Many Americans still blame President George W. Bush for the dismal state of the economy, according to a poll released Thursday, findings that help explain why President Obama’s re-election hopes remain unchanged amid widespread economic turmoil. The Associated Press-GfK poll shows that 51 percent of those surveyed said Bush should bear the brunt of the blame for the stagnant economy. In comparison, 31 percent say Obama is most responsible.
If that attitude persists, it could bolster the president’s chances for re-election in a campaign that is most certainly going to be dominated by the sagging economy and the stubborn jobless rate that have left so many Americans anxious and insecure.
Republicans, however, question how much longer Obama will be able to blame Bush for economic problems that Obama has yet to fix.
“After two and a half years, it’s President Obama’s economy,” Elaine Chao, Bush’s secretary of labor, told The Washington Examiner. “The administration’s love affair with big government [is] resulting in excessive government spending, taxes, and regulations [that] are dragging down the private sector and discouraging employers from hiring.”
Chao noted that the average unemployment rate from 2001 to 2008 was 5.2 percent compared with today’s 9.1 percent. However, Bush was in the White House when Wall Street began to collapse, ushering in a wave of government bailouts that remain unpopular with voters.
With projections showing that high unemployment will continue through 2012, Republican presidential candidates have zeroed in on Obama’s economic record, saying that a failed stimulus package and series of big-government spending measures have done little or nothing to produce jobs.
The poll reflects a souring economic mood created by an unprecedented credit downgrade, fears of a double-dip recession and a debt crisis engulfing Europe. It also provides warnings for a president whose approval rating has fallen to around 40 percent.
More than 85 percent of adults surveyed describe the economy as “poor” and nearly half say the situation has been exacerbated in the past month. Sixty-three percent disapprove of Obama’s handling of the economy, with 48 percent saying they “strongly” disapprove.
Even Democratic operatives acknowledge that public skepticism of Obama’s handling of the economy will be difficult to overcome.
“Intelligent-thinking people should realize that Bush was in charge when we hit the iceberg,” said one prominent Democrat strategist not affiliated with Obama. “But I’ll admit, that message will be more difficult to sell as we get closer to what everyone acknowledges will be a closely contested election.”
As voters continue to focus on the economy, Obama’s re-election campaign on Thursday announced a new initiative — “Project Vote” — to increase turnout among traditionally liberal constituencies. Campaign officials say it will give them a leg up over Republicans, who remain months away from nominating a challenger.
The president needs to shore up support among his base. The AP poll showed that Democratic support for Obama dropped from 82 percent to 74 percent since June while Republican support fell from 22 percent to 11 percent.
The minor bounce Obama got in the polls following the successful mission to kill Osama bin Laden has already faded. Immediately after the May mission, 65 percent of the public described Obama as a “strong leader.” That has since dropped to 51 percent.
