Almost Half of Americans Do Not Think President Obama Will be Re-elected

22 Sep 2011 16:43 Africa/Lagos


Almost Half of Americans Do Not Think President Obama Will be Re-elected

Approval ratings unchanged from lows of last month

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2011

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After a spirited speech to Congress and presenting his jobs bill President Obama starts the fall with the same approval ratings he had at the end of the summer. This month, exactly the same as in August, just one-third of Americans (32%) give the president positive ratings on the overall job he is doing while two-thirds (68%) give him negative ratings.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO )

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,462 adults surveyed online between September 12 and 19, 2011 by Harris Interactive.

Looking at the ratings on a partisan level, it's not shocking that almost all Republicans (96%) and nine in ten Conservatives (90%) give the President negative marks, but so do seven in ten Independents (71%) and almost two-thirds of Moderates (64%). While majorities of Democrats (58%) and Liberals (53%) still give the President positive marks, large enough numbers of both groups of the President's traditional supporters (42% of Democrats and 47% of Liberals) give him negative ratings, giving the White House and the re-election team a bit to be concerned about.

While the President's ratings may continue to be at his lowest, one small piece of comfort he has is that he is doing a better job than Congress. Right now, almost all Americans (94%) have a negative view of the overall job Congress is doing and just 6% give them positive ratings. This low rating transcends party lines as only 7% of both Democrats and Republicans and 5% of Independents give Congress positive marks.

What has bounced back just slightly from last month is the number of people who think the country is going in the right direction. This month, 22% think the country is heading in the right direction while 78% think things have gotten off on the wrong track. While still low, this is better than in August when only 16% thought things were going in the right direction and 84% said they were going off on the wrong track.

One reason for all the negativity is the concern over economic issues. When asked what the two most important issues for the government to address are, half of Americans (50%) say it is employment and jobs. Another quarter say the government needs to address the economy (27%), while 17% say healthcare, 13% say the budget deficit, 11% say the budget and government spending and 7% each say taxes and social security.

Looking to next November

Even more disturbing for the White House are the numbers on likelihood of voting for President Obama. If the election for president were to be held today, over half of Americans (53%) say they would be unlikely to vote for Barack Obama while 39% say they would be likely to vote for him. Almost half (47%) say they would be very unlikely to vote for President Obama. Looking at this on a partisan level, nine in ten Republicans (92%) say they are unlikely to vote for President Obama as are three in five Independents (59%). Even among the two groups who are the President's more staunch supporters over one in five of both Liberals (23%) and Democrats (21%) say they are unlikely to vote for the President if the election were to be held today.

What is another concern is something that could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just three in ten Americans (30%) think President Obama will be re-elected while almost half (47%) do not think he will be re-elected; one-quarter (23%) are not at all sure. While 51% of Democrats believe President Obama will be re-elected, one-quarter do not (24%) and one-quarter are not at all sure (24%).

So What?

As multiple political commentators have said, the 2012 general re-election campaign began with President Obama's recent address to Congress. Yes, the Republicans still have to pick their candidate, but the President is starting to push forward the agenda he hopes to work his re-election campaign around next year. If he doesn't do something and stays mired in these low approval numbers and negative re-elect numbers, this election may be over before it even starts. The only consolation is that the GOP primary looks like it may be a long one and the eventual Republican candidate may emerge tired and possibly wounded after a blistering primary.

Click here for the full report.


2012 U.S. Presidential Election.

Top Topics

Almost Half of Americans Do Not Think President Obama Will be Re-elected

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. Increases

Who Ya Gonna Call? Sony Pictures Entertainment Brings Its Classic Film "Ghostbusters" Back to Theatres

Bankrate: 5th Straight Record Low for Mortgage Rates

Murder Arrest Rate Dropped 54 Percent Between 1980 and 2009

Clinton Global Initiative

Tweet

Human Rights Leader Faults Obama Administration for Failure In Sudan

Human Rights Leader Faults Obama Administration for Failure In Sudan – Could Cost Thousands Of Lives

Rejects Current “Normalization” Approach for Tough Sanctions against Indicted War Criminal

(Washington, DC) – United to End Genocide President Tom Andrews today urged policymakers to mandate increased U.S. sanctions and other actions to help halt escalating ethnic-based attacks on civilians in South Kordofan and Blue Nile by forces backed by Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir. Andrews testified at a House of Representatives’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing, “Sudan: The Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis in South Kordofan and Continuing Human Rights Violations in Darfur.”



