Obama Polling Numbers Reach New Low For Handling of the Economy

President Obama briefly drops into Ohio today, attempting to claim that his economic program is producing results. But the numbers show that the $862 billion stimulus package hasn’t improved the economy and the latest polls show Americans don’t agree with Obama’s sunny economic portrait.  After his brief Ohio stop, President Obama heads to Miami, Florida for Democratic fundraiser to try and shore-up the Democrats Senate mess.

It was 18 months ago just yesterday that Vice President Joe Biden claimed the stimulus bill, paid for with borrowed money, would “create 3.5 million jobs” in 18 months and “literally drop-kicks us out of this recession.” Yet in those 18 months, another 3.3 million jobs were lost and unemployment remains stuck at 9.5%.

Despite the stark reality, President Obama said today, “We're on the right track. The economy is getting stronger.” According to a new AP poll, Americans clearly don’t agree. Only 35% say we’re “heading in the right direction” and only 38% think the economy is in better shape than it was 18 months ago when the stimulus was passed.  The Miami Herald writes today, "Obama earned his lowest marks ever on his handling of the economy in a new Associated Press-GfK poll, which also found that an overwhelming majority of Americans now describe the nation's financial outlook as poor. A frustrated electorate could take it out on the party in power - Obama's Democrats - in the November elections. Eleven weeks before the Nov. 2 balloting, just 41% of those surveyed approve of the president's performance on the economy, down from 44 percent in April, while 56% disapprove. And 61% say the economy has gotten worse or stayed the same on Obama's watch."

That might be why Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee, told Fox Business last night that “[i]t was ‘dumb’ for President Obama and his aides to promise that unemployment would not surpass eight percent if the stimulus act passed,” according to The Hill. Frank said, “President Obama, whom I greatly admire...when the economic recovery bill -- we're supposed to call it the ‘recovery bill,’ not the ‘stimulus’ bill, that's what the focus groups tell us -- he predicted or his aides predicted at the time that if it passed, unemployment would get under eight percent. . . . That was a dumb thing to do.”

As our nation faces tough economic challenges, President Obama continues to make his priorities clear as he crisscrosses the country in an effort to bolster the war chest of his Democrat Party. With Florida facing over 11% unemployment and being #1 in mortgage foreclosure and being behind in mortgage payments, one wonders about  Obama priorities which is reflected in the previously cited new lows in the polls for Mr Obama's handling of the economy. Obama is set on fundraising and picking the pockets / checkbooks of more Floridians instead of listening to the Floridians and other American.

Amanda Henneberg, RNC Spokesman, responded today, “President Obama’s sinking approval ratings reveal that Floridians have rejected his liberal policies, his failed $862 billion stimulus, and his handling of the oil spill crisis. While he’s fundraising in South Beach, the President will have a great opportunity to explain how the Obama-Meek big-spending agenda has led to over 152,000 jobs lost in Florida, while the state’s unemployment stands at an unacceptable 11.4 percent. Floridians deserve more from their President than highly scripted, teleprompter-friendly, empty campaign rhetoric that has done nothing to improve the economic hardships of the state.” Ouch! And, Agree!

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