Polls Ask the Wrong Questions

The polls say that most people think we are overwhelmingly on the wrong track in this country and that makes Obama look bad for the next election.  It is assumed that it reflects poorly upon the President.  His approval rating hovers around 41% to 44%, worse than any other President at this point in time.  And yet, Obama is defeating his opponents in one of the most Republican conservative states, South Carolina!  This clearly contradicts the polls, so maybe the polls are asking the wrong questions.

When people answer the question of whether the country is on the right or wrong track, why do we assume it is all about Obama?  Personally, I think the country is on the wrong track but it has nothing to do with Obama and everything to do with a dysfunctional Congress and a Supreme Court that is composed of ideologues  rather than legal experts. President Obama is facing an unprecedented obstructionist opposition party that will stop at nothing until he is driven out of office.  Gone are the moderate Republicans that can find compromise.  Compromise has become equated with weakness and arrogance is now what people respect.  At no other time in our history has the media been so influential in forming the opinions of our people.  A lie or half truth gets repeated 24/7 on cable news programs or talk radio and in a few days it becomes dogma.  Obama is experiencing a full court press from all sides, even his own party , because he is willing to compromise for the good of the country.

When asked about approval rating, it is hard to answer in the affirmative because this President is handcuffed by a dysfunctional government.  He lives in the land of no and nothing he says or does is going to change that.  His opponents know that they can make him an impotent President because they control the purse strings.  Included in that approval rating poll are the people on the left who think that this president is too accommodating towards his opponents.  Obama, by nature, is more of a gentleman than a thug, more of a professor than politician, and more of a centrist than a liberal or conservative.  Unfortunately he lives in a world of thugs, politicians, and extremists.  For example, the debt ceiling crisis was a defining moment for his Presidency.  If Obama had stood up to his Republican opponents and shut down the government, his poll numbers would be much higher today.  If he drew the line in the sand on extending the Bush tax cuts, he would have gained more favor with the left and his approval rating would be much higher today.  So maybe the question the pollsters should be asking is," Would you have a more positive view of this President if he did less compromising?"

President Obama is probably one of the most intelligent, hard working Presidents we have ever had.  He has less of an ego than most and he puts the good of the country before himself.  He is a different breed, thinking of those less fortunate citizens who would be harmed by shutting down the government.  He thinks of those who are unemployed and puts them before his poll numbers.  He is a good and decent man living in a world of slime.  Some on both sides were turned off by his push for universal health care in his first two years.  It either wasn't enough or it went too far.  In reality, he had to make it happen at that moment simply because he had a Democratic Congress, and even at that it is not everything he wanted.  Is it better than the status quo?  Will it save people from personal bankruptcy, will it save lives?  Will it save a middle class family a small fortune by insuring their children until the age of twenty six?  Absolutely!  Is it perfect?  Absolutely not, but it is a start and Obama made it happen because he made it a priority.

Say what you want about this President, his heart is in the right place.  His priority is the safety of our country not the poll numbers.  Osama Bin Ladin along with most of the leaders of Al Qaeda were his top priority, unlike the last Republican President.  And he did it without water boarding anyone.  I know I sleep a little better knowing that we are much safer now from the threat of terrorism.  He deserves the credit because he made it a priority.  The Stock Market has nearly doubled in his time as President and about half of all Americans who have invested in the market have benefited financially.  We were losing eight hundred thousand jobs a month and after Obama's economic rescue we have steadily gained jobs each month since.  He stopped the hemorraging and the job numbers would have been much better if he had a cooperative Congress.  Detroit is back in business because of his actions and our government has made a profit on the money that was paid back by the institutions.

So maybe the pollsters are asking the questions in the wrong way.  Maybe they should restructure the wording.  Instead of asking if you approve of the President's performance in the last few years, maybe we should ask if we approve of the effort this President has made since he was in office?  I firmly believe he would score much higher in the polls.  He is the man in the arena and he has put up a good fight.  President Obama has earned a second chance in my humble opinion.  He has survived a barrage of criticism from both sides and his opponents offer no feasible solutions to the very complex problems we are facing. When you compare Obama to the embarrassing selection of Republican opponents, it is no contest.  We should be thankful he is willing to run again!!!  Wake up, America!