By Dave Andrusko
On the eve of the Democratic National Convention, this can’t be the headline pro-abortion President Barack Obama would want to see: “The Hill Poll: Voters say second term for Obama undeserved, country is worse off.”
That’s about as sharp a rebuke as an incumbent can get. The details are even worse, fleshing out what Sheldon Alberts describes as “the depth of voter dissatisfaction confronting Obama as he makes his case for a second term at this week’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.” (see http://thehill.com/conventions-2012/dem-convention-charlotte/247263-hill-poll-voters-think-second-term-undeserved).
Some specifics:
Only 31% say the nation is in “better condition,” compared to 52% who say it is “worse condition.”
Just 40% believe Mr. Obama deserves re-election compared to 54% who say he doesn’t!
Alberts’ unsurprising conclusion? “They also strongly suggest Democrats need to convince voters the election should be a choice between Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney, rather than a referendum on the president.”
Of course, much of the response follow typical partisan lines—Democrats more favorably disposed, Republicans less—but the depth of the discontent transcends the usual breakdowns. For example, “While 78 percent of Democrats believe the president deserves reelection, 1 in 5 do not believe he should get a second term,” Alberts writes. “A poll for The Hill in early July also found 1 in 5 Democrats feel Obama has changed the nation for the worse as president.”
How about the category of voters most likely to vote–seniors? “Anti-Obama sentiment is strongest among seniors, the poll found,” according to Alberts. “Sixty-five percent of voters aged 65 and over said Obama shouldn’t get a second term, while 53 percent of voters 40-64 years old feel the same.”
Is there a “gender gap”? Six points, but a majority of women (51%) also believes Obama should not deserve re-election, as compared with 57% of men.
In addition, The Hill’s polling “shows skepticism about the president is entrenched among coveted centrist voters who are key to the election outcome,” Alberts writes. “Fifty-two percent of centrists said Obama does not deserve reelection based on his job performance, 56 percent are unsatisfied with his handling of the economy and 53 percent feel the country is worse off.”
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