General Discussion

alcibiades_mystery

(36,437 posts) Sat Feb 21, 2015, 06:49 PM Feb 2015

As it Turns Out, No Drama Obama

Last week Pew published this historical view of presidential approval ratings:

There's plenty of ways to parse what it shows, but here's my parse: Obama is a slow and steady person concerned above all with governing. The polls reflect it: neither raving highs nor dismal lows. Remarkably, his ratings most resemble only one other President: Ronald Reagan.

4 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

As it Turns Out, No Drama Obama (Original Post) alcibiades_mystery Feb 2015 OP

They resemble Clinton's and Ford's as well. ScreamingMeemie Feb 2015 #1

Let's see: Spider Jerusalem Feb 2015 #2

Boring policy over click bait personalities. Obama is opposite of the click happy media. No wonder they refuse Fred Sanders Feb 2015 #3

Bush Jr lower than Nixon, eh? tularetom Feb 2015 #4

ScreamingMeemie

(68,918 posts)

1. They resemble Clinton's and Ford's as well.

Reply to alcibiades_mystery (Original post)

Sat Feb 21, 2015, 06:51 PM

Feb 2015

I've never been much of a fan of approval ratings. It's interesting though. Thanks.

Spider Jerusalem

(21,786 posts)

2. Let's see:

Reply to alcibiades_mystery (Original post)

Sat Feb 21, 2015, 07:05 PM

Feb 2015

Eisenhower's high approval rating: not getting involved in the Suez crisis. Kennedy's high approval rating: Alan Shepherd becomes the first American in space. LBJ's high approval rating: public sympathy after Kennedy's assassination, and he'd just made his "War on Poverty" speech to Congress. Nixon's high approval rating: "peace with honor". Ford's high approval rating: He wasn't Nixon. Carter's high approval rating: there was a hostage situation instigated by domestic terrorists in DC that month, which may have something to do with it. Reagan's high approval rating: the Reykjavik summit and nuclear disarmament talks with the Soviets announced. Bush I's high approval rating: Gulf War I. Clinton's high approval rating: bombing Iraq. Bush II's high approval rating: 9/11. Obama's high approval rating: he wasn't Bush. (The two previous presidents with approval ratings most similar to Obama's, Reagan and Nixon, were highly polarising and divisive political figures as well, which is probably worth noting.)

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)

3. Boring policy over click bait personalities. Obama is opposite of the click happy media. No wonder they refuse

Reply to alcibiades_mystery (Original post)

Sat Feb 21, 2015, 07:07 PM

Feb 2015

to cover Obama's policy speeches.... personality wars and anything scary in the world are where the click action is.

Did you hear about the new virus in Kansas....where is my blankee!?

tularetom

(23,664 posts)

4. Bush Jr lower than Nixon, eh?

Reply to alcibiades_mystery (Original post)

Sat Feb 21, 2015, 07:26 PM

Feb 2015

President Jebby ain't gonna happen, no matter how badly corporate Amurika wants it.

Reply to this discussion