# Explain Obama's Job Approval Rating to Me **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 20, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284 "2011-10-20T19:12:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284/82 "2011-10-25T18:06:52Z")
> [@Da\_Mikster](#): > > “simple farmers” know much more about a lot of things than the average city bred idiot who thinks knowing which club is ‘trendy’ this week is an important life skill. > The moron factor has nothing to do with where you live. I have known people from the country, and I have known people from the city, and, while there are countless exceptions, generally speaking you couldn’t be more wrong. Of course you can find morons anywhere you go; but, for some reason, the harder it is to find **people,** the easier it is to find **morons.** ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284/83 "2011-10-25T18:13:47Z")
> [@MissesA](#): > > You wanna know what Americas problem is? It’s not just Obama, it’s every money sucking politician up there. They let money, power and greed get to their heads. And they got you all by the balls. Oh no an earth quake!!! gas prices go up. Oh no a little hurricane!!! hits the East gas prices go up. Its all a bunch of bull shit. You think any of them really give a shit about any of us? Be honest now do you really care whats gonna happen to a stranger? Some people have good hearts, but the majority don’t Everyone there is out for themselves. I’m curious - how do you think the politicians “up there” in Washington manage to raise the price of gasoline? Do they force the oil companies to do it? Do they manipulate the world price of oil? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284/84 "2011-10-25T18:27:52Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I’m curious - how do you think the politicians “up there” in Washington manage to raise the price of gasoline? Do they force the oil companies to do it? Do they manipulate the world price of oil? You’ll find all your answers [here.](http://www.amazon.com/Armed-Madhouse-Afraid-Floats-Dispatches/dp/0525949682) Chapter 2. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284/85 "2011-10-25T21:46:37Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > A brief list of Obama’s accomplishments so far: > > - avoided a second Great Depression To be fair most of that stuff was passed under Bush Jr. And frankly Obama could have handled the AIG mess a WHOLE lot better. > [@](#): > > - presided over massive private sector job growth, adding well over a million net private jobs since the Stimulus, more than George Bush added in 8 years. yeah but a million jobs is about 0.5% off our unemployment rate. > [@](#): > > -passed health care reform (which is, among other things, a ban on insurance discrimination based on pre-existing conditions; subsidies for low-income Americans to purchase insurance; coverage for people up to age 26 on their parents insurance; filling the Medicare donut hole and expanding Medicaid to 133% of poverty level; and pilot measures in reducing medical costs – all of which is more than paid for, according to the CBO. And spent almost all of his political capital on an issue that was NOT the economy and frankly its NOT paid for. He picked up all the parts of health care reform taht would cost money and left out the part that “bends the cost curve” in an attempt to get Republican support. > [@](#): > > - saved the auto industry OK that’s one. > [@](#): > > - pulled combat troops out of Iraq Much later than promised and we still have Guantanamo. > [@](#): > > - repealed DADT OK thats two > [@](#): > > - proposed a politically risky military operation that successfully killed Bin Laden, not to mention killing many other Al Qaeda leaders I give him full props for this. He knew about this early enough to kill bin laden before the 2010 election and he held off to make sure that Americans were fully prepared to raid the compound without casualty AND we could verify his death. > [@](#): > > - ended torture Meh > [@](#): > > - cut middle class taxes Meh > [@](#): > > 30% of the country is going to love Obama no matter what, and 30% is going to hate him. But why hasn’t the record outlined above secured Obama’s reelection prospects among the moderate 30%? Is it just messaging? I think there are a lot of liberals who take every opportunity to voice they disappointment in Obama. > [@](#): > > Do the middle third really believe the Republican message blaming Obama for all of the lost _public sector_ jobs? If that’s not it, what is it? [To be clear, I’m interested in your answers for why moderates are split on Obama instead of being like 80/20, and less interested in why non-moderates of either stripe are unhappy.] I think the media drives them. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284/86 "2011-10-28T03:25:36Z")
Alright, since you are looking for the opinions of moderates, I’ll voice my opinion. Just to let you know, I’m fairly liberal on some issues (marriage equality, social programs, green economy subsidies), I am also very conservative on other issues (right to own guns, capitalism, strong national defense). I believe in a balanced approach to economics - a mostly free market with some government regulation and involvement. I have taken many political compass tests in my life and I am always grouped slightly to the left in the moderates category, so I am comfortable considering myself a moderate. I was very excited to vote for Obama in 2008. I am having a REALLY difficult time justifying voting for him again. I’m not saying I won’t vote for him, but it’ll be mostly because I hate the GOP candidates and not because I really care for Obama. Now, let me address your points. - avoided a second Great Depression Bush did this, and Obama continued it. He deserves no special kudos for this. - presided over massive private sector job growth, adding well over a million net private jobs since the Stimulus, more than George Bush added in 8 years. that’s a really good example of using statistics to tell a half-truth. Thank you to OMG A Black Conservative for politifact’s debunking of this claim. -passed health care reform (which is, among other things, a ban on insurance discrimination based on pre-existing conditions; subsidies for low-income Americans to purchase insurance; coverage for people up to age 26 on their parents insurance; filling the Medicare donut hole and expanding