Most Americans Say They’re Worse Off Under Obama, Poll Shows

[No Elephants]

Source: Bloomberg Business Week

Most Americans Say They’re Worse Off Under Obama, Poll Shows
December 09, 2010, 12:02 AM EST


By Rich Miller

Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- More than 50 percent of Americans say they are worse off now than they were two years ago when President Barack Obama took office, and two-thirds believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, a Bloomberg National Poll shows.

The survey, conducted Dec. 4-7, finds that 51 percent of respondents think their situation has deteriorated, compared with 35 percent who say they’re doing better. The balance isn’t sure. Americans have grown more downbeat about the country’s future in just the last couple of months, the poll shows. The pessimism cuts across political parties and age groups, and is common to both sexes.

<snip>

As Reagan approached the end of his second year in office, his numbers were more negative than Obama’s in this survey. In an ABC News/Washington Post poll taken in Oct. 1982, 61 percent of Americans said things were worse and 33 percent said they had improved. Reagan won re-election in a landslide in 1984. In the final months of George W. Bush’s presidency, as the financial crisis intensified, Americans said by a 2-to-1 margin that their financial situation had deteriorated, compared with a year earlier.

Americans in the poll also oppose Republican lawmakers’ calls to extend tax cuts for upper-income Americans beyond the end of 2010. Obama reluctantly agreed to a two-year extension of those cuts as part of a compromise package that also retained breaks for the middle class.




The Bloomberg National survey of 1,000 U.S. adults has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

--Editors: Max Berley, Mark McQuillan.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rich Miller in Washington [e-mail]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva in Washington at [e-mail]


Read more: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-09/most-americans-say-they-re-worse-off-under-obama-poll-shows.html

---

Much more at link

[Skittles]

1. yup

I'm sure the obscenely rich a very happy

[saigon68]

49. Happy Happy?? Those Fuckers are ecstatic

From logo lollipops to stylish cupcakes, the merging of fashion and food isn't new. Designed by famed shoe maker Christian Louboutin, this glass slipper was created to coincide with the launch of the brand's own Champagne. In partnership with Piper Heidsieck, the bubbly and shoe are available for a limited time at Colette in Paris, starting Oct. 26

[Tatiana]

2. I think many people feel this way.

I'm certainly worse off, both in take home pay and rising living costs. Even so, I'd be willing to let all tax cuts expire in favor of a SS cola and UI extention.

[Sherman A1]

20. Agreed

[Loudmxr]

3. I am not rich. But Obama has been berry berry good to me!! REEAALLY!!

[Hawkowl]

4. One term Obama

This is what dooms Obama to a one term presidency. Even if the "economy" picks up, employment and personal income are likely to remain lower than when he took office.

If he really wanted votes, he needs to assign blame to the banksters that wrecked this economy instead of giving them tax breaks on their stolen TRILLIONS!

[FrenchieCat]

6. I think he just really wants to govern,

even if he ends up doing it for 4 years instead of 8 years,
before a Republican replaces him.

George Bush got 8 years, but he was probably a better President,
then Barack Obama can ever hope to be.

OT: will you be calling, emailing and phoning Senators tomorrow
in order to help pass the Dream Act? I think if we call both
the GOP and the Dems Senators that we know will vote no, or are on the fence,
at least THEY can hear OUR voices as to what We want.
Perhaps it is better that as political activists we actually do something about
an upcoming vote, as opposed to constantly referring to an election 2 years away,
and calling the Democratic President a one termer.....
Perhaps making the difference as to what we want starts with us taking constructive
and positive actions.

[elias49]

7. Bush a better prez than Obama?

You can't be serious.

[melm00se]

10. I read that too

and I cleaned my glasses and read it again.

I almost threw up in my mouth

[rpannier]

13. She left off the sarcasm tag

Most people here know FrenchieCat and she's a big supporter of Pres. Obama
She's being sarcastic

[elias49]

14. mea culpa

Sometimes I'm too quick to pop. I know enough about FC to have known better.

[No Elephants]

15. ? Did you notice what I bolded in the OP article?

[Liberalynn]

50. and stop threatening to take SS away

from the people who need it and earned it. He's even stopped reminding the public that it was the Pukes philosophies on governing that got us here in the first place. Now he is even being complicit in extending their failed policies.

