Obama's Job Approval Drops Below Carter's

[DarrinS]

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/was...-below-carters

President Obama's slow ride down Gallup's daily presidential job approval index has finally passed below Jimmy Carter, earning Obama the worst job approval rating of any president at this stage of his term in modern political history.

Since March, Obama's job approval rating has hovered above Carter's, considered among the 20th century's worst presidents, but today Obama's punctured Carter's dismal job approval line. On their comparison chart, Gallup put Obama's job approval rating at 43 percent compared to Carter's 51 percent.

Back in 1979, Carter was far below Obama until the Iran hostage crisis, eerily being duplicated in Tehran today with Iranian protesters storming the British embassy. The early days of the crisis helped Carter's ratings, though his failure to win the release of captured Americans, coupled with a bad economy, led to his defeat by Ronald Reagan in 1980.

According to Gallup, here are the job approval numbers for other presidents at this stage of their terms, a year before the re-election campaign:

-- Harry S. Truman: 54 percent.

-- Dwight Eisenhower: 78 percent.

-- Lyndon B. Johnson: 44 percent.

-- Richard M. Nixon: 50 percent.

-- Ronald Reagan: 54 percent.

-- George H.W. Bush: 52 percent.

-- Bill Clinton: 51 percent.

-- George W. Bush: 55 percent.

What's more, Gallup finds that Obama's overall job approval rating so far has averaged 49 percent. Only three former presidents have had a worse average rating at this stage: Carter, Ford, and Harry S. Truman. Only Truman won re-election in an anti-Congress campaign that Obama's team is using as a model.

Many pundits believe that job approval ratings are the key number to look at when determining if a president will win re-election. Generally, they feel that a president should be higher than 47 percent to win re-election.

Obama's troubles have revived talk in Democratic circles that Vice President Joe Biden should be replaced by the politically popular Hillary Clinton. She plans to leave as secretary of state at the end of Obama's term no matter what happens in the re-election.

A key Democratic source said that Clinton could help revive the Democratic base and bring in Clinton backers, with whom the administration has had a cool relationship. Clinton has repeatedly rejected talk of her swapping roles with Biden, but Democratic operatives eager to keep the president in office believe that she would be the key to winning educated white voters and liberals upset with the administration's actions.

[spursncowboys]

Where are the swing states this time? Ohio, Florida and North Carolina? I don't see the Clinton/Biden switch changing the outcome from what it is right now. Also Obama has outspent any of his repub nominees and money doesn't seem to be the problem

[DMX7]

Unless Ronald Reagan is running in 2012, I think it's going to be an uphill battle against Obama no matter who the GOP candidate is.

[hater]

this just means GOP circus freak show has a fair chance

[scott]

In looking up other approval ratings at this point (1 year before re-election) I found it interesting that Bush I had a relatively astronomic approval rating (60%) but that wasn't good enough for America, and they went with my man Willie Jeff.

[101A]

In looking up other approval ratings at this point (1 year before re-election) I found it interesting that Bush I had a relatively astronomic approval rating (60%) but that wasn't good enough for America, and they went with my man Willie Jeff.

Ross Perot Factor = Game Changer

[SnakeBoy]

Using approval ratings at this point compared to actual results, I'd say it doesn't look good for Obama.

-- Harry S. Truman: 54 percent.
Won with 49.6% of popular vote

-- Dwight Eisenhower: 78 percent.
Won with 57.4% of popular vote

-- Richard M. Nixon: 50 percent.
Won with 60.7% of popular vote

-- Ronald Reagan: 54 percent.
Won with 58.7% of popular vote

-- George H.W. Bush: 52 percent.
Lost with 37.4% of popular vote *Perot 18.9%

-- Bill Clinton: 51 percent.
Won with 49.2% of popular vote *Perot 8.4%

-- George W. Bush: 55 percent.
Won with 50.7% of popular vote

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Using approval ratings at this point compared to actual results, I'd say it doesn't look good for Obama.

-- Harry S. Truman: 54 percent.
Won with 49.6% of popular vote

-- Dwight Eisenhower: 78 percent.
Won with 57.4% of popular vote

-- Richard M. Nixon: 50 percent.
Won with 60.7% of popular vote

-- Ronald Reagan: 54 percent.
Won with 58.7% of popular vote

-- George H.W. Bush: 52 percent.
Lost with 37.4% of popular vote *Perot 18.9%

-- Bill Clinton: 51 percent.
Won with 49.2% of popular vote *Perot 8.4%

-- George W. Bush: 55 percent.
Won with 50.7% of popular vote

You are forgetting he is running against these guys:

[SnakeBoy]

No he's running against the guy in the middle.

[Oh, Gee!!]

You are forgetting he is running against these guys:

take out cain and replace with perry

[JoeChalupa]

If Romney doesn't win this election it will be one big upset.

[Nbadan]

In the last few years wing-nut politicians have been busy Gerry-mandering as many states as they can to disenfranchise as many of the poor minorities before the 2012 election.....even that may not be enough to push over whatever crazy gets appointed by to represent the GOP Corpocracy ...

....wing-nuts never liked Obama anyway...he's too tan for them....Obama doesn't need them to win ...yes, we all may disagree with many of the policies Obama has let slide by under his watch, but I think once independents get a fair look at whatever crazy the GOP manages to roll out, they'll hold their nose and vote for Obama...

...one thing that will really hurt whomever wins the GOP nomination is a very poor showing of support for wing-nut candidates in Congress in swing states and right now, they have an even lower approval rating than Congress...