Obama's Plunging Numbers

Two prominent pollsters, Scott Rasmussen and Doug Schoen, write in the Wall Street Journal about the reality of Obama's poll numbers:

It is simply wrong for commentators to continue to focus on President Barack Obama's high levels of popularity, and to conclude that these are indicative of high levels of public confidence in the work of his administration. Indeed, a detailed look at recent survey data shows that the opposite is most likely true. The American people are coming to express increasingly significant doubts about his initiatives, and most likely support a different agenda and different policies from those that the Obama administration has advanced.

Polling data show that Mr. Obama's approval rating is dropping and is below where George W. Bush was in an analogous period in 2001. Rasmussen Reports data shows that Mr. Obama's net presidential approval rating — which is calculated by subtracting the number who strongly disapprove from the number who strongly approve — is just six, his lowest rating to date.

Overall, Rasmussen Reports shows a 56%-43% approval, with a third strongly disapproving of the president's performance. This is a substantial degree of polarization so early in the administration. Mr. Obama has lost virtually all of his Republican support and a good part of his Independent support, and the trend is decidedly negative.

It may be wrong for the commentators to keep plugging Obama's popularity, but they have a vested interest in pumping him up as long as they can without completely looking stupid. They put him in the job and they're praying that somehow he's up to it. They're willing to substitute popularity for competence if that's what it takes to keep the myth intact.