He needs to stop throwing Dems under the bus and throw his new best buds the Boner, and Mitchie under there instead.

[napi21]

5. I'm better off now but much of my "better" doesn't have much to do

with Obama. I've not been abole to work for over 10 years but was stupid on my part for neve applying for disability, so when my husband retired & were both able to apply for SS we now get two SS checks, so our annual income went from $25,000 to $33,000. Obviously we're never going to be rich, but able to get by. We both have 401K accts which are surely not very large, but having the market rebound brought those accounts back to where they were before the crash so that's a positive for us. We have awhopping $150,000 combined in our 401Ks and I feel good that that is a cusion we will b abole to survve on thill we croak.

Like it or not, what Obama did to stort the rocovery of the econony was at least good for us & a lot of other people in the US.

[Hissyspit]

8. I'm worse off, but it's pretty much all due to policies and behavior of the Bush

administration.

[melm00se]

11. while I agree with you

to a certain point, at what point will folks stop blaming the Bush Administration (if ever)?

[No Elephants]

17. What's wrong with blaming Bush for the results of Bush's acts and omissions?

I think Hissyspit probably knows exactly what caused his or her situation.

I thought Republicans were all about taking responsibility for the consequences of their actions. *snort*

But, I agree we can't rightly blame Bush for everything. See Reply 18.

Why are you impatient with blaming Bush for the results of Bush's acts and omissions?

[Liberalynn]

52. One of the Problems is that Obama

has stopped blaming Bush. He should have been reminding the voters every chance he got that it was failed Puke policies that got us in this mess. Instead he got in bed with Mitch and the Boner two of the people who helped Bush and now he is too busy throwing insults and anger at the Democrats.

[melm00se]

57. gee

while you are busy reading my mind, tell me what I am thinking right now?

Why are you impatient with blaming Bush for the results of Bush's acts and omissions?

[No Elephants]

23. Next year, you may be less well off than this year, thanks to the cat food commission.

While you're still feeling flush (relatively) because of new income, put a good part of it away, just in case. Thst'd what I'd do.

[NewJeffCT]

9. People seem to have short memories

two years ago, the economy was on the verge of a Depression and the economy was shedding hundreds of thousands of jobs each month.

while Obama has been disappointing as a president, the economy has gotten better and at least private sector hiring has picked up over the past year.

[no_hypocrisy]

12. + 1

[SmileyRose]

19. +2

[martymar64]

25. Private Sector hiring has picked up . . . in India and China

This economy will not recover as long as we are squandering our treasure in two wars and borrowing more from china to finance a giveaway to billionaires that we all will be paying for.

In other words, this economy will not improve. I predict the 99er's ranks will swell and grow into tens of millions.

The rich have all the money now. They no longer have a need to invest anything anymore. They won't be hiring anybody but people to wash their yachts.

This country is done for, now and forever.


Thanks, Barack.

[NewJeffCT]

54. private sector hiring has been going on in the US

The problem is that the states have been shedding public sector jobs because almost every state is in terrible shape financially.

I'm not arguing that Obama has done a great job as president - he's been very disappointing. The stimulus was far too small and had too many tax cuts, healthcare reform was handled badly, Gitmo is still open, DADT hasn't been abolished, torture was never prosecuted, and the tax cut cave-in was pathetic, while Republics were allowed to control the debate from the get-go.

But, compared to two years ago, the economy is doing better and has improved, though not nearly as much as it should have.

[martymar64]

65. I think it will be too little too late to save us as a country

I know you are trying to find a silver lining in all this (can't say I blame you), but I'm afraid it's just not there.
I feel like we're the Soviet Union circa 1986, complete with our own war in Afghanistan and a lapdog press that would make Pravda blush. Obama is simply in the Gorbachev seat. Or maybe just Chernenko or Andropov, I don't know

I'd like a little good news as well but it just isn't there any more.

I think we'll just have to write off the next decade for America, it'll be just like the lost Generation in Japan's economy. My only hope is that it forces us to give up our overseas empire and get our troops out of Europe and the Middle East and end the wars. It's kind of hard to find a war when the invading countries economy and government collapses.

[No Elephants]

29. Please see Reply 26. Also, private sector hiring is much weaker than anticipated, despite bailouts

existing tax cuts, etc.

More proof that trickle down doesn't work as touted, yet we're going to keep going down thst road while squeezing the poorest even more. Plutonomy knows no Party.

