Half of Americans Unlikely to Vote to Re-Elect Barack Obama

President Barack Obama's killing of Osama bin Laden is not enough to re-elect him

19 May 2011 16:19 Africa/Lagos


President Obama's Job Rating Unchanged Since Early May, but Half of Americans Unlikely to Vote to Re-Elect Him

Employment/Jobs and the Economy still most important issues for government to address

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, May 19, 2011

NEW YORK, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- While President Obama's job ratings may not have changed much from the gain they saw after the death of Osama Bin Laden, there are some shifts the White House probably should worry about as they pertain to his re-election numbers. Currently, 45% of Americans give the President positive ratings for the overall job he is doing while 55% give him negative ratings. Earlier this month, right after the death of the terrorist leader, 46% gave President Obama positive ratings and 54% gave him negative marks.

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There are two groups that give President Obama higher ratings. Among regions, 54% of Westerners give him positive marks compared to 40% of Southerners, 42% of Easterners and 44% of those in the Midwest. Almost two-thirds of those with a post graduate degree (64%) give the President positive ratings as do 49% of college graduates and half of those with some college education (50%) while just one third of those with a high school diploma or less (34%) give President Obama positive ratings.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,184 adults surveyed online between May 9 and 16, 2011 by Harris Interactive.

Congress, which did not get much of a post-Osama killing bump, also hasn't seen their ratings change much in the past two weeks. Earlier in the month, 13% of Americans gave them positive ratings while 87% gave them negative ones. Now, 12% of U.S. adults give them positive marks while 88% of U.S. adults give Congress negative ratings for their overall job.

Also slipping downward slightly is the direction of the country. Just under two in five Americans (38%) say the country is going in the right direction, down one point from earlier this month. Slightly over three in five say the country is going off on the wrong track (62%), up one point from early May. One reason for this overall sense of dissatisfaction is still the economy. One-third of Americans (33%) say that employment/jobs are one of the two most important issues for the government to address, unchanged from January. One in three U.S. adults (29%) says the most important issue is the economy overall, up from 24% who said this in January. Rounding out the top five most important issues to be addressed is healthcare (18%), the budget deficit/national debt (17%) and gas and oil prices (12% up from 1% who said this in January).

It is this worry and concern over the economy that may be driving the numbers the White House is starting to care most about – likelihood of the American public to vote for President Obama again next November. Half of Americans (49%) say they are unlikely to vote for Barack Obama if the election for president were held today, up from 47% who said this in early May. Just over two in five Americans (43%) say they are likely to vote for him, down from 46% who said so earlier this month. Even more concerning for the re-election committee is that one in five Democrats (20%) say they are not likely to vote for the President while 7% at not at all sure.

So What?

The death of Osama Bin Laden brought the country together, but the question was always how long would that cohesion last. So far, the overall job ratings for the President are holding steady, but at this point in the election cycle President Obama and his advisors are not just thinking about the current job he has, but of extending it for another four years. Come next November, voters will be asking themselves if they are better off than they were in 2009. If the answer isn't yes, there could be issues for the re-election chances of President Obama.


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Obama's Proposed Oil and Gas Tax Hikes to Cost U.S. Economy 154,000 Jobs in 2011

13 Sep 2010 05:01 Africa/Lagos


Obama's Proposed Oil and Gas Tax Hikes to Cost U.S. Economy 154,000 Jobs in 2011

White House's new 'stimulus' plans would trigger loss of $341 billion in economic activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Louisiana State University Endowed Chair of Banking and nationally-renowned economist Dr. Joseph R. Mason estimates that President Obama's proposed energy tax changes would trigger grave economic consequences. In the newly released "Regional and National Economic Impact of Repealing the Section 199 Tax Deduction and Dual-capacity Tax Credit for Oil and Gas Producers," Dr. Mason finds the resulting fallout over the next ten years would include:

-- Initial losses of over 154,000 jobs by the end of 2011, not only in
the energy sector but across the whole economy;
-- More than $341 billion in lost U.S. economic output; and
-- In excess of $68 billion in lost wages nationwide.


"As we've seen in its 2011 budget and newly unveiled 'stimulus' plans, the Obama administration aims to single out U.S. oil and gas firms and raise the cost of energy for consumers by eliminating crucial tax credits to which all taxpayers are entitled," Dr. Mason said.

"Though politicians think they are selectively targeting 'Big Oil' with these energy tax proposals, they would actually devastate thousands of small American businesses nationwide as well as the workers who depend on them. With at least 150,000 U.S. jobs at stake - in fields ranging from healthcare to real estate - it's clear that the costs of repealing Section 199 and dual capacity far outweigh the potential benefit of increased government revenues that may be derived from the proposal."

"The discriminatory energy tax increases proposed by the administration will destroy American jobs and raise the price of energy for consumers," president and CEO of the American Energy Alliance Tom Pyle said. "President Obama's proposed changes -- which would apply solely to oil and gas companies -- have little to do with the debate over offshore drilling safety or even energy policy in general. This tax grab merely represents punitive policies that are now finding a place in the sun in the post-BP oil spill crisis political environment."

Using the government's own economic model - the U.S. Commerce Department's RIMS II system - Dr. Mason provides incredibly conservative economic impacts. In fact, these already staggering estimates do not even include the effects of the proposed tax increases on individual investors. That means if Congress implements these proposed changes, the economic fallout could be even more substantial.

Dr. Mason's report was sponsored by Save U.S. Energy Jobs - a project of the AEA - established to help promote the nation's energy sector. To learn more and get exclusive information on upcoming projects, follow Save U.S. Energy Jobs on Twitter and Facebook.

Founded in May, 2008, The American Energy Alliance ("AEA") is a not-for-profit organization that engages in grassroots public policy advocacy and debate concerning energy and environmental policies. AEA is the advocacy arm of the Institute for Energy Research (IER), a not-for-profit organization - founded in 1989 - that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets.

Source: American Energy Alliance

CONTACT: Laura Henderson of American Energy Alliance, +1-202-380-5758

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