Obama Now More Polarizing Than Hillary Clinton

Nine months into office and President Obama has become a more polarizing figure than his Secretary of State -- and longtime scourge of the GOP -- Hillary Clinton.

A new Gallup poll released on Thursday shows a dramatic drop in the president's favorability rating among Republican voters. Viewed positively by 60 percent of all GOPers upon entering the White House, Obama now only has a 19 percent favorability rating among the opposition party. Such, it seems, are the perils of the presidency, even a self-proclaimed postpartisan one.

Clinton, meanwhile, has seen no movement in her favorability rating among Republicans since the new administration took office. In January it stood at 35 percent, the same as it stands in October.

The Secretary of State, who lost the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination to Obama, has, however, seen a rise in her favorability rating among overall voters. Sixty-two percent of the public has a positive view about the job she was doing - six percentage points higher than those who have a positive view of Obama's work.

The findings, of course, say as much about the jobs Obama and Clinton hold as they do the individuals themselves. Clinton has conducted much of her business away from the national spotlight and on issues that have generally produced bipartisan consensus. Obama has not been handed as fortuitous an agenda. As Gallup explains:

The change in the relative popularity of Clinton and Obama since January may reflect the realities of their new roles. Obama came into office as president with a 78% favorable rating, among the highest Gallup has measured since it began tracking favorability in 1992. But after nearly nine months in office in which he has made or confronted difficult decisions -- ranging from the economic stimulus package, to the auto industry bailout, to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to health insurance reform, Obama's support has declined.

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Comments

[FebM]

01:41 PM on 10/18/2009

As someone asked, do we need a poll to know republicans hate Obama? How about a poll that asks if Canadians love their healthcare?

[justobserve]

10:29 AM on 10/18/2009

The Repubs turned themselves into a Party of Hate!

[tomterif]

10:52 AM on 10/30/2009

And most Democratics, in relation to George Bush, were, what ? : " the Party of Love " ? !

But, "yes", you say, "but don't you understand ? George Bush was a terrible person ! "

Haha : )

It's called a WOEFUL inability to even BEGIN to try to perhaps see things from the other guy's perspective, in even the slightest way.

TRULY pathetic !

[ywcachieve]

08:49 PM on 10/16/2009

These are rightwing polls, trying to sway public opinion. They are not truthful or accurate.

[ywcachieve]

08:42 PM on 10/16/2009

Republicans are being polled....hmmm. The actually said, his rating has gone down with Repubs. This answers all.

This is the most ridiculous thread.

[xlntcat]

07:58 PM on 10/16/2009

You can compare presidents to other presidents and SOS to other SOS, but Hillary Clinton is not the president of the U S and has a long history of being polarizing with high negatives. Since she hasn't done anything since being named SOS and because Obama gets the blame for her not doing anything it is easy to have a "snapshot" by one polling agency show her favorables to remain high. Other polls have her at 51% approval.

[mendelcrosses]

10:41 AM on 10/16/2009

Thats one big misleading headline and mark my word FoxNews will use it as evidence that Obama is polarizing. Its not Obama who is polarizing ,its his opponents. Except you consider being black polarizing.

[luvangelHussein330]

10:11 AM on 10/16/2009

It's not the people who are polarizing it's the Grand Obstructin Party's hyperbole[sic] that is polarizing

[RSKaz]

08:59 AM on 10/16/2009

Love these hypothetical polls. " If Santa Clause was King of Mars, do you think Brad Pit or the Tooth Fairy should be on Dancing with the Afghanistan Stars?

[fireW]

09:42 AM on 10/16/2009

Good one, RSK. You've characterized the nonsense perfectly.

[RSKaz]

10:34 AM on 10/16/2009

Years of observation...and practice.

[xlntcat]

07:55 PM on 10/16/2009

Agree.

[bbrecht]

08:00 AM on 10/16/2009

Oh please, what a joke. Obama and Clinton aren't polarizing, republican party rhetoric is polarizing. We can elect the most moderate candidate imaginable (we did) and still get the same results.

[personalpolitical]

07:39 AM on 10/16/2009

BREAKING: Unlike Hillary Clinton, Obama Actually Matters!

Of course his approval rating is going down and hers is going up, he is in the middle of everything and she is just being a non-controversial Secretary of State.

[ViewsAllAngles]

06:24 AM on 10/16/2009

Most of the people calling themselves Republican these days are extremists rightwing, so if you polled them you betcha the result will be the one above. Most of the more reasonable Republicans have become Democrats or Independents, also the reason for the outcome of this poll.

[mcmutter]

03:50 AM on 10/16/2009

In the 1950s they scared you with COMMUNISM.

Today they scare you with SOCIALISM.

[fireW]

09:55 AM on 10/16/2009

At the same time the idiots call them socialists, they turn around & call them fascists. While spouting their ridiculous rhetoric, they're too pathetically ignorant to know their right from their left.

[mcmutter]

03:48 AM on 10/16/2009

NONSENSE. The Bible Belt is in open rebellion because they no longer control government.

[Mildmannered]

03:40 AM on 10/16/2009

"A new Gallup poll released on Thursday shows a dramatic drop in the president's favorability rating among Republican voters"

I never understood why it was so high in the first place anyways, given the deep divide between the parties.

[jde]

02:48 AM on 10/16/2009

Sunshine and puppies would be polarizing too if Obama came out in support of them.