By AMY HARDER
According to a USA Today/Gallup poll out today, 62 percent of respondents echoed one of the primary buzzwords of the campaign, telling pollsters they were more hopeful following President Obama's inaugural ceremony. That's nearly 20 percentage points more than the poll recorded immediately following George W. Bush's second inauguration in 2005.
An Associated Press/Knowledge Networks poll [PDF], conducted in part online, echoed Gallup's findings. A full seven in 10 respondents said the inauguration made them feel hopeful. Not surprisingly, Democrats felt more positive about the inauguration than Republicans. It wasn't all fun and games for the winning party, though. While only 6 percent of GOP members felt overwhelmed, nearly a quarter of Democrats said they felt that way.
Former presidential speechwriters contacted by NationalJournal.com after Obama's address generally gave him high marks on his performance, a judgment the public seemed to share. More than 90 percent of those polled by AP and just over 80 percent in the Gallup rated the new president's speech as either good or excellent.
By KEVIN FRIEDL
The first 100 days of modern presidencies have usually been a wait-and-see period in the court of public opinion. Most presidents since Kennedy have seen their approval ratings remain relatively steady during the three months following their inaugurations, reflecting the so-called "honeymoon period" during which voters (and the press) wait to see how the new chief executive will govern.
Two notable exceptions to this trend were Ronald Reagan, whose approval ratings rose from just over 50 percent in January to near 70 percent in May, and Bill Clinton, the only president on this list whose support fell below half during his first 100 days. (Lyndon Johnson's "first 100 days," it's worth pointing out, actually weren't; he had already been president for more than a year by the time of his second swearing-in, in 1965.)
The 100-days yardstick may have outlived its usefulness in an era of complex global challenges. But Barack Obama's poll numbers during this period will be worth watching nonetheless as the first test of whether his sky-high post-election approval ratings (subscription) survive the inevitable mistakes and compromises of actual governance. Based on the trend among post-war presidents, voters will probably give him the benefit of the doubt.
By MARY GILBERT
Grim economic news keeps coming, but Americans seem optimistic that President-elect Barack Obama can turn things around, giving the incoming POTUS high marks for the Cabinet officials he has selected so far.
Nearly eight in 10 respondents to a recent USA Today/Gallup survey reported that they approve of the way Obama is handling the transition between administrations, including a 57 percent majority of Republicans. That's higher than either George W. Bush (61 percent) or Bill Clinton (68 percent) registered immediately before they took office. A Democracy Corps/Greenberg Quinlan Rosner (D) poll found Obama's support to be lower, at 53 percent approval, but with just 19 percent disapproval. Twenty-eight percent of respondents to that poll declined to express an opinion.
Those surveyed by USA Today/Gallup overwhelmingly approved of Obama's decision to retain Defense Secretary Robert Gates: Eighty percent approved, compared with just 14 percent who disagreed. Hillary Rodham Clinton also inspired confidence, as nearly seven in 10 approved of her selection as secretary of State. Similarly, a Lifetime Networks poll, conducted by WomanTrend and Lake Research Partners, found that 71 percent of women support Clinton's nomination -- but that two-thirds want Obama to make his Cabinet picks based solely on experience and qualifications rather than gender equity.
Continue reading Polls: Americans Approve Of Obama's Cabinet Picks, Policies.
