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Will the GM bailout be Obama's tipping point?
Washington Examiner ^ | July 1, 2009 | Byron York

Posted on 06/02/2009 6:11:52 AM PDT by Zakeet

Observers across the political spectrum have marveled at Barack Obama's ability to maintain a high job approval rating even as the public grows skeptical about some of his key policy initiatives. There's a feeling, among Republicans at least, that sooner or later he’s going to reach a tipping point between his personal popularity and the unpopularity of his proposals, and that his job approval rating will suffer. That moment will come when Obama has to actually stand behind specific proposals -- when he has to put his name on a health care plan that will lead to the rationing of medical treatment, or an energy plan that will lead to significantly higher electrical bills.

We might be catching a glimpse of Obama’s tipping point with his handling of General Motors' bankruptcy, and Chrysler's before it. The government takeover of the automakers is by far the most unpopular thing Obama has done so far. And it's not just unpopular -- it is partisan, appealing to the base of his party and virtually no one else.

In a Washington Post poll in late April, just 41 percent of those surveyed approved of Obama's handling of the automaker problem ... According to a detailed breakdown of a Gallup poll from the same time, people in virtually every demographic and political category looked askance at the continuing bailout of the automakers.

People of all age groups disapproved. People in every region of the country disapproved. Men disapproved. Women disapproved. People with graduate degrees disapproved. People with less than a high school degree disapproved. People who go to church a lot disapproved. People who don't go to church at all disapproved. People who make more than $75,000 a year disapproved. People who make less than $20,000 a year disapproved.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: autos; bailout; obama; opinion
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Now, with the government takeover of the car companies, we have a major policy initiative from the Obama White House. And people don't like it.

1 posted on 06/02/2009 6:11:53 AM PDT by Zakeet
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To: Zakeet

Benito! Dat you?


2 posted on 06/02/2009 6:15:41 AM PDT by stboz
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To: Zakeet

I’m not buying it. I have yet to hear anyone that I am around say anything negative about it. People are worrying about their jobs and the economy. I haven’t heard a peep except for one or two people that keep up on the political news.


3 posted on 06/02/2009 6:16:38 AM PDT by caver (Obama's first goals: allow more killing of innocents and allow the killers of innocents to go free.)
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To: Zakeet
Observers across the political spectrum have marveled at Barack Obama's ability to maintain a high job approval rating even as the public grows skeptical about some of his key policy initiatives.

When a pollster calls someone and asks if he or she approve of Obama you will find in many cases the person being polled is afraid to say NO because of either political correctness or because of fear. That is why you find a majority of people who disagree with many of Obama policies but yet approve of him.

4 posted on 06/02/2009 6:21:07 AM PDT by jveritas (God Bless our brave troops)
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To: Zakeet

5 posted on 06/02/2009 6:21:10 AM PDT by smokingfrog ( Don't mess with the mockingbird! /\/\ http://tiny.cc/freepthis)
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To: Zakeet
"it is partisan, appealing to the base of his party and virtually no one else"

This is likely a problem. Those against 0be will not buy GM vehicles and his supporters are already only buying foreign nameplate vehicles.

6 posted on 06/02/2009 6:22:21 AM PDT by Paladin2 (Big Ears + Big Spending --> BigEarMarx, the man behind TOTUS)
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To: caver

Bring it up. I have converted Obama voters boycotting GM at work.


7 posted on 06/02/2009 6:23:02 AM PDT by omega4179 (Boycott all fascist run corporations,,,, for America.)
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To: jveritas

I would like to believe that is true, but I also wanted to believe that true of the polls prior to his election, and it turns out it wasn’t. I am still waiting to hear about Obama voters totally disillusioned with him; i am not finding any yet.


8 posted on 06/02/2009 6:23:18 AM PDT by xsmommy
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To: Zakeet

He broke it, now we own it.


9 posted on 06/02/2009 6:23:52 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: Zakeet
People don't like the bailout/nationalization of industry but sheople are stupid and very, very lazy....also, the O is black and the sheople have been racially-conditioned so in their zeal not to be called racist will actually act in an extremely affirmative action racist manor and will love the O till the end (see how un-racist they are!). He has the perfect storm AND he has the media, education behind him.

