As President Barack Obama prepared to deliver his first address to Congress on Tuesday night (7:30 Wednesday morning Indian time), a clutch of polls showed that the American public give him high marks for his first month in office.
Sixty-eight per cent of respondents in a Washington Post-ABC News poll said they approve of the way Obama is handling his job. He fared well in a New York Times-CBS News poll too, with an approval rating of 63 per cent. A Gallup poll also put the president’s approval rating at 63 per cent.
Sixty-four per cent of those polled by the Post and ABC News support his $787-billion economic stimulus package and his $75-billion plan to reduce home foreclosures. Fifty-eight per cent expressed confidence that Obama's actions will make the downturn less severe.
Only 10 per cent agreed with the Congressional Republicans’ charge that the stimulus package was too heavy on spending and too light on tax cuts, the Post said.
However, there has been a drop from the heady early days in support for Obama among Republicans. And to put things in perspective, the Post said Obama’s job approval rating is the average for the past eight presidents at the same point.
{{/usCountry}}However, there has been a drop from the heady early days in support for Obama among Republicans. And to put things in perspective, the Post said Obama’s job approval rating is the average for the past eight presidents at the same point.
{{/usCountry}}In his address, Obama will focus largely on the economy and related issues, including health care, education and energy, CNN reported.