[NewJeffCT]

53. the private sector is hiring, though

And yes, trickle down doesn't work and Obama should not have made the deal with Republicans. And, the stimulus was much weaker than it should have been... however, compared to 2008, the economy is in better shape overall.

[Owl]

51. +3

[LuckyLib]

58. And in addition to their short memories, they don't read and only hear passing sound bites on their

way past the tee-vee.

[RobinA]

61. Yeah, This Seems

like selective memory. Assuming one hasn't lost a job during Obama, which 50% of Americans have not. Personally I am slightly better off in that my investments have bounced back significantly. I have somewhat less of a worry that I will get axed by my health plan. On the other hand, I now have BIG worries about SS, given the recent actions. In other ways I am mostly even. I will probably not be getting raises for awhile, but I blame Bush and the PA legislature (I'm a state emplyee) for that. If the state lays me off I will also blame Bush et al., not Obama. I'm pretty disgusted with Obama at this point, but can't say he's made me worse off. Of course, I'm not a Quantanamo prisoner

[bowens43]

16. this isn't his fault.

this is fallout from the previous administration.

[No Elephants]

18. I agree in part. See Reply 17. However, blaming Bush for the "wrong direction" responses and

disapproval of Obama's recent compromise on extending tax cuts maybe a bit of a stretch.

[rosesaylavee]

39. Agreed.

And I do see a great difference in commercial construction this year compared to last year. I work for a national construction service and the amount and type of projects have improved immensely. We aren't back to where we were in early 2008 but getting there.

[TBF]

40. Wrong - it is a continuation of the previous administration

to be sure, and deliberately so. And in the end working folks will end up in worse shape because this democrat has actually decided to attack Social Security. Hold on, he ain't done yet.

[BigD_95]

47. not when Obama wants to

keep using Bush's same tax policy. Now Obama owns this mess as much as Bush.

[tom_paine]

21. That's what happens during Republican Presidencies.

Clinton was the exception, but only because the marginal slowing of wealth inequality and the fact that the bottom 80% rose ever so slightly, was financed by Negative Debt-Financed Growth Bushonomics used to sell the Rubes our own doom in a shiny new package.

Yep. Republican Presidencies suck for the vast majority of people, and Obama's is no different.

[RBInMaine]

22. It is because of a high unemployment rate that Obama always said would take YEARS to fix. It is not

about Obama personally.

[No Elephants]

26. That doesn't explain all the responses. Please see Replies 17 and 18 and, as another example of

the direction in which we seem to be going, Reply 23.

People never thought voting for change meant continuing Bush/Reagan "trickle down" policies and, with the cat food commission, going even further toward plutonomy.

[Centered]

24. Call it what it really is...

Just like a movie, too much hype builds unrealistic expectations and leads to easy "let-downs".

I believe President Obama is the victim of his own success, his campaign was electrifying. I would dare say too much so, hope and change in the USA is really a difficult thing to deliver. We have seen that even with a Super Majority how difficult it really is to get things done.

Do I believe I am worse off personally? Not really... but even if I was how is that the Presidents fault? Unless I can point to a specific "Executive Order" that affects me personally I can't blame anything on any President. (Although I'm certain there are several examples of those throughout history)

I have made bad personal choices that have put me in some interesting situations but I can honestly say that I am not "worse off"

[hobbit709]

27. If you're worse off every year for the last 5

Of course you were "better off" two years ago in comparison.

The last 5 years have seen my income drop 40% overall and after Donna died last year, our household income dropped over 80%.

[Centered]

28. I am very sorry for your loss

I do hope things improve for you.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

30. I'm better off now

[Blandocyte]

31. They'll say what Fox and conservative hate radio says

Conservative hate radio was railing against Obama beginning the day after the election. There has been a 24/7 campaign to influence Americans' opinions against him, dems and liberals in general. The "liberal elite media" is nowhere near as effective or widespread.

The messages from the media seem to take the place of thinking over time. The content of the messages becomes the new normal as people hear them over and over; it's sort of like putting humidity into a house-- slowly and day in/day out, eventually everything absorbs the humidity. Keeping the "Obama sucks" messages going 24/7 makes it soak in until peak saturation is acheived.