Omar al-Bashir


“Omar al-Bashir is repeating the targeted ethnic attacks of Darfur in South Kordofan and Blue Nile where his forces have already killed thousands and left hundreds of thousands displaced with little food and no access to humanitarian aid,” stated Andrews. “Unfortunately, the Obama Administration, by failing to demand accountability and leaving the option open for normalized relations with Sudan, is allowing Omar al-Bashir to get away with murder.”

In his testimony, Andrews called on the Obama Administration to:

• Expand current sanctions on Bashir and other individuals responsible for atrocities throughout Sudan, as current sanctions are specific to Darfur alone;

• Make saving live in Sudan a high priority in dealings with China and other nations that can exert leverage on Bashir and his regime; and

• Expend political capital necessary to pass a United Nations Security Council resolution that would expand individual sanctions for perpetrators, expand the existing arms embargo on Darfur to incorporate all of Sudan, expand the mandate of the International Criminal Court to cover the entire country, and authorize an international civilian protection force with the mandate and capacity to accomplish its mission.

Andrews thanked the Lantos Human Rights Commission for helping to raise the alarm about ongoing atrocities in Sudan. “The American people need to know the truth about Omar al-Bashir and the atrocities he continues to commit, and this hearing is an important step,” stated Andrews. “I urge your leadership in considering legislation that would mandate increased U.S. sanctions and other actions to hold Omar al-Bashir accountable for his heinous actions and protect the millions of men, women and children in South Kordofan and Blue Nile whose lives are at risk right now.”
###

The Save Darfur Coalition and Genocide Intervention Network are now United to End Genocide. The organization remains committed to its work to end the crisis in Darfur and bring peace to all of Sudan as well as to end violence in other areas of mass atrocities. The merger creates the world’s largest anti-genocide organization, with a membership base of hundreds of thousands of committed activists globally, an unparalleled nationwide student movement, more than 190 faith-based, advocacy and human rights partner organizations, and a network of institutional investors collectively representing more than $2 trillion in assets under management.


CONTACT:
Ann Brown, abrown@annbrowncommunications.com, 301-633-4193

Tweet

President Barack Obama Has Balls, But Nigerian Presidents Have None

"We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused," Obama said in an 18-minute speech. "And we will do whatever necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy." President Barack Obama said authoritatively.


I have only one simple illustration from a book to show that the brave President Barack Obama of the United States of America has balls, but Nigerian Presidents have none in addressing emergencies.

The failure of the Nigerian government to check the excesses of Chevron, Shell and other oil companies have made them to disregard their rules of engagement, because these oil companies spill more oil into the Niger Delta each year than was spilled as a result of the Deepwater Horizon disaster that devastated the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. President Barack Obama did not waste time to address the emergency and compelled the BP to pay.

"We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused," Obama said in an 18-minute speech. "And we will do whatever necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy." President Barack Obama said authoritatively.

BP set up a $20bn compensation fund after the Deepwater Horizon disaster and has so far paid out 19,000 claims totalling more than $240m and BP's bill for containing and cleaning up the oil spill has reached nearly $10bn (£6.4bn).

President Obama did not need to commission the United Nations Environment Protection (UNEP) and did not pay for any assessment or disaster management report before compelling BP to pay for the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

"The oil industry has been a key sector of the Nigerian economy for over 50 years, but many Nigerians have paid a high price, as this assessment underlines," said Achim Steiner, U.N. under-secretary general and the executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, which carried out the report.

Yet, our inept and incompetent government failed to prosecute the indicted Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Chevron and other

multinational oil companies to pay for the collateral damages they have been doing in the Niger Delta for decades.

The failures of the government and the impunity of the multinational oil companies provoked the rise of insurgency in the Niger Delta.


Tweet

GI-NET/SDC Welcomes Presidential Directive on Mass Atrocities

GI-NET/SDC Welcomes Presidential Directive on Mass Atrocities

(Washington, DC) – Tom Andrews, President of Genocide Intervention Network/Save Darfur Coalition issued the following statement welcoming today’s release of the Presidential Directive on Mass Atrocities:

“President Obama is exactly right – preventing mass atrocities is very much a core moral responsibility of our nation while also being in our national interest. We welcome the release of the Presidential Directive on Mass Atrocities and steps outlined by the administration to strengthen our nation’s capacity to prevent mass atrocities and genocide. These include ensuring that vital early-warning information about a possible mass atrocity or genocide is able to get from the ground to the highest levels of government decision making.”

