We’ll find out this week whether President Obama has a pragmatic side or whether he is the true ideologue that all actions to date, suggest he is.
Today’s Rasmussen Reports poll shows Obama with his most negative rating yet, -11. Because Rasmussen uses a 3 day rolling average, today is the first day that the poll is made up entirely of polls made post Obama’s attempt to explain that he wasn’t planning to do what he is planning to do. This would also suggest that tomorrow’s poll, based on a 3 day average, will be even lower than today’s unless today’s polling results are dramatically improved.
The question now is whether the sudden drop in the poll is a recognition that Obama is either lying or clueless as to what is in the health care bill or whether Obama’s remarkable prime time embracing of Reverend Wright’s “The Man is keeping us down” philosophy is the cause for the sudden and dramatic decline. I suspect it’s a bit of both. However, with Obama’s polls sliding even before the presser, it’s likely the health care issue that is leading the charge.
If Obama is the pragmatist that those who bought into his campaign schtick believe, we should see a recognition this week that the health care reform bill needs not tweaking, but a reform of its own. If however, Obama is the egotist and idealogue that most of us believe he is we should see a week where Nancy Pelosi and Denny Hoyer may even go so far as to bypass House committees to force a floor vote. Either way, this should be a fun week to watch Washington!
Time to start popping some popcorn!
Mmmm, popcorn.
The overall numbers actually improved slightly for Obama. A “mere” 50% at least somewhat disapprove of his job performance, down from 51% the prior 2 days.
Still, the trend is not his friend. The number of those who hold “strong disapproval” views continues to climb.