Polling Data: Barack Obama's Support Dropping as Abortion Promotion Continues

From http://lifenews.com/nat4914.html

Polling Data: Barack Obama's Support Dropping as Abortion Promotion Continues

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 13, 2009

addthis_pub = 'sertelt';

Email RSS Print
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Two respected national pollsters say the data shows President Barack Obama's support is dropping and that it is lower than President Bush's at this time in his presidency. They also point out that Obama has driven up high negative numbers among some voters, likely due to his promotion of abortion.

Douglas Schoen, a pollster for former president Bill Clinton, and independent pollster Scott Rasmussen penned a new analysis for the Wall St. Journal.
"It is simply wrong for commentators to continue to focus on President Barack Obama's high levels of popularity, and to conclude that these are indicative of high levels of public confidence in the work of his administration," they begin. "Indeed, a detailed look at recent survey data shows that the opposite is most likely true."
"The American people are coming to express increasingly significant doubts about his initiatives, and most likely support a different agenda and different policies from those that the Obama administration has advanced," they say.

They explain that polling data shows Obama's level of support is dropping.
The pro-abortion president's net approval rating -- which is calculated by subtracting the number who strongly disapprove from the number who strongly approve -- stands at six percent. That's his lowest point to date.
Overall, Rasmussen Reports polls of Americans nationwide shows a 56%-43% approval, with a third strongly disapproving of the president's performance.
"This is a substantial degree of polarization so early in the administration," the pollsters explain. "Obama has lost virtually all of his Republican support and a good part of his Independent support, and the trend is decidedly negative."
They say the drop also puts Obama behind other recent presidents over the last few decades in terms of what support they had at this point in their administrations.
Along with other issues, abortion is apparently playing a role for Americans opposed to Obama.
"The reason for this decline most likely has to do with doubts about the administration's policies and their impact on peoples' lives," they write.
Although a majority of Americans remain confident in Obama's goals and overall direction, Schoen and Rasmussen say 45% say they do not have confidence, a number that has been growing since the inauguration less than two months ago.

The only poll conducted specifically related to abortion is a Gallup survey that found a strong majority of Americans are upset that President Barack Obama overturned a policy that prevented funding of groups that promote or perform abortions overseas.
In overturning the Mexico City Policy, Obama reneged on his promise to reduce abortions as president.Reacting to the decision in a poll conducted by the Gallup organization, 58 percent of Americans oppose Obama's pro-abortion decision while just 35 percent support it and 7 percent have no opinion.
Breaking down the new poll further, Gallup asked respondents to state their opinion on seven major actions President Obama has taken since becoming president. Overturning the Mexico City Policy engendered more opposition than any of the other actions and it had the lowest level of support.