Obama’s Leadership… Declining

Forty percent (40%) of voters nationwide give President Obama good or excellent marks for leadership. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 41% rate the president’s leadership as poor.

The current ratings are the lowest yet recorded for Obama. A month ago, 47% gave him good or excellent marks for leadership. A year ago, 56% were positive about his leadership skills.

Even as the president reaches out to Republicans to try to get his health care plan back on track, 32% of voters describe his leadership style as too confrontational, up two points from earlier this month and the highest such finding of his presidency. Twenty-one percent (21%) say Obama is too cooperative. Thirty-five percent (35%) say his leadership style is about right.

Not surprisingly, there is a huge partisan difference. Most Democrats (58%) say the president’s style is about right, and very few in his party think he’s too confrontational. Fifty percent (50%) of Republicans say he’s too confrontational, and very few think he’s too cooperative. Those not affiliated with either major party are more divided in their opinion. Thirty-four percent (34%) say he’s too confrontational; 34% say his style is about right, and 16% say too cooperative.

Seventy-five percent (75%) of Democrats give the president good or excellent marks for leadership, while 68% give him poor marks. Among unaffiliated voters, 29% say good or excellent, while 43% say poor.

Victory will be Hard to Achieve

Voter confidence in America’s conduct of the War on Terror has reached its highest level since last May.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 50% of likely voters now believe the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror, up 12 points from last month and 14 points from late December.

Only 21% now believe the terrorists hold the advantage, down 10 points from January and the lowest level measured since last August. Another 21% say neither side is winning, a figure that has held relatively steady over the past several years.

Democrats are slightly more confident in U.S. efforts in the war, with 54% who believe the United States and its allies are winning. A month ago, just 41% of Democrats felt that way. Forty-eight percent (48%) of Republicans and 46% of those not affiliated with either party agree.

However, a separate survey finds that despite a highly publicized and thus far successful U.S. offensive against Taliban forces now taking place in Afghanistan, just 47% of voters believe it is possible for the United States to win the war there. That’s down from 51% in early December.

China: A Current Threat, a Future Danger

Half the nation’s voters (50%) view China as a long-term threat to the United States, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Fueling this sentiment is concern over how much U.S. debt China now owns and the expectation that China will use that debt against the United States at a later point in time.

Just 21% do not believe China is a long-term threat, but another 29% are undecided.

Eighty six percent (86%) of voters are at least somewhat concerned about the level of U.S. debt now owned by China, including 62% who are very concerned. Just 11% voters are not very or not at all concerned about how much U.S. debt China now owns.

Seventy-three percent (73%) believe it is at least somewhat likely China will use this debt against the United States in some fashion within the next five years. That number includes 45% who believe it is very likely. Only 16% say China is unlikely to use the debt against America, but that finding includes just two percent (2%) who say it’s not at all likely. Twelve percent (12%) are undecided.

Rethinking US Stimulus Plan

Another Day with the Health Care Plan

Voters still strongly oppose the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats and think Congress should focus instead on smaller bills that address problems individually rather than a comprehensive plan.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 41% of voters favor the proposed health care plan, while 56% oppose it. Those figures include 45% who strongly oppose the plan and just 23% who strongly favor it.

Support for and opposition to the plan are at the same levels they’ve been at since just after Thanksgiving.

Democrats continue to strongly support the health care plan much while it is opposed by Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party. Seventy percent (70%) of the Political Class strongly favor the plan, while 57% of Mainstream voters strongly oppose it.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of all voters say a better strategy to reform the health care system would be to pass smaller bills that address problems individually. Twenty-seven percent (27%) still think passing a comprehensive bill that covers all aspects of the health care system is a better idea. Eleven percent (11%) are undecided.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of those who strongly support the president’s plan favor a comprehensive approach, while 85% of those who strongly oppose the current plan say smaller, individually-focused bills are a better way to go.

Earlier this month, just after the president called for a bipartisan summit meeting to get his health care reform plan back on track, 61% of voters said Congress should scrap that plan and start all over again. 

The latest findings, from a survey Sunday and Monday nights, come as the president prepares to convene the nationally televised summit meeting on Thursday. Obama is struggling to get some Republican support after the shock GOP win last month in Massachusetts’ special Senate election forced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to admit that she didn’t have even enough Democratic votes to pass the plan.

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Marzo 4, 2010 · Filed Under INTERNATIONAL

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