| Apr 23, 2009 @ 6:15 PM |
Yes we can...
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Loreli
Posts: 25,792
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I hope he can pull us through the sludge left behind
[QUOTE]Thursday 4/23/09
Americans Still Give High Marks to New President, Poll Shows
By RON FOURNIER and TREVOR TOMPSON
,
AP
posted: 3 HOURS 40 MINUTES AGO
WASHINGTON (April 23) - For the first time in years, more Americans than not say the country is headed in the right direction, a sign that Barack Obama has used the first 100 days of his presidency to lift the public's mood and inspire hopes for a brighter future.
Intensely worried about their personal finances and medical expenses, Americans nonetheless appear realistic about the time Obama might need to turn things around, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. It shows most Americans consider their new president to be a strong, ethical and empathetic leader who is working to change Washington.
Political Machine Blog: Obama's Disapproval Rating Hits New High
Nobody knows how long the honeymoon will last, but Obama has clearly transformed the yes-we-can spirit of his candidacy into a tool of governance. His ability to inspire confidence — Obama's second book is titled "The Audacity of Hope" — has thus far buffered the president against the harsh political realities of two wars, a global economic meltdown and countless domestic challenges.
"He presents a very positive outlook," said Cheryl Wetherington, 35, an independent voter who runs a chocolate shop in Gardner, Kan. "He's very well-spoken and very vocal about what direction should be taken."
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What’s Your Take?
What do you think of Barack Obama’s presidency so far? Has he lived up to your expectations?
Read Answers (343)
Related: Obama, Politics, Economy
Other AP-GfK findings could signal trouble for Obama as he approaches his 100th day in office, April 29:
-While there is evidence that people feel more optimistic about the economy, 65 percent said it's difficult for them and their families to get ahead. More than one-third know of a family member who recently lost a job.
-More than 90 percent of Americans consider the economy an important issue, the highest ever in AP polling.
-Nearly 80 percent believe that the rising federal debt will hurt future generations, and Obama is getting mixed reviews at best for his handling of the issue.
And yet, the percentage of Americans saying the country is headed in the right direction rose to 48 percent, up from 40 percent in February. Forty-four percent say the nation is on the wrong track.
Not since January 2004, shortly after the capture of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, has an AP survey found more "right direction" than "wrong direction" respondents. The burst of optimism didn't last long in 2004.
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And it doesn't happen much.
Other than that blip five years ago, pessimism has trumped optimism in media polls since shortly after the invasion of Iraq in the spring of 2003.
The "right track" number topped "wrong direction" for a few months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to non-AP media polls, and for several months late in the Clinton administration.
So far, Obama has defied the odds by producing a sustained trend toward optimism. It began with his election.
In October 2008, just 17 percent said the country was headed in the right direction. After his victory, that jumped to 36 percent. It dipped a bit in December but returned to 35 percent around the time of his inauguration and has headed upward since.
Obama is keenly aware that his political prospects are directly linked to such numbers. If at the end of his term the public is no more assured that Washington is competent and accountable and that the nation is at least on the right track, his re-election prospects will be doubtful.
Obama himself has conceded as much.
President Barack Obama talks to workers Wednesday at the Trinity Structural Towers Inc. in Newton, Iowa. He toured the company, which makes towers that produce wind power, to mark Earth Day. Click through the gallery to see more moments from the first months of Obama's presidency.
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"I will be held accountable," he said a few weeks into his presidency. "You know, I've got four years. ... If I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition."
The AP-GfK poll suggests that 64 percent of the public approves of Obama's job performance, down just slightly from 67 percent in February. President George W. Bush's approval ratings hovered in the high 50s after his first 100 days in office.
But Obama has become a polarizing figure, with just 24 percent of Republicans approving of his performance — down from 33 percent in February. Obama campaigned on a promise to end the party-first mind-set that breeds gridlock in Washington.
Most Americans say it's too soon to tell whether he's delivered on his promise to change Washington. But twice as many say Obama is living up to his promises as those who say he's not (30 percent to 15 percent).
Worries about losing their jobs, facing major medical expenses, seeing investments dive and paying their bills remain high among Americans, the poll shows, just slightly lower than two months ago.
Still, seven in 10 Americans say it is reasonable to expect it to take longer than a year to see the results of Obama's economic policies.
