These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
30% Say Obama Too Confrontational, Highest Since Health Care Debate
Sunday, July 31, 2011
The number of voters who see President Obama's leadership style as too confrontational has reached its highest level since the health care issue was front and center.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 30% of Likely U.S. Voters describe the president's leadership style as too confrontational, up nine points from 21% a month ago and the highest finding since March 2010 . Twenty-four percent (24%) say Obama is too cooperative, while 32% think his leadership style is about right. Thirteen percent (13%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here .)
Those who think the president is too confrontational have ranged from 13% to 32% since he assumed office in January 2009. The number who feel he is too cooperative has run from 17% to 38% in the same period.
Forty-two percent (42%) of voters now view the president as a good or excellent leader, while 41% rate his leadership as poor, the latter his worst showing this year.
These findings are generally in line, though, with Obama's ratings over the past two years. When he first took office, 64% gave him good or excellent marks for leadership. Those positives fell into the 40s by July 2009 and have generally remained in that range ever since.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 24-25, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology .
With the debate over the nation's debt ceiling dragging on and consumer confidence near two-year lows, voters are souring even more on the president's handling of economic issues . Fifty percent (50%) now say he is doing a poor job when it comes to the economy.
While 53% of Republicans believe Obama is too confrontational, 58% of Democrats say his leadership style is about right. Voters not affiliated with either political party are almost evenly divided on the president's leadership style.
Most GOP voters (73%) rate Obama's leadership as poor, but 82% of Democrats feel he is doing a good or excellent job. Among unaffiliated voters, 36% rate his leadership good or excellent, while 39% say it's poor.
Two-out-of-three (66%) in the Political Class give the president positive marks on his leadership, but a plurality (48%) of Mainstream voters think he's doing a poor job.
A solid majority (64%) of Political Class voters rate Obama's leadership style as about right, a view shared by just 28% of those in the Mainstream.
A generic Republican candidate leads the president by six points again this week in a hypothetical 2012 election match-up. The GOP candidate has led in nine of 12 weekly surveys since early May.
The president continues to earn between 41% and 49% of the vote no matter which Republican is mentioned as a potential opponent. This suggests that the race remains a referendum on the incumbent more than anything else.