Hell, the sheople still think FDR was a great president.
10 posted on 06/02/2009 6:24:01 AM PDT by socialismisinsidious ( The socialist income tax system turns US citizens into beggars or quitters!)
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To: Zakeet

A tipping point doesn’t matter. He won. Short of armed rebellion there is nothing that can be done to stop the plague.

America was


11 posted on 06/02/2009 6:24:12 AM PDT by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . The boy's war in Detriot has already cost more then the war in Iraq.)
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To: caver

I agree. if it isn’t hitting them directly in their pocketbook, the sheeple are not focusing on it.


12 posted on 06/02/2009 6:24:31 AM PDT by xsmommy
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To: socialismisinsidious

The “Oprah-tization” of this country is complete!


13 posted on 06/02/2009 6:24:33 AM PDT by dfwgator (The Huskies are Gator Bait!)
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To: caver
I’m not buying it. I have yet to hear anyone that I am around say anything negative about it.

Exactly. The media has been instructed to say that they will emerge stronger than ever.

14 posted on 06/02/2009 6:25:36 AM PDT by jersey117
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To: Zakeet
Actually, I think the guy is way past his tipping point but people are so tied up in what's happening on the housing front that they haven't been thinking about it. I personally know five or six people who are worried about making their house payment if anything gets even a little bit worse. I also know one person who is in danger of having his house foreclosed and has gone from a big Obama supporter to calling him, “lying scum” due to the way help for those in his position is structured. Although I didn't get the details, I think the sticking point for him is that he owns his own business that employs 12 people and as such is automatically not going to get the help. If he worked for someone else, as I understood it, he'd be able to get the refinance help he needs. I don't know if that's an asset thing or an income thing or what, so anyone with more knowledge please speak up.

Pounding on the GM deal and any chinks in the foreclosure issues could drive his numbers way down very fast, especially if the so called foreclosure assistance is only for people who should have never been financed in the first place.

Regards

15 posted on 06/02/2009 6:26:36 AM PDT by Rashputin
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To: caver

Agreed. The GM bailout doesn’t affect me.... yet. And Obama won’t become unpopular until his Communist policies start taking effect. That is, when the country is so broke, interest rates are 25%. Or, inflation is 20% a year. Or, my electric bill is $300 a month. Or, I have to wait in a 6 month line to get my knee scoped. Or, my Federal taxes just went up 30%.

Then people might ask, how did we get here, and is this really George Bush’s fault, or is it Obama fault too? That will probably take 3-4 years.


16 posted on 06/02/2009 6:26:37 AM PDT by Big E
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To: Zakeet

“Now, with the government takeover of the car companies, we have a major policy initiative from the Obama White House. And people don’t like it.”

People may not like it, but since they seem to separate his policies from their admiration of him, they don’t object enough to turn against him. There seems to be this prevailing thought out there that if 0bama wants it, it must be for good, otherwise he wouldn’t be want or it; and anyone who is against him is demon spawn.


17 posted on 06/02/2009 6:27:14 AM PDT by ScottinVA (Impeach President Soros!!!)
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To: Zakeet

no, Bush caused it all. A year ago we had a 1.9% GDP growth rate and we were in a recession. Now, this dude creates a -5.7% shrinkage of GDP in Q1 2009, and the media celebrates, the good news. There will be no tipping point on this stuff because the people are not paying attention.


18 posted on 06/02/2009 6:27:46 AM PDT by ilgipper
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To: caver

There’s a similar disconnect across the board.

People are overwhelmingly telling pollsters they don’t like Obama’s economic approach particularly, but they also blame the bad economy on Bush and are favorable towards Obama.

Sure, we don’t have the press on our side and our advocates in the main haven’t been effective in voicing the opposition, but there’s something else going on. People know that Obama is doing almost everything they don’t believe in, but they don’t want to call him on that. They’d rather have him continue to muck up our future than entertain a confrontation with him.

Maybe they’ve just been too beaten down by political correctness, and taking the heavy economic blow they’ve already suffered they don’t want to think of themselves as unPC and thus somehow uncharitable as well?


19 posted on 06/02/2009 6:27:59 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: ScottinVA

otherwise he wouldn’t be want or it = otherwise he wouldn’t want it

damned fingers.


20 posted on 06/02/2009 6:28:17 AM PDT by ScottinVA (Impeach President Soros!!!)
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