Ending a key policy of the Bush years, the Obama administration announced March 13 it was dropping the term "enemy combatant" to justify h
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| Apr 23, 2009 @ 6:48 PM |
Yes we can... |
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Paralegal_at_Law
Posts: 6,288
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Obama doesn't have a clue. He flip flops, he breaks promises, he acts like he is still campaigning for election instead of showing up to work in the White House to govern the country. He is a rank amateur and an embarrassment. He badly needs to be handled and groomed and lead plus take remedial instruction classes before he makes a serious gaffe from which there is no recovery for either himself or the nation.
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| Apr 23, 2009 @ 6:54 PM |
Yes we can...
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SweetNapaGuy
Posts: 9,094
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One of the things that gives me hope for this country is that the reactionaries tend to be old. Over the next twenty years, if we can just keep them from destroying the country, we'll have a chance to erase a great deal of their influence on the soul of the nation. We can cleanse a great deal of hatred from our national character, if we can just prevent them from brainwashing too many young ones.
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| Apr 23, 2009 @ 8:05 PM |
Yes we can... |
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Paralegal_at_Law
Posts: 6,288
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We can cleanse a great deal of hatred from our national character, if we can just [get rid of the intolerant bigoted liberals who are destroying the soul of America]
Editorial opinion provided by a Precision Thinker as the original author lost all cogent thought.
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| Apr 23, 2009 @ 8:11 PM |
Yes we can...
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SweetNapaGuy
Posts: 9,094
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Eh, it's okay, Para. You're an anachronism. You really should have been born 200 or 300 years ago. In those times, your xenophobia and genocidal tendencies would have barely been worth mentioning.
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| Apr 23, 2009 @ 8:46 PM |
Yes we can... |
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Jankia
Posts: 12,600
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Like every politician Obama has his good points and his bad,but if we only believe in the good ones and ignore the bad,they tend to undeservedly get a second term.
Content people seem to be the easiest for politicians to deceive while the contentious are the hardest for politicians to get anything accomplished with.
Thats why politicians make the big bucks,they can both deceive to appease the contented people and do nothing to appease the contentious.
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| Apr 23, 2009 @ 8:46 PM |
Yes we can...
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Loreli
Posts: 25,792
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Could YOU do his job in 100 barely plue days, Para?
I thought not....
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| Apr 23, 2009 @ 8:53 PM |
Yes we can... |
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Peabianjay
Posts: 1,790
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Republican's are due for a renewal/revival.
There are more rational & moderate republicans up & coming. Granted, not many, yet. Check out Meghan McCain (ya, John's eldest daughter). Well spoken, republican, but quite sensibly critical of the extreme right wing position of the current republican party.
She's not currently pursuing a political career....but she could easily become a "mover/shaker".
Someone to watch, I think. She'd be good for the republican's and the country.
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| Apr 24, 2009 @ 1:02 AM |
Yes we can...
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Angel54214
Posts: 18,991
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When will people going to realize a media poll is conducted by a survey of 1,000 people and the statistics are based on that 1,000 which is done through telephone contacts. AP didn't do a media survey in March, but Washington Post did:
Blame for Downturn Not Fixed on Obama
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/30/AR2009033003415.html
Proof that AP did not do a March Survey:
http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com/pdf/AP-GfK_Poll_Topline_April_2009.pdf
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| Apr 24, 2009 @ 1:08 AM |
Yes we can... |
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Gallows_Humor
Posts: 14,600
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when someone (  repubs ) does not agree with a poll..they always attack the poll...but when they agree with it...they act like it is written in stone...
McCain was going to win the election..I saw many polls and people who believed them... that said he was...
does the screen name..vinnyMD ring any bells??
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| Apr 24, 2009 @ 2:12 AM |
Yes we can...
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Nightowl001
Posts: 8,170
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Ya notice, GH, those same people decrying the positive polls are quite happy to post polls showing Obama's approval rating declining? Every time it goes down 1 percentage point over 2 weeks, they're on here claiming all the polls are showing that Obama can't possibly last 4 years because people are starting to hate him and the "trends" (measured by those same small samplings) are sure to continue.
It's called desperation, rationalization and grasping at straws in the face of a reality they don't like.
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| Apr 24, 2009 @ 4:13 AM |
Yes we can... |
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eyesofastranger
Posts: 1,369
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Love him or hate him he has changed politics for the western world. Every candidate from this day forward will have to run on an intelligent no drama Obama approach to win. What he is doing can be completely wrong but the no drama intelligence that he is using to do it is the new world standard.
