Americans want Barack Obama to focus less on the economy
Filed under: Economy
Barack Obama, whose presidential campaign made fixing the economy its main issue, needs to focus more on other things. That's the opinion expressed in a surprising poll Gallup released today."More Americans choose the economy (41%) than any other issue as the top priority for Barack Obama, but that is down sharply from last November (64%)," Gallup says. "By contrast, the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the federal budget deficit and health care have grown in perceived importance over the past year."
Health care, which was barely on the public's radar last fall, has shown the biggest increase, from 5 percent to 17 percent as it became the focal point of the Obama domestic agenda. The federal deficit soared from 7 percent to 14 percent, while the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan rose from 11 percent to 18 percent. Energy dropped from 6 percent to 2 percent.
The poll results reflect a growing optimism about the economy on Main Street. U.S. consumer confidence rose for the first time since 2007, according to Nielsen Co. The stock market has rallied strongly until quite recently, with the S&P 500, Dow Jones industrial average and the Nasdaq each posting double-digit gains for the year. Economists also expect the U.S. economy to have grown at its fastest pace in two years. when third-quarter GDP numbers comes out Oct. 29.
"Consumers increasingly recognize that the economy is beginning to recover and will make progress in the year ahead," said Sara Johnson, an economist with IHS Global Insight, in an interview with DailyFinance, "At least they recognize that the crisis is over."
Of course, the public remains skeptical that the good times are anywhere near back. Prices for gold, long a refuge for investors in the time of crisis, have topped $1,000 an ounce. The housing market has yet to recover in some hard-hit regions, and unemployment is expected to top 10 percent before year-end. More than 7 million jobs have evaporated since the start of the recession.
Obama also continues to have his hands full with the politically divisive issue of health-care reform and with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have cost more than $800 billion. Some experts have argued that the President is trying to deal with too much at once.
"Investors are concerned that the administration is trying to juggle too many bowls at once," says Joseph Brusuelas, director at MoodysEconomy.com, who argues that the swoon in the stock market was due to a weak dollar. "From a macro perspective, there is some risk that the economy will hit a double-dip [recession]."
With all this fear and uncertainty, it's little wonder that Obama's job approval rating is near a 52-week low.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-28-2009 @ 6:38PM
ij70 said...
This article gets a LOL.
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10-28-2009 @ 6:42PM
Robert said...
Yeah, we don't want him messing the economy up any more than he already has. Bill Clinton was the "first black president". Barry Hussein Obama is our first Communist President.
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10-28-2009 @ 8:24PM
HENRY FRAUD said...
HOW COME THIS BITCH AIN'T TALKING BOUT DAT DARE GLOBAL WARMINS NO MO? ANSWER DAT MO FO
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10-28-2009 @ 8:58PM
Paul said...
LOL!
10-28-2009 @ 9:58PM
joey bagodonuts said...
This Clown should start thinking about the American Economy, Morning, Noon and Night and while taking a Dump. Stop Thumb Fuk' ng Yourself.
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10-28-2009 @ 11:59PM
jim said...
obama should concentrate on being president instead of trying to stifle our free speech ie owner of whole food fox news after all this is not iran or is it
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10-29-2009 @ 12:45AM
nick said...
Reporter this isn't the only wrong thing this dumb ass has been doing, look at the poor troops getting hit hard because the dumb ass can't make a call, here the guy is giving the bros and sisters the taxpayer money, but this is the way they do it in Chi town. Here the folks love their health care, what does this dumb ass want to do is take it away from them and spread it around to the ass holes who can't find a job and if they can they don't want to work, he has slime like SEIU and ACORN out their doing his dirty work. What is he doing going to New Jersey to keep a slime bag governor in office. Wants to take these thugs in Gitmo and put them in the USA, what a dirt bag.
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10-29-2009 @ 1:30AM
rossavich said...
stupid reporting The economy is the #1 issue that americans are concerned with. Health care , war and global warming are way down the list. The latter are what the media and the administration want you to believe.
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10-29-2009 @ 1:38AM
Paul said...
This survey is bullcrap. The public wants congress to deal with the health care issue and quickly get it out of the way. Then liquidate two mega banks and Aig and regulate the remaining mega banks into lending submission and stop them from extreme risk taking so the economy can start to move forward once again.
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10-29-2009 @ 1:53AM
Paul said...
It's amazing how many people are hostile towards congresses TARP actions and wall street rip off artist. If congress systematically liquidates the two mega banks and AIG I think the public will calm down. A lot of people are asking why they pay taxes with this kind of leadership. The taxpayers said no bail outs and congress didn't listen.
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10-29-2009 @ 2:47AM
VISHNU LOCHAN said...
Well i suppose the confederate joke on America has finally reached the point where no one can hide beneath the umbrella. Oh! Welcome to Capitol Hill; this is where everything is seen! The economy needs a downturn because the Adminstaration can't excite the people about past gains and future gains in certain areas. Telecomms and Infrastructure are agenda that have been around so you would have had to be around to know what it takes and what it took to make it happen. Being the President is like any other job; you really have to be qualified, and in competition. Boeing just started to acquire lands in a place where the opposition to the standing bodies of protest and force, has yet to be reprieved and counterclaimed. Personnaly; holding the "market makers" and their "monies"; is not the business of sovereignty. It is Confederate though. If i wasn't taken by so much surprise, and would not have laughed my tail off; while continuing to do my works of worth; i would have given myself the opportunity to litigate the Presidency. Being that it's not a compeling position; due to the mindset of its occupiers, and the needs of this and future generations; i'll take me some time to ponder and put into perspective the sightly evidence of; "Look what we have here". Four more years so I can mingle and kiss big baby boomers while acting niggardly about what really matters to be of worth upon Americas work.
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10-29-2009 @ 7:49AM
kdnorcutt said...
It seems to me that the people are upset with the job our present administration has done so far in trying to stimulate our economy. It seems everything they have done has cost the tax payers a fortune and has done very little to turn things around or even slow down the lose of jobs and homes.Congress has dumped way too much money into wall street and the banking industry hoping for a trickle down effect that has not come. With credit markets still tight and oil and gas on the rise again their is limited money that the American people have left to spend. Consumer confidence is still at an al time low due to the present job market. With all this said i can see why the people want Washington to stop trying to fix the economy they have done enough damage already.
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11-04-2009 @ 1:07AM
James Raider said...
The writer should go back and check reality. The economy was never Obama's focus, nor has it ever been. He has shown particular lack of interest in all things economic.
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