The survey was conducted January 15-19 by the Polling Institute of Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. Pollsters questioned 1,933 registered voters nationwide in interviews conducted over both landlines and cellphones. The numbers reflect months of bad news about problems with the ObamaCare website, reports of people losing their previous health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, and economic reports showing fewer new jobs than had been predicted in an economy that remains weak four and a half years after the last recession was officially declared over. The president’s ratings remain low on character measures” as well, according to the poll, with 49 percent of respondents saying he is not “honest and trustworthy” and 46 percent saying he is. Ironically in a poll where a majority judges the president’s administration not competent, a plurality, albeit a narrow one, judges the chief executive to be a “strong leader”; 49 percent say he is and 48 percent say he is not. Since Obama, now in the second year of his second term, is not eligible to run again, the polling numbers may seem academic to all but the president, who obviously would like to leave office with the nation thinking highly of him and his legacy. And voter confidence, or lack of it, in the incumbent administration can affect his ability to get Congress to pass current and future legislative initiatives as well as the fortunes of his partys candidates in this years congressional and state house races. It could also affect the candidacy of his party’s nominee in the next presidential election, as was the case in 2008 when the unpopularity of President George W. Bush negatively affected public perceptions of Republican nominee Sen. John McCain. The public’s view of the competence and trustworthiness of the administration in power can also affect the general confidence level of the country on issues people most care about, the economy being foremost among them. “It’s the economy, Mr. President,’ say dissatisfied American voters who are not yet willing to give President Obama a thumbs up on his presidency,” said Tim Mallory, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Insitute. “If — and it’s a big IF — the president can convince the American people that the economy is getting better and that Obamacare will be good for them, it will go a long way to rebuilding his sagging job approval ratings.” thenewamerican/usnews/politics/item/17471-poll-shows-53-percent-think-obama-administration-incompetent
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 14:51:47 +0000
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