Makes me nostalgic for a time before media wallpaper, before the mouthpieces of the rich could buy up huge swaths of broadcast media and flood the country with video, audio, tweets and status posts all designed to let you know what they will benefit from you believing..

[adnelson60087]

32. The OP bolded a line about Reagan's approval numbers...

but did Reagan ever turn on the base of his OWN PARTY?? There will be a price to be paid. Count on it.

[mdmc]

33. Obama and Palin are both as great as Reagan

All love the trickle down..

[Cherchez la Femme]

34. Liberals, all

damn them!

Oh, wait... we're not near that many


OK, 80% of Democrats approve of Obama

um, that would mean the total number of Democrats is insignificant...


I'm stumped. What's the spin going to be?

[MODem75]

35. Personally I am much better off now than in 2008.

[MannyGoldstein]

36. If only we'd had Democratic majorities in Congress

Or a President who was an adequate public speaker.

But the cards were stacked against us. We never had a chance.

[craigmatic]

37. This makes sense if you think about it. The full weight of bush's fuck ups didn't really

hit until after Obama took office so it looks like Obama is doing worse than he really is.

[whatacountry09]

38. I do agree, BUT...

How could we not be? This was ALL CAUSED BY BUSH. Bush did all of this and then left - so of course we are worse off - that s#it was coming down the pike and he got out just in time. The fact and the reality is that he made this mess, left and Obama did inherit it.

Now, having said that... Obama has disappointed me with all the reaching to those most selfish group of persons who would sell their mother if they knew they would benefit from it in some way. His campaign was based on some BIG promises for some MAJOR f-ups from the Bush administration and in my opinion... he just continued each and every one of them (like wiretapping, "looking forward" instead of holding war criminals responsible for their criminal behavior, gitmo, watering down health-care, continuing taxes for the rich - even when they admitted they were being taxed to little, DADT (could've signed an executive order) and a couple of others). And Bush created this economic hell we're living in... NOT Obama!

So...with the exception of the taxes, health-care & DADT... this was all BUSH! So of course... instead of that wealth they always speak of "trickling down" to us... we got all the s#it instead!

:banghead:

[madrchsod]

41. yes and...

it`s his fault that people believe we are headed in the wrong direction.

[stray cat]

42. Since the economy melt down happened in the last months of 2007 it's a given

But Americans appear unable to use logic and thought for anything

[Bluenorthwest]

43. How any individual is doing at any given time is not always

indicative of the larger picture. Most of us are on shakier ground in general than we usually are, this is greatly due to Bush policy and also, as it were, Bush culture. However, President Obama has not done any of the things he ran on that would have helped my household. I assume this would please him if he knew it, because we are 'not sanctified' as he says, that is we are a gay household. None of the changes that would benefit us have been made. We are still unfairly denied the right to jointly file, of course, as we are not 'sanctified' and our laws are all about sanctity, according to the Chief of Bagrahm Prison.

[MannyGoldstein]

44. But it is indicative of election outcomes.

Ugh.

[Bragi]

45. Who thinks any President actually controls the economy?

Hands up if you think the President has such control over the (global?) economy that his or her decisions determine whether the well-being of all citizens is better or worse over a period of time?

Just wondering.

I personally think Presidents have the ability to apportion pain and rewards as between different groups in society, but I don't think they really have the levers needed to determine overall economic conditions or overall well-being.

On the matter of Obama's record in apportioning pain as between different economic groups in society, I don't think his record is good. When all is said and done, the rich continue to get richer, and the poor continue to get poorer.

[bitchkitty]

46. That's what happens

when you disregard your base.

To be fair, many Americans are so intellectually shallow that they don't take into account the past eight years of Bush raping the country. But Obama squandered his opportunities, and rather than serve the people who elected him, he decided to suck up to the people that despise him, and despise us.

