Rinata
Gold Member
- Oct 5, 2009
- 6,790
- 973
President Obamas latest increase in his approval rating has put him on at the same level as Bill Clinton and Ronald Ronald Reagan during their first terms.
The right loves to compare President Obama to Jimmy Carter but a comparison of presidential approval ratings using Gallups data reveals that Obama has much more in common with Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan than he does with recent one term only presidents.
President Obamas current Gallup weekly approval rating is 52%. At the same point in their first terms, Bill Clintons approval rating was 58%, and Ronald Reagans was 54%. At roughly the same date in his presidency, Jimmy Carters approval rating was 37%. (After losing the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan, Carter would sink to 31%.) George H.W. Bushs approval rating was 34% in mid-October 1992.
Even though Republicans will never admit it, Obamas approval ratings curve has much more in common with Ronald Reagan than it does with Jimmy Carter. What these numbers tell us is that presidents who either inherit recessions or have one occur during their first terms have lower approval ratings during their first years in office. Once the economy starts to recover, the incumbent presidents approval ratings go up.
As the economy has shown real signs of improvement, Obama has seen his approval rating increase by 6 points in less than two months. Mitt Romney is attempting to argue that President Obama is an economic failure despite the fact that economic data, and the presidents approval ratings suggest the opposite.
Obama's First Term Approval Ratings Now Equal Clinton and Reagan
The right loves to compare President Obama to Jimmy Carter but a comparison of presidential approval ratings using Gallups data reveals that Obama has much more in common with Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan than he does with recent one term only presidents.
President Obamas current Gallup weekly approval rating is 52%. At the same point in their first terms, Bill Clintons approval rating was 58%, and Ronald Reagans was 54%. At roughly the same date in his presidency, Jimmy Carters approval rating was 37%. (After losing the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan, Carter would sink to 31%.) George H.W. Bushs approval rating was 34% in mid-October 1992.
Even though Republicans will never admit it, Obamas approval ratings curve has much more in common with Ronald Reagan than it does with Jimmy Carter. What these numbers tell us is that presidents who either inherit recessions or have one occur during their first terms have lower approval ratings during their first years in office. Once the economy starts to recover, the incumbent presidents approval ratings go up.
As the economy has shown real signs of improvement, Obama has seen his approval rating increase by 6 points in less than two months. Mitt Romney is attempting to argue that President Obama is an economic failure despite the fact that economic data, and the presidents approval ratings suggest the opposite.
Obama's First Term Approval Ratings Now Equal Clinton and Reagan