rasmussen Daily Reports also backs up Gallup, putting Barack Obama in a -13 approval rating using a system which throws out those results of respondents who “somewhat” approve or disapprove, and just look at strong reactions. 27% of the United States still strongly approves of the way Barack Obama is performing, with fully 40% in strong disapproval, resulting in the double-digit negative rating. Overall, 47% of respondents approve in some way of the President, with 52% disapproving.

But perhaps one of the most important things to note about the Rasmussen numbers is that the results are based on a sample of likely voters. Barack Obama tends to score higher in a poll of adults rather than likely voters because his most enthusiastic supporters tend to be young adults who don’t actually bother to show up to vote.

President becomes fourth fastest to slip below the majority approval level

by Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ — The latest Gallup Daily tracking results show 49% of Americans approving of the job Barack Obama is doing as president, putting him below the majority approval level for the first time in his presidency.

Although the current decline below 50% has symbolic significance, most of the recent decline in support for Obama occurred in July and August. He began July at 60% approval. The ongoing, contentious debate over national healthcare reform has likely served as a drag on his public support, as have continuing economic problems. Americans are also concerned about the Obama administration’s reliance on government spending to solve the nation’s problems and the growing federal budget deficit. Since September, Obama’s approval rating had been holding in the low 50s and, although it has reached 50% numerous times, it had never dropped below 50% until now.

Of the post-World War II presidents, Obama now is the fourth fastest to drop below the majority approval level, doing so in his 10th month on the job. Gerald Ford dropped below 50% approval during his third month in office, and Bill Clinton did so in his fourth month. Ronald Reagan, like Obama, also dropped below 50% in his 10th month in office, though Reagan’s drop occurred a few days sooner in that month (Nov. 13-16, 1981) than did Obama’s (Nov. 17-19, 2009).

via gallup.com

Pour la 1ere fois depuis qu’il a été élu president, Obama est appuyé par moins de 50% des américains pour le boulot accompli, d’après un sondage Gallup.

Ce vendredi 20 novembre est donc une date critique. On ne peut vendre de l’espoir indéfiniment. Affaire à suivre…..

49%

According to both Gallup and Quinnipiac, President Obama’s job approval rating has dropped below 50% for the first time in his presidency.

Obama Job Approval Down to 49%

Obama Approval Dips Below 50% For First Time

Americans don’t agree with President Obama, which is why is popularity has dropped so precipitously. He started out last January with a 70% approval rating, and now Gallup joins two other pollsters in tracking him below 50%.

The latest Gallup Daily tracking results show 49% of Americans approving of the job Barack Obama is doing as president, putting him below the majority approval level for the first time in his presidency.

The health care fight is turning voters against the President, for the health care fight has the President working against America. Why does he seek to pass a health care bill that shows no respect for the U.S. Constitution?

Democrats want you to know that your McDonald’s Angus Burger meal has about 1,500 calories — before you buy and burp.

Buried deep in the House health care bill is a provision, likely to raise nanny-state hackles, requiring fast-food chains and vending machine owners to notify customers of calorie counts — by conspicuously posting nutritional information on menus or machines.

Aren’t Dems just responding to popular demand, you ask? Hasn’t there been outrage over the lack of burger control.

The provision — Section 2572 — requires retail food establishments “part of a chain with 20 or more locations” to list calorie counts “on the menu board including a drive-through board,” as is currently required in New York City and other localities.

And you know how upset folks have been about the lack of caloric detail on vending machines!

A “vending machine operator shall provide a sign in close proximity to each article of food or the selection button” that includes similar data.

Which might offer some insight into why the Senate is racing to get the health care bill passed against the plummeting support for the President and his proposals.

Substantially more Americans rate healthcare coverage in the country as excellent or good this year (38%) than did so a year ago (26%). Similarly, more Americans now say they are satisfied with the total cost of U.S. healthcare (26%) than said this a year ago (19%).

The more Dems push health care reform, the more folks think about it and realize that you don’t fix what ain’t broken. Regarding their own health care situation, Americans are pretty happy.

For example, 81% rate the quality of their own care as excellent or good, and 69% rate their coverage this positively.

According to Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index data collected in 2008 and 2009, “Smokers trail nonsmokers in well-being, regardless of income bracket…In every income group, smokers are less likely than nonsmokers to be ‘thriving’ by at least 12 percentage points.”

I am still obsessed with the song “Sparks” by Coldplay. Ok, maybe I’m just obsessed with Coldplay in general. But seriously, if you haven’t heard this song, download it and get crazy. It’s beautiful.

On a different note, I am in the process of a lot of self-analysis, thanks to my Leadership Communication class. We have had to take 20 different self-assessments that reveal things about our leadership motivation, leadreship potential, communication styles, etc. I’m also obsessed with self-tests … or whatever you want to call them… so this has been an awesome assignment. I think I’ll post some of the results, since I know you’re all dying to know about my self-assessments.

