What's up with this?

flyupsidedown · What's up with this?

Obama's job approval rating fell to 56 percent in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, down from 61 percent in April.

flyupsidedown

June 18, 2009
New York Times changes headline on their own poll
Rick Moran
It is not unusual for a newspaper to change a headline on a story from edition to edition. This is true especially if the story has been updated or changed to reflect additional information.

But this New York Times story on the poll they took regarding Obama's handling of the economy is remarkable for the change in headlines from just a few hours ago to now.

When I saw the story this morning on Memeorandum, the headline of a story about a New York Times poll read:

"In Poll, Obama seen as ineffective on the economy."

What does the headline read now?

"Obama poll sees doubt on budget and health care"

The adjective "ineffective" has been dropped as has the broader measurement "economy" in favor of the softer words "doubt" and "budget and health care respectively. The night headline editor probably caught hell for that first hed.

A not very subtle example of bias from the Times.

Outsider

Fly wrote:

flyupsidedown

Do you think? I think people are paying attention and winding down from their Obama high. It doesn't hurt that he has done what no single conservative could do, energize the conservative libertarian activist base. It will be an exciting midterm.

Outsider

fly wrote:

Kestrel

Judge Obama after only six months on the job. Still 17 months to go till the midterm elections. How long did it take Bush to turn the economy around in his first term?

flyupsidedown

June 21, 2009
Obama net approval slips to negative for first time (updated)
Richard Baehr

The Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll slips into negative net approval territory for President Obama on Father's Day, 2009.

32% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-four percent (34%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -2.

Then again, CBS Sunday Morning show just had a fawning ten minute interview conducted by Harry Smith of the first father. The ABC prime time special on health care is coming up.

Rosslyn Smith adds:

Overall, 53% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of Obama's performance. This ties a prior low.

Gene Schwimmer writes:

Need I mention that, barely six months into his presidency, Obama is only four points away from below 50% apprival?

Note that Obama's previous low was zero and, the day before, was +1 - so he went, in one day, directly from +1 to -2 without stopping at zero or -1. Which would mean that the yesterday's poll (the third day of Rasmussen's three-day rolling average) must have been very bad.

Obama has a pattern of splashy media events driving a recovery, each time hisapproval drops. ABC's White House Telethon to the rescue. Butif, after the American people have had an all day explanation-cum-promotion of his plan, he is in deep doo-doo.

Roostercogburn

flyupsidedown

June 28, 2009
Rasmussen: Obama Approval Index at 0
Gene Schwimmer

Today's Rasmussen poll has Obama's Approval Index at zero. What's especially significant is that this comes four days after ABC's all-day-culminating-with-a-broadcast-from-the-White House health-care plan telethon and five days after a press conference -- one in which, incidentally, some reporters were (finally!) actually asking challenging questions and reacting to the (il)logic of his answers. Note that, during that time Obama's A.I. never exceeded +2, compared to previous peaks of +10 after the Sotomayor nomination and +9 after his Cairo speech.

In other words, Obama's ability to pump up the numbers via media extravaganzas has hit the point of diminishing returns.