The 12%
Obama’s initial approval ratings as president, while not exceeding Kennedy’s, are still very high–68% approve, 12% disapprove. What surprises me? That only 12% disapprove. Why does that surprise me? Because the incessant, virulent, some might even say hysterical, right-wing line of smears and attacks against Obama have not only not abated, they seem to have intensified. As John Stewart points out comically:
With an entire television news network and dozens of popular rabid, frothing pundits continuing to excoriate Obama on a daily basis, that only 12% of the nation disapproves of Obama is startlingly positive news for the new president. It is hard to see how the a majority of the hardcore right wing 30% who still think that Bush did a good job somehow approve of Obama when their main news source is continuously shouting at them that the new president is a dangerous Socialist traitor who must fail if the nation is to survive.
Even for less than one week, you have to be pretty resilient to withstand that pounding.
It looks like Obama’s policy of Rumpification of the extreme right is going according to plan.
They are playing right into Obama’s strategy, it would seem to me. Lots of the nuts are saying that they lost the election because McCain wasn’t far right enough.
After trashing our nations, all they can do is just sit back and scream, as the credibility of their movement dissolves.
The situation reminds me of a James Bond film, or something like that, where the airplane suddenly goes into a steep dive because of an inept pilot, and the hero grabs the controls just in time to pull the plane out of the dive.
If and when Obama pulls the nation out of its steep dive, and if we are lucky it happens sooner rather than later, these right-wing jokers will be mouthing off complaints to a smaller and smaller audience until they have all the relevance of a prediction by the Amazing Kreskin.
I think were are seeing the ‘first throws’ of a Rush Limbaugh who is sinking into the quick sand of his own making. Watching him go down in slow motion agony is small consolation to what he and his kind have put us through these last 8 year (really last 30 years), but quite sweet nonetheless. Long may he be gone.
You seem to be suggesting this question: Will Fox, et al. listen to their audience and mellow over time or will their audience yet again drink the koolaid. Your image of the conservative public receiving a pounding from their pundits was apt. At what point do they rebel and say enough – these attacks not only don’t ring true but now I doubt the conservative establishment that is trying to sell me this bill of goods. Thankfully the pundits and conservative leaders are dealing with the coolest customer around – Obama – who will give them nothing to hang onto and lots of rope… and an occasional well-timed and well executed rejoinder to put them in their place.
I think part of it is that people can see just how insane Fox News is now since they have started contradicting themselves — when Bush was president they said “we must respect whoever is in office” — with Obama now president — “The democrat President is bringing terrorists to your home!!” It’s not subtle anymore and is just off-the-wall stuff instead of the slightly believable stuff so nobody takes them seriously at this point.