Obama's job approval rating higher than his predecessors

Amidst deepening economic crisis and continuing market meltdown, US president Barack Obama enjoys a high approval rating than his predecessors, a just released poll shows.

Obama's approval rating is about 10 percentage points higher than either George Bush or Bill Clinton had at this early stage of their presidencies. His rating of 63 per cent
includes 89 per cent of Democrats and 44 per cent of Republicans.

Releasing the results of the New York Times/CBS News poll, the Time says with people expressing confidence in his leadership even if they do not understand his plans, Obama remains in a strong position to sell his plans.

But the poll also captured skepticism about the effectiveness of his plan as well as a strain of populism which could test his ability to retain public support for efforts to prop up key sectors of economy.

A majority believes that the struggling automotive companies should not receive further taxpayer money to help them survive. And while there is a strong belief that government should help homeowners avoid foreclosure, people are evenly divided over whether the plan announced last week is fair. 

However, he could benefit from high level of optimism and confidence as he confront nation's economic challenges and opposition from nearly all Republicans in Congress.    A majority of people surveyed in both parties said Obama is striving to work in a bipartisan way, but most Americans faulted Republicans for their response to the president, saying the party had objected to the USD 787 billion economic stimulus plan for political reasons.

Most Americans said Obama should pursue the priorities he campaigned on, the poll found, rather than seek middle ground with Republicans. The poll was released ahead of Obama's first address to the Congress today evening which comes in the backdrop of deep economic crisis and continuing market meltdown.

A majority of Americans, 55 per cent, say they are just making ends meet, with more than 6 in 10 concerned that someone in their household may lose their job in the next
year. Americans are under no illusions that the country's problems will be resolved quickly, but the poll suggested they would be particularly patient when it comes to the economy, with most saying it would be years before there was significant improvement. 

More than three-quarters of Americans said they are optimistic about the next four years with him as president. Similar percentages said they think he is bringing real change to the way things are done in Washington and that they have confidence in his ability to make the right decisions about the economy.

The ratings for Obama at this stage of his presidency, the Times said, are similar to those given in the early months for Ronald Reagan who was the last president to take office with the country looking to be led out of economic gloom.

The poll suggests that for now, Obama has been successful in explaining to Americans that the country is in for a long economic recovery. Overall, 53 per cent of the public anticipate the economic stimulus plan signed into law by Obama last week will improve things in the country, but half of those surveyed say it is not likely to shorten the recession and just over two-thirds expect that more money will be needed to right the
economy.

Nearly all Americans are concerned that the cost of the economic programmes will have significant long-term effects on future generations, with 65 per cent saying they are very concerned about increasing the national debt and 26 per cent suggesting they are somewhat concerned.