And last tidbit: I recently finished the book Strengths Based Leadrship … the main point of the book is that if we spend our lives trying to be good at everything, we will never be excellent at anything. We were all born with different strengths and talents, and instead of trying to be good at everything, we should try to focus on developing our strengths. The Gallup Organization (who do all of the Gallup polls) has done four decades of research on leadership and strengths, so it’s really interesting to read what they discovered.For me, this book was incredibly enlightening because I have never really known what my strengths are. I am one of those people who is kind of good at a lil’ bit of everything. So it was awesome to take the test that came with the book, and see that I have 5 different strengths … which I may reveal later.. but not now.. Anyway, if you’re wondering what you’re good at, this book is great.

Holding onto a customer has never been harder or more important.

The Gallup Organization indicates the key to winning customers isn’t price or even product. It’s emotions. In the past measuring loyalty was a challenge, mostly because organizations didn’t understand loyalty. We now know that loyalty is tied to consistent and positive points of connection. Because emotions are perceived as soft, messy, and hard to deal with, and emotions make many organizations nervous. It takes skill to handle emotions properly. Organizations can’t ignore this critical ingredient anymore because the emotional connection with a customer is the basis for creating and building loyal customer relationships.

How can we measure the emotional effect on loyalty? The Gallup Organization suggests using measurements that assess things such as: overall brand loyalty, confidence, integrity, pride, and passion for the brand. A brand can be the company’s name, its products or services, its people, its policies, etc. Although many of these areas refer to the products and services, connecting with a service provider has a huge impact on the customer’s perception of the brand.

The emotional state of the service provider will always influence the outcome of the service interaction, and emotionally positive points of connection are the best predictor of Customer Loyalty. Have you ever thought about the criteria your customers use to evaluate positive service interactions with your organization?

Review these five areas of evaluation as it relates to your customers, employees, and your entire organization.

• Reliability: Can your customers depend on your organization to accurately and dependably provide service to them?
• Assurance: Do your employees convey confidence about your product or service, and do the customers trust your employees as well as your organization?
• Positive Interaction: Is your environment pleasing and appropriate and are your employees dressed appropriately, smiling, warm, and genuinely open? If you are interacting with customers via phone are your employees smiling through the phone, are they listening intently, and do they have the appropriate tone of voice?
• Empathy: This is the strongest skill that demonstrates that a provider genuinely cares.
• Responsiveness: This involves the ability to provide prompt or timely service, and measures the willingness of the service provider to help your customers.

A point of connection is defined as anytime your customer comes in contact with anything or anyone that has anything to do with your company. Every customer service experience is made up of at least one, but typically many points of connections. At each point of connection your customer is making a decision as to whether the connection will influence the overall impression of your customer’s experience. How do you currently measure and improve your customer’s points of connection with your organization?

Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in business and management consulting, leadership development, executive coaching, and youth leadership. For more information visit www.resourceassociatescorp.com or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227

Let me set up this Hannity comment by introducing a poll which Gallup has been conducting for the better part of 40 years.  It is the American people’s congressional approval rating showing a peak of 84% correlating with the time immediately following 9/11 and a low of 14% in the middle of 2008.  The current rating as of October 6, 2009 is a mere 21%, which has in fact been lead primarily by a decrease in Democratic voter’s approval of congress.

Source: Gallup

So Sean Hannity of Fox News fame is about to reference this figure in an interview with Frank Luntz.

Source: Fox News.

Yes, who can the American people blame?  Well, apparently as late as September 17, 2009 the American people were blaming…Republicans?

Source: Gallup

Ok, but that was then.  As Hannity points out the American people, well, they are waking up!

Source: Fox News.

That’s right!  Obama is a radical ideol—huh…

Source: Gallup.

Hannity is right about one thing.  Obama’s approval ratings are going down:

Source: Fox News.

Ok, but if decreasing approval ratings makes Obama a “radical ideologue” that the American people are “waking up” to, then what was George Bush…?

Source: Gallup

Source: Gallup

Good thing Hannity got a chance to ask President Bush that very question just days before he left office.  Stick it to ‘em Hannity!!!

Source: Fox News.

Nice move, set ‘em up for the sneak attack and then…nail ‘em!!!

Hannity?!?!  What the hell man?  That was your chance?  Oh, I see, so if Obama’s approval rating is 53% it’s a clear message that people are waking up to his socialist agenda, but when Bush bottoms out at 25% it’s just the American people failing to understand the difficult job of a principled hero doing his best to live up to the American presidency?  So I guess it’s all about principles isn’t it.  Hmmmm, if only there was a way to prove that Obama, too, had guiding principles…

Source: Fox News.

A new Gallup Poll released on November 11, 2009 polled 894 registered voters across the United States about the 2010 congressional elections. Here are the results of that poll.

From Gallup.com

Republicans have moved ahead of Democrats by 48% to 44% among registered voters in the latest update on Gallup’s generic congressional ballot for the 2010 House elections, after trailing by six points in July and two points last month.

Gallup also discussed the direction that Independent voters were leaning in the 2010 elections so far.

