much, 35 percent concluding that he did about the right amount and 19
percent saying that he didn’t do enough, according to a new
McClatchy-Ipsos poll.
Of those who think he did too much, 57 percent
singled out health care as the main area in which he over-reached. Of
those who said he did too little, 42 percent cited the economy and jobs
as the areas where he most under-performed.
Still, Obama’s approval rating dipped only slightly, to 50 percent, from 52 percent 18 days earlier, while
approval rating plummeted to 21 percent, down from 29 percent. In
addition, the proportion of Americans who think that the country is
headed down the wrong track ticked up to 57 percent, from 55 percent.
Since Obama took office there has been a debate over
whether he’s trying to do too much too soon, but the president makes no
apologies for his ambitious agenda.
“I’ve been told that our political system is too
gridlocked, and that we should just put things on hold for a while,”
Obama said last week in his State of the Union address. “For those who
make these claims, I have one simple question: How long should we wait?
How long should America put its future on hold?”
Broken down by party, 67 percent of Republicans, 45
percent of Democrats and 41 percent of independent voters said that the
president had tried to do too much on health care. More people oppose
the health care plans that are before
Slightly more — 49 percent — favor creating a public
entity to compete with private health insurers than the 47 percent who
oppose that proposal. A majority — 52 percent — favors creating
insurance co-operatives that aren’t run by the government, while 38
percent oppose that idea.
On whether Obama did too little on jobs and the
economy, 48 percent of independents, 43 percent of Republicans and 37
percent of Democrats put themselves in that camp.
The president is emphasizing jobs and the economy far more than health care these days.
“Jobs will be our No. 1 focus in 2010, and we’re
going to start where most new jobs do: with small businesses,” Obama
said Tuesday during a visit to
Together with our proposal to cut taxes for small businesses to spur
hiring and increase wages, we are making the critical investments we
need for our economic recovery.”
Most Americans are still waiting for the economy to
rebound. Only 10 percent said the economy had turned the corner, while
57 percent said it had stabilized but hadn’t yet begun to improve.
Twenty-eight percent said the worst was yet to come.
—
(c) 2010, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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