Medicaid to 133% of poverty level; and pilot measures in reducing medical costs – all of which is more than paid for, according to the CBO. I HATE the healthcare reform that Obama got passed. I believe it is unconstitutional, and was a HUGE win for insurance companies. It helped widen their base (to everyone), and it had relatively weak caps on premium increases. It did some good but it was awful, awful awful and I hope the SCOTUS gets rid of the junk. This one thing alone may be the biggest reason I hate Obama. - saved the auto industry Not a big fan of this honestly. You may think it’s cold hearted, and perhaps it is wrong, but Ford never needed a bailout. Toyota builds vehicles here in America too. We would still have an auto-industry. - pulled combat troops out of Iraq I am happy about this one. He kept his promise and is focusing on Afghanistan. Good for him on this one. - repealed DADT As a gay man myself, this resonates intensely with me. A huge success on Obama’s part. - proposed a politically risky military operation that successfully killed Bin Laden, not to mention killing many other Al Qaeda leaders I think he deserves a lot of the credit for this. McCain openly admitted he wouldn’t have done this in the debates back in 2008, and Obama said that he would. He kept his promise. - ended torture Another good one, but not something I really felt too passionately about. I agree that torture is wrong, but I don’t think that the Bush presidency flagrantly disregarded the treaties regarding torture. They got legal opinion on certain practices and executed them in limited cases. - cut middle class taxes Not really a big fan of cutting taxes while keeping the same tax code. I guess it’s good that he did this, but it doesn’t get me fired up for him. Stuff I’m really upset with Obama about that has not yet been mentioned: -He is weak and ineffective. He tries to reach agreements with republicans who have no desire to make fair deals with him. -He talks about increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans all the time, which is all fine with me… but the entire system needs to be reworked. I’m generally in favor of replacing the income tax with a sales tax, if certain basic goods are not taxed at all, while other luxury goods are taxed very heavily. If it were done in a way that low and middle-income American’s came out with lower taxes, and the wealthy pay more, then that’s what I’m looking for. Ever since I can remember I have always been a fan of a sales tax in place of an income tax, and so far, the only ones talking about that are the GOP candidates. -His handling of the debt ceiling debate was laughable. I watched it closely and was very disappointed with him. That’s about all I can think of right now, I’ll get back if I can think of other things. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284/87 "2011-10-28T03:54:03Z")
But what’s he done THIS week? ---
**Author:** ![Da\_Mikster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Da\_Mikster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Da_Mikster)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284/88 "2011-10-28T12:26:24Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I have known people from the country, and I have known people from the city, and, while there are countless exceptions, generally speaking you couldn’t be more wrong. Of course you can find morons anywhere you go; but, for some reason, the harder it is to find **people,** the easier it is to find **morons.** Blatherskythe. Can you diagnose, disassemble, repair and rebuild the tools you need to provide your living? Country folks do it all the time. Can you build the stuff you need from scrap? Most farm folks do that too. Can you figure out much you need now and of what to get the best yields for your investment 6 months from now? In your head, often on the fly, also forecasting weather and markets? That’s what farmers do, with every crop. Can you figure out non-lethal ways protect your own from two and 4 legged thieves because the police are at least 20 minutes away? Morons indeed. If Bryan had one thing right it was "Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic. But destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the country. " ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284/89 "2011-10-28T13:58:27Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Stuff I’m really upset with Obama about that has not yet been mentioned: > > -He is weak and ineffective. He tries to reach agreements with republicans who have no desire to make fair deals with him. See my posts #19 & #76. Perhaps I’m invisible after all. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![zoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/71c47a/32.png) [@zoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284/90 "2011-10-29T01:12:13Z")
> [@Da\_Mikster](#): > > Blatherskythe. Can you diagnose, disassemble, repair and rebuild the tools you need to provide your living? Country folks do it all the time. Can you build the stuff you need from scrap? Most farm folks do that too. Can you figure out much you need now and of what to get the best yields for your investment 6 months from now? In your head, often on the fly, also forecasting weather and markets? That’s what farmers do, with every crop. Can you figure out non-lethal ways protect your own from two and 4 legged thieves because the police are at least 20 minutes away? > Morons indeed. **Da Mikster** has made a key point here. These folks here in the styx are quite resourceful and very self-sufficient. Many Urbanites don’t even know how to drive a car. Living in the city requires a higher level of social skills than needed in rural areas. Getting along with your neighbors is a lot easier when only 50 people live within a mile of your house. Each group has different survival skills as to meet their environment. It does not mean one group is smarter then the other. Perhaps city folk are more politically tuned because politics is really about people living and working together. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284/91 "2011-10-29T04:23:02Z")
I think people are spending a lot of time debating a funny line from Blazing Saddles. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284/92 "2011-10-29T13:00:50Z")
The sheriff is near? Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-obamas-job-approval-rating-to-me/600284.md?page=4)