Progress report

Poll: Obama's rating at all-time high

In the survey, 68 percent have a favorable opinion of the president, including 47 percent whose opinion is "very positive" — both all-time highs for Obama in the poll. Moreover, 67 percent say they feel more hopeful about his leadership and 60 percent approve of his job in the White House.

Yet the percentage of Americans who are confident that Obama has the right goals and policies for the country — 54 percent — is slightly smaller, suggesting that the president is more popular than his policies are. An example: 57 percent tend to support the stimulus, compared with 34 percent who tend to oppose it.

Still, these attitudes about Obama have helped fuel a big jump in the percentage of Americans who believe the U.S. is headed in the right direction, according to the poll. In January’s NBC/Journal poll, 26 percent said the country was on the right track; now 41 percent think that.

Now while such terms as "all-time high' are rendered meaningless by the fact that he's been in office for a little over a month, it is a reminder that people like the guy, like the way he's handled things, and like what he's trying to do. Not so much for the Republicans though. They're clocking in a a 26% rating, making them slightly more popular than a new polio outbreak. Democrats as a whole are clocking in at 49%, making them almost.....liked. It's probably Barry glow, or just the sheer unlikeability of Republican leadership could make fascist anarchists seem credible. Dems also paste Republicans 48-20 on who is better suited to fix the economy, though both are crushed 67-25-7 when "moderately intelligent chimps" are also a choice.

Furthermore Barry is dodging blame as well, leaving it all for our disgraced ex-chieftain Mr. Bush to soak in like the horrid sponge he is. Bush is blamed by 56% of the country for "almost all" of the partisanship in Washington, Republicans as a whole getting 41%, and Barry getting 11%. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the "all NO all the time" full court press of the GOP.

He also isn't getting blamed for the economic crisis and people won't start blaming him in large numbers (over a third) for at least a year or two! 84% say he inherited the crisis, leaving us to wonder what country those other 16% live in where this problem came into existence on January 20th. This must be the section that earnestly believes Rush and Hannity when they blame Obama for all stock market drops.

All in all good news for the Barrytrain. Now let's see if we can use that popularity to get something other than massive bailouts for corporations and various attempts to stuff money into a leaking dam.