CNN Poll: Likability helps Obama survive brutal weEK [View all]

[brooklynite]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama's personal popularity may be one reason he came out of what was arguably the worst week of his presidency with his approval rating holding steady, according to a new national poll.

A CNN/ORC International survey, released Monday, also indicates that Americans see the current controversies as very important, maybe even as much as the Iran-Contra scandal, but they haven't reached the epic levels of Watergate.

And the poll suggests the tea party movement has benefited from the Internal Revenue Service controversy, which involved the IRS targeting of tea party and other conservative groups who filed for tax exempt status, while the controversy over the administration's handling and response to last September's attack in Benghazi, which left the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans dead, does not appear to have affected the public's view of Hillary Clinton, who was U.S. secretary of state at the time of the attack.

...SNIP...

The new numbers indicate that Obama remains popular, with 79% of Americans saying the president is likable.

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/05/20/cnn-poll-likability-helps-obama-survive-brutal-week/?hpt=hp_t1