[NikRik]

48. Bad is Bad ,worst inspit of !

How can people say thay are worst off then under Bush . The corrupt Bush Presidency is was what set this country on this course and now they are holding any attempt Obama wants to make to change and improve things is as the President said being held hostage by the repuks.Its blackmail plain and simple!When someone says if you do this we are going to do something you wont like thats BLACKLMAIL Obama wants to continue the tax breaks for the middle class (whats left of it ) and the poor and needy of our country and raise taxes on the 2% richest in our country which has more billionaires then ever.The republicians are snubbing their noses(big long lying ones)at the Americian people.We elected Obama so that we could have change and fairness in our goverment.People might say how do the rich sleep at night knowing they can help this country just by paying a little more of alot of money they make, believe me they sleep like babies since the blackmailing repuks have protected them from paying their fair share. Also with the condition of our economy what bis do we have still maintaining so many milatary bases around the world. There are things we could have done to raise revenue for our ailing economy.How about somekind of new deal program like our great 4 term Pres did when our country was in a depression.Do we have to wait for the depression B/4 we start such a program? I've been out of work for over a year ,mad as hell that I cannot support my family which includes two young children. It sickens me the greed and selfisness of so many of the top income earners,I dont want a hand out just a hand!
NikRik

[HughBeaumont]

55. Here's an idea, Dumberica -

STOP believing "Trickle Down" economics works and START getting more involved in the political process!!!

Politicians who aid and abet Trickle Down theft are your enemy.

So, voters, think things are bad under Obama? Great, let's put one of those ever-knowledgable Republicans in office for eight more years. Oh, and this particular Republican, no matter who it is, will make George W look like a competent saint. Oh, what's that? Gee, why are you hesitant, looking up at the sky? All of a sudden, you remember 2001-2008??? EXACTLY.

Not happy? You know, your choice doesn't HAVE to be "Eisenhower Republican", "Batshit Insane Lunatic" or "Symbolic Vote".

Bush got whatever he wanted because progressive politicians (i.e. ones that give a fuck about YOUR rights, YOUR needs and this country's future and sustainability) are in ridiculously short supply. They're replaced by Republican-leaning milquetoasts (i.e. "New" Democrats) and Batshit Insane Lunatics (i.e. "Republicans). See fat-fonted point one, above.

It also helps when you have an America that will never, ever, EVER blame the rich or hold them the least bit accountable for their rotting of America.

The wealthy are the ones stealing your fucking money and you don't even get that they are.

There is NO liberal media. There never was. Even in the 60s-70s, corporate embarassment was pretty much kept to a minimum, sometimes not at all. Anyone who thinks any GE-owned station that regularly features musings from old corporate Bundists like Bernie Marcus or Jack Welch is "liberal" needs to get a train of clues dropped on their skull.

If odds mean anything, you aren't going to be the next Mark Zuckerberg. Get that dream out of your heads, because it's not going to happen to your Pop-Tart-munching asses. Horatio Alger is a rarity and an exception, NOT the rule.

The have-too-littles aren't your problem.

The government is not even in charge of the government anymore.

There is no fucking Daddy that's going to make everything better, whether governmental or especially corporate.

It's laughable that "independent-thinking" people who hate the government SO much still vote, still spend 90% of their time bashing ONE party, still blame that party whenever things go wrong (even if they AREN'T going wrong) and still think a publicly-traded, corporate-run America would be nothing short of utopia.

The privileged class isn't going to get the point until they're running for their lives.

Trust me, this by no means gives Bush a free pass. That fuck-up aided and abetted corporate theft just like his mentor Reagan, despite how much Faux News wants us to believe HE was the one that threw up "warning signs".

And to be frank, the whole "big picture" is too far gone to completely solve. "Small victories" here and there are about all you can hope for nowadays.

[goforit]

56. Obama is "Mini me" to GW Bush. Or W's "poodle"

[SOS]

59. A survey question I'd like to see...

"After 30 years of Chicago School shock treatment, are you better or worse off?"

Our current national failure is the result of three decades of Friedman/Reagan/Thatcher/Greenspan/Chicago School neoliberal shock treatment.

The US had a chance to change direction in 2008-2010, but Wall Street ordered their employees in the DC Green Zone to "stay the course"

[HughBeaumont]

63. Thissssssssssss . . .

http://www.theyrule.net

[and-justice-for-all]

60. Things would be much better than they are if Obama...

would roll back bush policies, instead of just putting lipstick on them.

[slackmaster]

62. That number will go much higher if middle-class tax cuts are not extended

Way, way higher.

[daleo]

64. Obama defined himself as the "anti-Bush" during the election campaign

But while governing, not so much.

[crim son]

66. I'm worse off, but the decline started while the shrub was in office.

Right now I couldn't claim that Obama has either helped or hurt me. However when the tax cut extensions for the rich are a done deal, I'm going to feel differently.

[defendandprotect]

67. k/r