Can D’s Turn Around Obama’s “Crashing” Approval in Florida?
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Congress’ nasty mud wrestling over the debt ceiling stained President Barack Obama, too.
The latest Quinipiac poll found Obama’s approval rating in this key state was “crashing.”
Here is the first line of their news release:
“The national debt ceiling deal does not rescue President Barack Obama’s crashing job approval rating in Florida as he gets a negative 44 – 51 percent score among voters surveyed August 1 – 2, after the deal was announced, compared to a negative 44 – 50 percent score among voters surveyed July 27 – 31, before the deal, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. “
If things couldn’t get worse for the president, the poll also found he was losing the independents – 52-42 percent disapproved of his job handling.
Ouch.
Is there any way out of this mess? It is too early to tell because politics moves so fast and changes daily.
But Browardbeat.com pollster Jim Kane warns the president doesn’t have much time to turn it around.
“His fate is tied to the economy,” Kane said. “And he doesn’t have until Nov, 2012. Many studies show there has to be some improvement by four to six months out.”
Kane said the Republicans could shoot themselves in the foot by nominating a candidate from the far right, like U. S. Rep. Michele Bachmann. Other more mainstream candidates like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney or Texas Gov. Rick Perry could beat the president, he said.
Obama was winning a face off with Perry in the latest poll.
However, the president was breaking even in the head-to-head survey with Romney. Both have 44 percent, compared with 46 to 41 percent lead Obama had before the debt deal.
All this tells me that Broward Democrats have some heavy lifting to do if Obama is going to win Florida, which is almost a must.
That’s why folks like Ken Evans have become so importent to the Democrats. Evans, the northeast Broward Democratic leader, is building a cadre of activists in the Pompano Beach-east Deerfield Beach communities.
Ken Evans
Since this in the only part of Broward where the Republicans have real strength, any inroads Evans makes there cuts into GOP chances in 2012.
Evans tells me he has five growing clubs full of new members. It has yet to be proven whether these activists can pump up the turnout for Democrats in this GOP bastion, but at least Evans is trying.
Obama’s fate is in the hands of Democrats like Evans!
Let the games begin.
XXXXX
The Quinipiac poll and news release is here.
August 4th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
The most underrated factor in florida’s election is the most unpopular governor in the union. Romney has been able to completely avoid the spotlight so far, including associating with the Governor and the debt deal.
Further, While all the GOP candidates are politicking against President Obama, the President has not been able to engage any of his political opponents directly yet.
Even after these advantages, his notoriety, and and the state of the economy, Romney is still only tied.
Last and most importantly is the electoral math. Obama’s chances of re-election do not hinge on florida but the republican’s chances do. The President can still win the election without Florida if he gets OH and PA. If Obama wins Florida he will win the election.
271 electoral votes is all it takes.
August 4th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Obama will face 2 major candidates..a Goper and a tea partier and will win in a walk
August 4th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Well Buddy, it’s a little early for this. All I can say is that I intend to work for Obama’s re-election – which is the first time ever working for anyone’s campaign- and lots of my friends are gonna join me. It’s the young vote, facebook, twitter,etc that will make the difference…you just wait and see. And by the way, was this poll done with cell phones or old people land lines? So how valid is it?
August 4th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
The new slogan for the Republican Party should be; “Nineteeth century solutions to 21st century problems. Dismantle medicare and medicaid, privatize social security, turn government operations over to billionaire robber barons, abolish EPA,FDA,ETC. The GOP only holds on to power by courting groups of single issue voters (abortion foes, gun nuts, global warming deniers) that are blind to the fact that GOP policies are favorable only to about 2% of the population.
The Dems are just inept at messaging.
August 4th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
if today’s activity is any indication, the stock market didn’t care much for the mud wrestling either
August 4th, 2011 at 6:32 pm
The poll is way too early to have any real value.
I agree with Watcher. The R’s are too fractioned right now. There will be a Tea Party candidate and they’ll split the vote with Obama coasting back to the White House. It will be interesting to see if the same thing happens in the Congressional races.
AJ – I would love to see the source for your BS 2% figure. Amazing how the 2010 elections turned out the way they did with only 2% of the population agreeing with the Republicans’ position.
