Posted on 08/08/2014 4:23:06 AM PDT by Kaslin
Two national opinion polls released over the last two days reflect a deeply frustrated and pessimistic American public. The new NBC/WSJ survey, which tracks President Obama's approval to an all-time low in the series (40/54) and shows a slight Republican edge heading into November's elections, is bursting at the seams with negativity:
(1) Right track/Wrong track is at an abysmal (22/71).
(2) By a 22-point margin, Americans say the country is in a state of decline. On the question of whether people believe that "life for our children's generation will be than it has been for us," respondents said they are "not confident" on that score by nearly a four-to-one margin.
(3) This whole chart:
(4) On another 'satisfaction' issue set, respondents gave negative marks to the US government's handling of a series of international crises. The most acute dissatisfaction was expressed over the border crisis, with featured a 53-point thumbs-down margin. A majority of Americans said they agreed that, "we do not have the resources to deal with the thousands of children who have entered the country illegally and they should be returned immediately."
A fresh Associated Press poll is just as bleak on virtually every count. Obama's approval is upside down (40/59) overall, and underwater on every single issue polled. He's in the 30's on many of them. His best number is on handling relationships with other countries, at (43/55). Voters split evenly between preferring Republicans or Democrats to control Congress after the elections. Fully one-third of respondents said it doesn't matter either way. Republicans held a "trust" edge on seven of the eight specific issues polled. Noah Rothman's conclusion upon surveying these numbers: "These are awful numbers for incumbent Democrats heading into the fall. And we haven’t even started applying likely voter screens yet." True, but I suspect Pete Wehner's take is more lasting in its relevance:
Whatever the causes–and there are many of them–it can’t be good when there’s such massive dissatisfaction with our political system. For one thing, we have urgent challenges that require a political system that works, that people have confidence in. Beyond that, though, our political system–the extraordinary handiwork of our founding generation–produced what Lincoln called an “inestimable jewel.” It is one of the main reasons we revere our country. Sustained contempt for our political system is corrosive. It undermines our affections for America. And unless it is reversed, it will find increasingly disturbing outlets and end up doing durable damage to the nation we love.
America is in the grips of a crisis of confidence, and most people don't see a light at the end of the tunnel at the moment.
I agree that a good election in less than 3 months will be the beginning of a dramatic turn around.Let’s be very active and pray a lot.
I won’t listen to him. I don’t care, one iota what he has to say. I would not even tune in if he were going to resign.
I think you misapprehend me; I apologize for any confusion. I remember arguing with my wife in 2008 that McCain, for all his shortcomings, was a damned sight better than Obama. Actually Obama actually out did my worst fears, and continues to do so. Romney was, in my humble opinion, head and shoulders above McCain. Neither was Reagan, but neither was anything nearly as bad a Obama.
2012 Romney 61 million votes
2008 McCain 60 million votes
2004 Bush 62 million votes - re-election
2000 Bush 50.5 million votes
How many conservatives stayed home on election day?
Neither would I, but I'd sure as hell celebrate.
The system is not the issue. The issue is the mouth-breathing morons of both major parties who are entrusted to run it.
The Founders assumed that principled, moral people would run government. We have justifiable contempt for politicians, but the system as written remains the best framework for government ever devised.
I’d be right here celebrating with you. I get most of my news here. I think we should have a moratorium on posting his picture. We know what he looks like for crying out loud!
And unlike 1980, not a Reagan on the horizon who is likely to pull us out of it.
We need to be reminded every day - that way when we can vote someone into office who loves the country, we’ll remember how bad it was...
Welcome to Carter 2.0.
I feel more like I do today than I ever did before.
Same here, except if I can't shut him off I instinctively flip him the bird.
My take on that is slightly different: people get the government they allow.
Well I lived through the Carter Administration I guess I’ll make it through this one.
Different administration. Different times...
I’ll have to check your link later. The corporate content Nazi’s won’t let me look at it. :(
for chrissake, go look up the numbers and quit spreading that same false information! The numbers between the last two presidential elections belie the premise you espouse.
Carter didn’t hate America or Western Civilization until long after he was out of office.
Thank you! I was a little less diplomatic in my response to him. Of course I have been trying to debunk this myth for a long time here, so my patience is worn thin on this issue.
Are they lamenting this decline or praising it? If this is something they're seeing as a negative what in the hell did they expect when they elected Obama? What part of his "transforming America" was misunderstood here? It's fairly well known that liberals are highly uncomfortable with America as a pre-eminent power in any category, so did voters think Obama's "transformation" of this country was going to result in its becoming stronger?
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