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| Apr 24, 2009 @ 8:00 AM |
Yes we can...
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POPO
Posts: 1,084
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Ending a key policy of the Bush years, the Obama administration announced March 13 it was dropping the term "enemy combatant" to justify h
Yep...."Chains we can believe in" No more terrorist...just man made disasters...  no more enemy combatants...just over sea contingencies...  This moron is a joke! Bowing to Saudi's blowing smoke with Castrol, a love fest with Chavez and his book club, sending 600 million to hamas, to help arm them against Israel, Telling the world how bad America is on his apology tour, meanwhile the Tali-Ban are slowly taking over Pakistan, a country with nukes.
Driving our economy further into the toilet, bailing out companies that are going bank rupt, CEO's are committing suicide quitting or being forced to quit, putting people in charge of departments they have no clue what their doing, HLS comes to mind, and the auto industry, sending millions to ACORN and thug organization. Eating 100.00 steaks at the white house telling everyone they need to buckle down, and turn down their thermostats while he keeps his high.
Yep Chains we can believe in.... 
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| Apr 24, 2009 @ 9:29 AM |
Yes we can... |
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Gallows_Humor
Posts: 14,600
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^^^ drama...
the perps were thugs..not an enemy combatant..it was just part of "shrub's war" to say that we were fighting the good religious fight..and you popo..bought into it..Osama et al.. was/is nothing more than a criminal...
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| Apr 24, 2009 @ 9:10 PM |
Yes we can...
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WebMonster
Posts: 1,307
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Napa says: One of the things that gives me hope for this country is that the reactionaries tend to be old. Over the next twenty years, if we can just keep them from destroying the country, we'll have a chance to erase a great deal of their influence on the soul of the nation. We can cleanse a great deal of hatred from our national character, if we can just prevent them from brainwashing too many young ones.
Is that why we've avoided these kinds of severe economic complications for many decades? Till now? Kids have always felt like they had all the answers. It just doesn't usually work out that way. Thankfully as they get a bit older, they also tend to get smarter.
-WebMonster 
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| Apr 24, 2009 @ 9:28 PM |
Yes we can... |
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kjac
Posts: 8,163
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Yep Chains we can believe in....
Like most people, I've been hearing the same old catchphrases in substitute of substance. (Socialist, Communist, etc.) It's nice to see someone is at least coming up with new catchphrases. Does anyone have the original source?
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| Apr 24, 2009 @ 9:47 PM |
Yes we can...
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lefthandedluckie
Posts: 6,386
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Gosh, the people of this country minus all republicans love Obama and his politics! They like what he is doing for the country and like him, too!
Please, notice the Fox News Poll all you republicans that dislike him believing he is a King or Messiah! 
RealClearPolitics Polls
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| Apr 25, 2009 @ 12:51 AM |
Yes we can... |
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Paralegal_at_Law
Posts: 6,288
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Napa says:
One of the things that gives me hope for this country is that the reactionaries tend to be old. Over the next twenty years, if we can just keep them from destroying the country, we'll have a chance to erase a great deal of their influence on the soul of the nation. We can cleanse a great deal of hatred from our national character, if we can just prevent them from brainwashing too many young ones. As Sir Winston Churchill is attributed to have said, "If you are not a liberal by the time you are 25 you don't have a heart; if you are not a conservative by the time you are 45 you don't have a brain.
And that's the way it is. The Precision Thinkers viewpoint. Good luck and good night.
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| Apr 25, 2009 @ 1:44 AM |
Yes we can...
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katydid438
Posts: 8,281
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Love him or hate him he has changed politics for the western world. Every candidate from this day forward will have to run on an intelligent no drama Obama approach to win. What he is doing can be completely wrong but the no drama intelligence that he is using to do it is the new world standard. And on top of all of that he is HOT! 
Really though,,I'm not just a brainless Canadian slut
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| Apr 25, 2009 @ 1:56 AM |
Yes we can... |
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Nightowl001
Posts: 8,170
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As Sir Winston Churchill is attributed to have said, "If you are not a liberal by the time you are 25 you don't have a heart; if you are not a conservative by the time you are 45 you don't have a brain.
And that's the way it is. The Precision Thinkers viewpoint. Good luck and good night. You might want to dig out a book on the history of political movements in Great Britain and discover what Sir Winston was actually talking about. His definition of "conservative" was nowhere close to yours.
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