“Over the course of the year, independents’ preference for the Republican candidate in their districts has grown.”.
Over the course of the year, independents’ preference for the Republican candidate in their districts has grown, from a 1-point advantage in July to the current 22-point gap.

Bottom Line
Roughly a year before the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans seem well-positioned to win back some of their congressional losses in 2006 and 2008. Independents are increasingly coming to prefer the Republican candidate for Congress, and now favor the GOP by 22 points. Political conditions could still shift between now and Election Day to create a more favorable environment for Democratic candidates, but a Republican lead on the generic ballot among registered voters has been a sign of a strong Republican showing at the polls in the coming election.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/124226/Republicans-Edge-Ahead-Democrats-2010-Vote.aspx

An astounding Gallup poll came out today that states that a majority of Americans (50%-47%) now believe the government shouldn’t be responsible for making sure everyone has health insurance. That’s amazing in and of itself, but when you look at the trend it’s simply astonishing. Just three years ago in 2006, the split was 69% in favor and 28% against. That’s a 44-point swing against governmental involvement in a fairly short amount of time.

Secondarily, but just as important, the percentage of Americans who want to maintain the current system based on private insurance has shot to a recent high of 61%. The majority have always wanted to keep it rather than replace it with a government system, but it’s only recently that the gap has widened so dramatically.

More than likely, as Ed Morrissey states, the reason the American populace has reversed its stand on federal mandated coverage is the high cost involved and the massive governmental bureaucracy and intrusion it entails. The bills being pushed now are quite simply awful, and their numerous shortcomings are recognized by conservatives, independents, and free-thinking liberals alike. There’s a responsible way to advance the laudable goal of health care reform, but a gargantuan all-or-nothing government program isn’t the way to do it.

Congressional Democrats, are you listening? The American people don’t want what you’re selling. We supposedly have a democracy, so it’s time to read the writing on the wall and change direction in the debate over health care reform. Tackling costs and helping those who can’t get insurance is worth looking at, but the big-government nanny-state approach we’ve seen so far isn’t the way to go about it.

Will they listen? I sort of doubt it. What’s being pursued on Capitol Hill isn’t a pragmatic and practical approach to figure out a centrist course on what’s best for Americans, but a partisan-driven fulfillment of an ideological goal. Democrats are so close to passing a public option that’s more like a funnel towards a single payer system than a humble alternative to private insurance, so they’re unlikely to care about the shift in attitudes when they have a Holy Grail to grab instead. Americans are growing massively skeptical, but the liberal base wants it, so the stupid voters can go to hell. Congress knows best, and all that.

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According to Gallup, more Americans today believe that it is not the responsibility of the federal government to make sure all Americans have health care coverage.

This is the first since Gallup began tracking the question and is “a significant shift from as recently as three years ago, when two-thirds said ensuring health care coverage was the government’s responsibility.”

Abortion is murder!!  Abortion should not be paid for with our mo—Oh God.  You’re foreshadowing something aren’t you?

Source: Fox News

Oh man!!!  Yes, the Republican National Committee released a statement Thursday admitting that the health care plan for their own employees covers elective abortion. Stupid Cigna!  This just days after the Stupak amendment was added to the health bill that passed the House of Representatives which would eliminate all federal funding for abortions other than those in cases of rape or life-threatening medical harm to the mother.  According to the RNC spokeswomen Gail Gitcho the policy has been in place since 1991, you know, only 18 years.

Of course this RNC policy isn’t that big a deal. There were no reports so far of anyone actually using the provision for this coverage.  So it’s not really that hypocritical.  And besides Stupak and the others who supported his amendment, including nearly all Republicans, did the right thing.  I mean, as we know the majority of Americans are against abortion, which is why American tax dollars shouldn’t go to fund, you know…the legal…constitutionally backed…right of women.  But, if the majority of our citizenry are backing a pro-life stance, isn’t it our government’s job to listen, ya know, to the majority of Americans and give ‘em what they want?

Source: Pew Research Center (Oct. 9th 2009)

Ok wait, that is completely off topic.  Surely with the long and deliberate debate about health care reform we have gotten a good sense of what Americans want.  And with headlines like this it’s pretty easy to know what the right thing to do is:

Glenn has a point.  If the American people speak we should really back them.  After all America is about the people, and if the people decide something we should listen, accept it, and then move forward.  So if, you know, the very fabric of our country’s founding doctrine breaks down and the American people go all crazy n’ shit and start supporting some evil dictatorial system where the government encroaches on our freedoms and civil liberties; if the American people do go crazy and want “Socialism” we should give it to them.

Source: Gallup

Devil’s Magic!!  Yea, ok fine, but 50% to 46%?  Really?  I’m not a mathematician, but I know that is not statistically significant.  There is much broader general support for abor—

Source: Gallup

Oh God.  Hmmmm, I wonder if public opinion flip-flops to 47%-46% in favor of a pro-choice stance if we have to rewrite the amendment to put government abortion funding back in to the health care bill.  After all, it’s about the American people isn’t it?