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Obama’s First Term Approval Ratings Now Equal Clinton and Reagan
President Obama’s 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 Gallup’s data reveals that Obama has much more in common with Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan than he does with recent one term only presidents.
Obama’s overall first term approval rating average is 49%. Bill Clinton’s first term approval rating average was 49.6%, and Ronald Reagan’s was 50.3%. In contrast, George H.W. Bush’s first term approval rating average was 60.9%, and Jimmy Carter’s was 45.5%.
President Obama’s current Gallup weekly approval rating is 52%. At the same point in their first terms, Bill Clinton’s approval rating was 58%, and Ronald Reagan’s was 54%. At roughly the same date in his presidency, Jimmy Carter’s approval rating was 37%. (After losing the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan, Carter would sink to 31%.) George H.W. Bush’s approval rating was 34% in mid-October 1992.
Even though Republicans will never admit it, Obama’s 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 president’s 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 president’s approval ratings suggest the opposite.
Both Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan saw their approval ratings take off after they won a second term. While it is impossible to know for sure, the current trajectory of the economy combined with President Obama’s personal popularity suggests Obama is on a similar track if he wins reelection.
The Republican argument that Obama is an unpopular colossal failure simply doesn’t match up with reality. The Obama that Mitt Romney is running against is a failed left wing socialist that voters are rejecting on a daily basis.
The Gallup data illustrates the reality that Obama is much closer to Bill Clinton in terms of being a personally popular centrist Democrat.
Much like Reagan and Clinton, Obama has personal likability and an appeal to the political middle.
Barack Obama looks more like a potential two term success story than a one term failure.
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8 Responses to Obama’s First Term Approval Ratings Now Equal Clinton and Reagan
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Navyveteran
Oct. 10th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Way to go President Obama! We know who has our back and who cares for U.S.! It is tough when those that represent us in congress deliberately set out to harm our nation just to bring you down, but you have stood strong! I am one of the 47%, and I LOVE YOU! Thanks for fighting for women, the military, seniors, children, and the middle class; but most important, for our nation! pe
deweyjohn
Oct. 10th, 2012 at 7:15 pm
Thank you for you`re service Navyveteran I feel exactly the same as you do my friend ! Obama 2012 !! PS I Loved you`re response to Jed about the Fallen Marine,Thank you for that !
Reynardine
Oct. 10th, 2012 at 7:42 pm
My godson referred to a person who had incurred his ire, herein unnamed, as being “as brilliant as George Bush and as honest as Mitt Romney”.
Diana
Oct. 11th, 2012 at 12:24 am
I can’t understand how his approval rating can be so great and the polls show him tied or losing to Romney? Romney is a lying, tax cheating, draft dodging, Mormon, who thinks he is better than the rest of us and we should just give him the presidency. Why should he have to show us or tell us anything, he wants to be president so we should vote for him, he doesn’t have to give us any details. The real Mitt Romney is the one you saw talking to his “peers” and fellow rich men, the only place he really feels comfortable. There he gave his real views 47% of the country are moochers that he doesn’t care about(even though technically most of them probably pay a higher tax rate than him), there is nothing we can do about the situation in the Middle East just have to hope for the best and kick it down the road, too bad he wasn’t a Mexican instead of his dad just being born there it would have helped him get elected, they will use his wife sparingly so,people will not get tired of her. He is a racist, anti feminist, elitist, Mormon religious fanatic idiot who knows nothing about foreign affairs and would have us in a world war before the end of his first term, which I am sure is what some of his billionaire backers want, for profit. Are the people of this country really that stupid or bigoted or are these polls that bad?
Hsquared
Oct. 11th, 2012 at 7:39 am
Of course this barely rates a mention in the corporate media. Can you imaging if his approval rating was tanking? You wouldn’t be able to turn on your television without hearing about it.
jack
Oct. 14th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Im not sure how much better off I will be with Obama but im pretty sure how worse off I’ll be with Mittens. The republicans love slammin Obama for not getting things done but are quick to ignore that its hugely part due to the republican run congress. republicans vowed to block any and all Of Obamas bills no matter what it does to the country. The republican party today IS NOT the party it used to be. The congress now has approval rating less than Gadophy did (and those were from the people he was trying to kill) and just barley above pedophiles. The 5% that do approve are the ones profiting from it.
Anne
Oct. 14th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
There are those of us who are pleased with the Obama presidency, while there are others who see it as much the lesser of two “evils.” Given the fact that he has had signficant successes in spite of the Congressional GOP obstructionism that Lyin’ Ryan has been so much a part of, I can imagine how much more he would have accomplished with a Congress that would work with him. I also dread the prospect of a Romney presidency, because in spite of all his lies and flip flops, he has a proven record both as Massachusetts governor and as CEO of Bain Capital which proves he would heavily favor the wealthy over everyone else. Those of us who value the truth see right through him.
Dell Martin
Oct. 14th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
Rarely does the voting public get a glimpse of the real inner thoughts of a presidential candidate. Usually we just see what they want us to see. But the video of Romney with his wealthy peer group telling them what he really thinks – that should have been a “game over” event. He thinks 47% of America takes no responsibility for their actions. When he gets caught, all he has to say is “Oh – I’m actually for 100% of Americans!” and people believe this? Why is it OK for these people that he has changed his position on almost every single issue, depending on who his audience is? I’m starting to believe they just think “Well, he doesn’t really mean that so it’s not important what he’s saying, we just like him” (or more likely, they just hate the president). And if there is any doubt in anybody’s mind that this man is a liar, just read about his experience of running for governor of Mass. He said he lived in Mass. and paid his taxes in Mass. How dumb do you have to be (or perhaps “elite” – how dare they check up on me?) with something so easily verifiable? He in fact lived in Utah and paid his taxes in Utah. Why they allowed him to retroactively go back and change it to Massachusetts, I’ll never understand. We should not allow such an unethical, lying elitist run our country.