Politics

Obama Remains in Trouble While Rick Perry Leads GOP Field

By: Kevin Derby | Posted: September 6, 2011 11:10 AM

Around the State

President Barack Obama | Credit: mirsasha - Flickr

Two national polls released Tuesday morning found President Barack Obama continues to lose support while Gov. Rick Perry of Texas holds a commanding lead over the rest of the pack in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed Obama was upside down, with 44 percent approving of his performance in office while a majority -- 51 percent -- disapproved. A Politico/George Washington University Battleground poll mirrored those numbers, with 45 percent approving of Obama’s performance and 50 percent disapproving.

Obama was not helped by a strong majority of those surveyed in both polls thinking the country was headed in wrong direction. Seventy-two percent in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll and 73 percent in the Politico/GWU Battleground poll thought the nation was on the wrong track. Both polls found 19 percent of those surveyed thinking the nation was headed in the right direction.

Only 37 percent of those surveyed in the NBC/Wall Street Journal approved of the way Obama is handling the economy while 59 percent disapproved. These numbers were reflected in the Politico/GWU Battleground poll, which had 39 percent approving of Obama’s management of the economy while 59 percent disapproved.

For the first time this year in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Obama trailed a generic Republican candidate. The generic Republican took 44 percent while Obama followed with 40 percent. In the last NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, which was taken at the end of July, Obama took 42 percent while a generic Republican garnered 39 percent.

Obama did better when pitted against the two leading Republicans in the race. Obama beat Perry in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, taking 47 percent, while the Texas governor followed with 42 percent. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts did better against Obama than Perry. Obama barely edged Romney, taking 46 percent against the Republican who followed with 45 percent.

Among candidates for the Republican nomination, Perry topped the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll with 38 percent. Romney placed second with 23 percent. The rest of the pack trailed in single digits. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas took third with 9 percent followed by U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota with 8 percent. Two candidates from Georgia -- former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and businessman Herman Cain -- tied for fifth with 5 percent apiece. Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania stood in seventh place with 3 percent while former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah trailed with 2 percent.

Perry also led the Politico/GWU Battleground poll with 36 percent, followed by Romney with 17 percent. Bachmann and Paul tied for third with 10 percent. Gingrich and Santorum tied for fifth with 5 percent followed by Cain with 4 percent. Huntsman lagged with 1 percent.

The Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll of 1,000 adults was taken Aug. 27-31 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent. The Politico/GWU Battleground poll of 1,000 likely voters was taken Aug. 28-Sept. 1 and had a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.

Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.

Tags: 2012, Barack Obama, Herman Cain, Jon Hunstman, Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll, News, Newt Gingrich, Politico/GWU Battleground Poll, polls, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, Politics

Comments (3)

Ted

4:27PM SEP 6TH 2011

The ONLY trouble Obama has are the incredible fiscal and economic troubles left him by an incompetent GOP administration and Congress ... and his only problem in developing solutions to these problems are the anti-American, seditionist and obstructionist GOPs in Congress.

Chris Q

7:11AM SEP 7TH 2011

Please look at the facts. The democratic congress held the purse strings since 06. Since BO took over in 08, there has been no budget at all. only 23 companies received the massive TARP funds and no one knows what happened to all the money since then. Are you a union appologist? Or just stuck in Keynesian ineptitude? The problem is the math just doesn't work with socialist programs. As Margaret Thatcher said, "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." This is exactly what has happened here and in Europe. So stop with the invectives and start being part of the solution. Are you better off than you were 3 years ago? Unless you are a cronie of BO, skimming off money from those who are working to create something, you have to answer NO.

jeff b. willis

2:48PM SEP 6TH 2011

Republicans are beginning to compare Romney with Bob Dole and John McCain. Both were the "candidates in waiting." Both lost decisively. Perry's message is not cerebral. It's about a smaller government and creating jobs in the private sector. Mainstream America understands it. Obama cannot run on his record. He will go negative early and with all out intensity. But Perry will counterpunch. His theme of "too much regulation, too much government" is easy for "Mainstreet" to understand. He will make "right to work" an issue. Obama will be positioned as a "rubber stamp" for the Unions. This may not win Perry much ground in Michigan. But it will be highly effective in North Carolina. There is no question that Romney is pro-business. In fact, he may been perceived as "too much pro business." The class warfare campaign that Obama is certain to run against Romney will be less effective against Perry. Those who see Perry as too extreme are mostly in states that Republicans won't win anyway! For Perry to win the Presidency, he only needs to win the states that George W. Bush won in 2004. With Marco Rubio on the bottom of the ticket, this looks like a mathematical certainty. Romney, however, might not win all of those southern states! While he might win New Hampshire's four electoral votes, to lose North Carolina or Virginia would be a disaster! Perry will win these states. Odds are, Indiana will be decisive and Iowa will fall into the GOP column again. Do the math.