“Strong action to stop mass atrocities is needed now more than ever. President Bashir of Sudan, wanted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, is now attacking the people of Sudan’s South Kordofan region. Swift action by the United States and its allies is literally a matter of life and death for civilians who are being attacked because of their identity. In Syria, more and more lives are being lost at the hands of government forces. It is imperative that the United States act expeditiously to build and leverage a whole of government response to the world’s worst crimes. Presidential leadership, interagency coordination and high-level prioritization are welcome steps forward.”
###

The Save Darfur Coalition and Genocide Intervention Network merged to create a more powerful voice dedicated to preventing and stopping large-scale, deliberate atrocities against civilians. The organization remains committed to its work to end the crisis in Darfur and bring peace to all of Sudan as well as to end violence in other areas of mass atrocities such as Congo and Burma. The merger creates the world’s largest anti-genocide organization, with a membership base of hundreds of thousands of committed activists globally, an unparalleled nationwide student movement, more than 190 faith-based, advocacy and human rights partner organizations, and a network of institutional investors collectively representing more than $2 trillion in assets under management.


CONTACT:
Ann Brown, abrown@annbrowncommunications.com, 301-633-4193

Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
3 Aug 2011
20:50	Sudan Commits to the Original Mandate of the UNAMID, Rejects any Amendments
14:37	Sudan: seed and tools for half a million people in Darfur
11:47	Japanese envoy pays courtesy call on EAC Secretary General
11:09	UN Secretary-General saddened by death of peacekeepers in Sudan
2 Aug 2011
08:14	Bangladeshi Workers Who Fled Libya Receive Reintegration Grants
06:45	Message from UNAMID Joint Special Representative to people of Darfur on occasion of Ramadan
1 Aug 2011
22:20	The Perils of Global Intolerance: the United Nations & "Durban III"
11:40	The African Union High Level Implementation Panel Welcomes the Border Security Agreement between the Sudan and South Sudan
08:03	US Assistant Secretary Michael Posner Travels to Sudan and South Sudan
07:56	UN Secretary-General appoints Haile Menkerios of South Africa Special Envoy for Sudan, South Sudan

Tweet

Religious Leaders Meet with President to Form 'Circle of Protection'

President Barack Obama recently met with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House. July 16, 2011.


21 Jul 2011 03:09 Africa/Lagos


Religious Leaders Meet with President and Ask Him to Form 'Circle of Protection' Around Programs for Those in Need

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2011

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a meeting this afternoon with President Barack Obama and senior White House staff, national Christian leaders asked the president to protect funding for programs for hungry and poor people in the ongoing budget debate and in any deal concerning the default crisis.

All agreed that we can get our fiscal house in order without doing so on the backs of those who are most vulnerable. The shared concern was to cut the deficit in a way that protects the safety net, protects the vulnerable, and maintains our investments in the future.

Christian leaders at today's meeting included representatives from the National Association of Evangelicals, the National Council of Churches, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bread for the World, Sojourners, the Alliance to End Hunger, the Salvation Army, the National African American Clergy Network, the National Baptist Convention of America, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. They are part of the "Circle of Protection," a nonpartisan movement that insists budgets are moral documents and that poor and vulnerable people should be protected--not targeted--in efforts to reduce long-term deficits. White House staff in the meeting included Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Director of Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes and Director of the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois.

Leaders have been urging policy makers to recognize that a commitment to protect vulnerable people is a moral--not partisan--concern. They will continue to talk with policy makers as well as educate other Christians and voters about the moral issues at stake in the budget.

"As Christian leaders, we are committed to fiscal responsibility and shared sacrifice. We are also committed to resist budget cuts that undermine the lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people," the leaders wrote in a joint statement. "Therefore, we join with others to form a circle of protection around programs that meet the essential needs of hungry and poor people at home and abroad."

The Circle of Protection statement has been signed by more than 60 heads of Christian denominations and religious organizations, and endorsed by 45 heads of development agencies as well as leaders of other faiths. The Circle of Protection movement has worked to uphold the bipartisan consensus that has long prevailed in deficit-reduction agreements--that programs serving poor and hungry people should be protected and exempted from any automatic cuts.

"We applaud the president for acknowledging that any budget deal must protect programs vital for hungry and poor people," said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. "The best way to reduce federal deficits is to negotiate a responsible budget that includes cuts in spending as well as increases in revenues."

The Circle of Protection leaders have met with both Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress, and they have requested meetings with House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Circle of Protection leaders will host a teleconference tomorrow, July 21, at 11:30 a.m. ET. Media are invited to dial 888-296-4205 to participate. Speakers during the press call will include most of those who were at the White House meeting. For more information on the Circle of Protection and to view the full list of signatories, visit http://www.bread.org/hunger/budget/circle-of-protection/.

Bread for the World ( www.bread.org ) is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.

