Partisan Gap of Obama Approval Rating – Highest in History
For this stage in the game, still less than 3 months into his Presidency – the approval rating gap between Democrats and Republicans is the highest in modern history.
For all of his hopes about bipartisanship, Barack Obama has the most polarized early job approval ratings of any president in the past four decades. The 61-point partisan gap in opinions about Obama’s job performance is the result of a combination of high Democratic ratings for the president — 88% job approval among Democrats — and relatively low approval ratings among Republicans (27%).
By comparison, there was a somewhat smaller 51-point partisan gap in views of George W. Bush’s job performance in April 2001, a few months into his first term. At that time, Republican enthusiasm for Bush was comparable to how Democrats feel about Obama today, but there was substantially less criticism from members of the opposition party. Among Democrats, 36% approved of Bush’s job performance in April 2001; that compares with a 27% job approval rating for Obama among Republicans today.
The partisan gap in Bill Clinton’s early days was also substantially smaller than what Obama faces, largely because Democrats were less enthusiastic about Clinton. In early April 1993, 71% of Democrats approved of Clinton’s job performance, which is 17 points lower than Obama’s current job approval among Democrats. Republican ratings of Clinton at that point (26%) are comparable to their current ratings of Obama today (27%).
What does this say to me? It says that George Herbert Walker Bush was not disliked, and there was not this huge uprising in the Democratic ranks in the early 90′s. I think Democrats have become so rabid and hate-filled in regards to the last president that many of them have now moved into the liberal/progressive realm and hate any and all Republicans. There was some commentary earlier today on redstate proving this insanity and how many liberals are calling for the extinction literally and figuratively of conservatives, first and foremost, and then Republicans. I foresee a big crash and burn effect when Obama becomes a major disappointment, which he already is becoming both in more overseas commentary and here in the states for moderates and independents (the reason he won). Many liberals are still flying high on the “haterade” of the Bush years and will soon wake up with a horrible hangover. It’s still early… let’s see what happens in the next few months!
Pew Research Study here… (Pew is usually liberally biased as well)
