"So now a 50% job approval rating is a bad thing?"

[Clio the Leo]

So now a 50% job approval rating is a bad thing?

April 26, 2010 2:09 pm ET by Eric Boehlert

It's rather amusing to see how the Beltway press corps has developed a completely new standard by which they judge president Obama.

Here's John Harwood in today's New York Times:

Inside Washington, President Obama is savoring a springtime resurgence: signs of economic recovery, victory on health care, the upper hand in the financial regulation debate. Outside Washington, not so much. Polls show the president with job approval ratings of 50 percent or lower, as Democratic strategists brace for a thumping in the midterm elections.

The political press has spent the last eight months erroneously claiming that Obama was suffering from "falling poll numbers." But he wasn't. At Gallup, Obama's rating hasn't really budged from the 50 percent mark since late last August. So now some in the press have dropped the "falling poll numbers" approach, but claim that his is 50 percent approval is very, very troubling.

But is it? As I noted last week, these were the job approval ratings for recent presidents at the same juncture of their first term as Obama is now:

-Clinton: 52%

-Reagan: 46%

-Carter: 48%

-Ford: 47%

And yes, by all indications president George W. Bush was headed for the exact same polling spot, prior to the attacks of 9/11, which artificially boosted his ratings.

So basically, Obama's approval rating is right where recent presidents were, or even slightly higher than that. But in today's press corps, that's a bad thing.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201004260028

[BlooInBloo]

1. Rule #1 of your liberal media: no matter what happens, it's good news for republicans.

[WeDidIt]

2. It's Black Executive Syndrome

Any black manager in the corporate world must perform three times better than his best performing white peer to be considered in the same league as his worst performing white peer.

This is a well known fact in corporate management.

[Clio the Leo]

5. lol, good point. NT

[caledesi]

8. I am a woman so "I get it." NT

[Go2Peace]

3. The only ones I see or hear talking about it this way are a few on this site?

(the 1% change that everyone seems fixated on)? Honestly, what is with the 10 posts about this today :shrug:

[zulchzulu]

4. This could be a talking point for Moron Joe to talk about the poll numbers

As Moron Joe looks to Mika, he could guffaw and say:

"So if you are on a subway now going to New York to work right next to the ruins of 9/11, you could say that every other person (dramatic pause between words) there working hard for America DON'T (insert big giggley laugh here) Like... (pause for drama) Obama!"

Mika would look right at the camera and with an adoring eye toward Moron Joe, nod like some automaton soccer mom already working on her first morning shots of vodka to deal with the asshat she works with. Cue to "More Than A Feeling" by Boston and some Starbucks graphics where they wipe the coffee stain off.

Moron Joe's chuckle could be heard as they go to a pharma commercial break.

[Go2Peace]

7. Move away from the beltway and talking head TV, veerrry slooowly ;)

They have much more dramatic things that they have already captured the few rational cells of the 28%ers?

[jillan]

6. I love John Harwood.

He's seems like such a decent human being. He's always so straightforward in his writings.

And he is so hawt!