August 4th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Do you remember the message of the 2010 elections? Jobs. Create jobs. Create real jobs which are decent paying. So, where are the jobs? No one in Washington has recevied the message – not Allen West or Barack Obama, much less Messrs. Boehner, Reid, and McConnell.
The GOP says if only we can reduce taxes on the rich, they will create the jobs. Bullhocky. American industry reportedly has over $2 trillion squirreled away that they could use to create the jobs, but they haven’t done so.
The way you create jobs is by creating demand for products and services. Then, the industrialists will hire like there is no tomorrow so they can meet the demand.
The way you create demand for products and services is by assuring that working class people, the consumers, have money to spend and do so.
I’ve seen no effort by Republicans or Democrats to assure working class consumers have money, much less jobs by which they can make money.
Just like Herbert Hoover we are cutting spending on anything that would create more jobs. Obama has shown no leadership in this regard and seems only too ready to compromise with Republicans on any budget cut imagineable, including even supporting cuts in medicare and social security.
And now it is a big surprise that his support is collapsing. People vote their pocketbooks. Trouble is, with the election a little more than a year away, there are many candidates to vote against, but I see no one to vote for.
August 5th, 2011 at 12:34 am
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2011/04/judy_stern_broward_democratic_party.php
Read the above link and you will see Ken Evans is just another Judy Stern hack that is all a part of the old guard that has sucked the life out of Democrats in the County. The worst kept secret is that Judy is planning to run her daughter Barbara again against Moritas, maybe with Mr. Evans help Barbara can break 37%. Another example of what is wrong with the Democratic Party statewide on dows, tens of thousands of dollars was wasted by the party in Stern’s race that could have been used to help dems in races that were they had a chance.
FROM BUDDY: Browardbeat.com earlier had the story that Barbra Stern is considering another campaign for state House on June 1.
August 5th, 2011 at 7:38 am
The Dirty Dozen of 2008
If only we could fit all the bums in…
By New Times staff Thursday, Dec 18 2008
Not surprisingly, Broward and Palm Beach counties had more than their share of backroom deals, slimy alliances, ego trips, and moral shilly-shallying this year. So many scoundrels, so many liars, so many wimps and turncoats. So many bums stalking our backyards in 2008, in fact, that New Times considered expanding its annual Dirty Dozen list. Each gets a rating on our Dirt Meter, with one being merely nauseating and 10 for downright despicable.
Scott Israel In the wide open, five-candidate race for the Democratic nomination for Broward sheriff that raged last summer, Scott Israel distinguished himself as the most desperate, unscrupulous option. The police chief of tiny North Bay Village had been a lifelong Republican, an affiliation he hoped would earn him an interview with our GOP governor. In the fall of 2007, Crist needed an interim replacement for Sheriff Ken Jenne, who pleaded guilty to corruption charges. But Crist didn’t even give Israel an interview before he appointed Al Lamberti. Then Israel changed his party registration to Democrat. Presumably, after selling that part of one’s political soul, it’s easier to part with what’s left. Israel hired a ruthless campaign adviser in Judy Stern, and then embarked on a fundraising drive that included vendors who served the Broward Sheriff’s Office, suggesting that he learned nothing from Jenne about the danger of mingling contracts with political favors. Flush with campaign dollars, Israel’s name was plastered all over Broward, though not on the malicious literature aimed at his rivals. One hit mailer portrayed former federal prosecutor Bruce Udolf, a Southwest Ranches resident, as a hayseed. Another contained a cartoon likeness of Wiley Thompson, an African-American, wearing a bow tie (a brilliant attempt to suggest Uncle Tom sell-out to black voters and black Muslim to paranoid white voters). Israel won the primary. But his dirty games backfired. In a general election where Barack Obama’s candidacy drove high Democrat turnout, droves of voters cast ballots for Republican Lamberti. Israel made a deal with the Devil, and he learned a hard lesson in how the Devil gets his due. Dirty Meter reading: 6 (Anything higher is like dancing on a grave.)
August 5th, 2011 at 10:47 am
@ unbelievable
Read my post again. I did not say 2% of the people agree with the GOP position. The economic benefits of the GOP accrue to the top 2% income earners. Income for the top has risen exponentially over the last decade while it has stagnated in the middle and dropped for the bottom 20%.
August 11th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Obama=Dope