SOURCE Bread for the World

CONTACT: Racine Hamilton, +1-202-688-1138 office; +1-301-922-8417 cell, rhamilton@bread.org; or Kristen Youngblood , +1-202-688-1118 office; +1-202-423-7379 cell, kyoungblood@bread.org

Web Site: http://www.bread.org

Top Topics

Diana Ross to Make Her First San Francisco Appearance Since 1969

Lilly Reports Second-Quarter 2011 Results

NASA's Proud Space Shuttle Program Ends With Atlantis Landing

Boyz II Men Celebrates 20 Years with "Twenty"

Americans Becoming More Pessimistic on the Economy

Consumer Reports Health: Three Out of Four Readers Using Alternative Therapies; Meditation Helpful to Some Suffering from Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia

One in Four Homeowners Have Challenged Their Property Taxes, Says New FindLaw.com Survey

Summer Heat

Quarterly Earnings Reports

Ex-Im Bank Chairman Joins President Obama In Raleigh For Jobs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2011

Ex-Im Bank Chairman Joins President Obama In Raleigh For Jobs Council Meeting



Fred P. Hochberg


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2011

Ex-Im Bank Chairman Joins President Obama In Raleigh For Jobs Council Meeting

Media Contact: Jamie Radice (Ex-Im Bank): 202-565-3200

Raleigh, North Carolina -- Today, the Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), Fred P. Hochberg, joined President Obama and other senior government and corporate officials in Raleigh, North Carolina to meet with members of the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness (Jobs Council). Hochberg participated in the Council's Manufacturing, Listening, and Action session.

"I was honored to be with the President in Raleigh today to talk about the important economic issues facing our country," said Chairman Hochberg. "Exports create and sustain American jobs, and are a vital component of our economic recovery. President Obama has made the National Export Initiative a top priority, and because of that emphasis we are on track to double U.S. exports by 2015."

Administration officials who attended the Jobs Council forum included Senior White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, White House Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes, and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors Austan Goolsbee. Participants in the Manufacturing, Listening, and Action session were Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg, Small Business Administrator Karen Mills, DuPont Chair and CEO Ellen Kullman, Intel Corporation President Paul Otellini, and BNSF Chairman and CEO Matt Rose.

The President's Jobs Council was created to provide non-partisan advice to the President on how best to strengthen the nation's economy and look for additional ways to create jobs, opportunity, and prosperity for the American people.

Chairman Hochberg was in Raleigh earlier this month, where he hosted a Global Access for Small Business forum with Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC). At the event, North Carolina small business owners learned how to gain a competitive edge in today's global marketplace when selling their goods and services overseas. Ex-Im Bank has hosted more than a dozen Global Access events across the country this year.

Small business owners who are interested in learning more about how they can successfully export their products can call 1-800-565-EXIM (3946). Ex-Im Bank also offers information specifically designed to assist small business exporters on its website at http://www.exim.gov/smallbusiness/.

About Ex-Im Bank:
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export-credit insurance, and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services. In the first seven months of fiscal year 2011, Ex-Im Bank approved $14.8 billion in total financing authorizations, supporting $17.8 billion in U.S. export sales. These sales will support more than 129,000 American jobs in communities across the country. This seven-month authorizations figure is the highest in the Bank's history.

For more information, visit Ex-Im Bank's Web site at www.exim.gov.


Media Contact: Jamie Radice (Ex-Im Bank): 202-565-3200


Top Headlines

Economic Reports

US Oil and Gas Reserve Growth Reaches Five-Year High

Eighth-Graders Make Progress in U.S. History

President Obama Making Historic Trip to Puerto Rico

Las Vegas Celebrates Summer With New Line Up of World-Class Entertainment and Activities

FDA Announces Changes to Better Inform Consumers About Sunscreen

J. C. Penney Company Names Ron Johnson as Its Next Chief Executive Officer, Effective November 1

President Jonathan meets President Obama at the White House on Wednesday

Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria to the White House

President Obama will welcome President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria to the White House on Wednesday, June 8.

The President looks forward to consulting with President Jonathan on the latest regional and global developments, and deepening our strong bilateral partnership.

Barack Obama is also Irish and the Irish love him

As Queen Elizabeth 2 ends her own first visit to Ireland, President Barack Obama begins his own.


President Barack Obama

He will be one of eight hundred thousand Americans expected to travel to Ireland this year, but his is perhaps the most historic one, because he is actually going back to his ancestral roots. Yes, Barack Obama is also Irish. Most people know him as a native of Honolulu, Hawaii, whose mother Ann Dunham Stanley came from Wichita, Kansas of mostly English descent with the roots of her family tree going as far back as Germany, Wales and of course Ireland where Obama will be welcomed with open arms in Moneygall, County Offaly the birthpace of his great-great-great grandfather Falmouth Kearney (who emigrated to the US in 1850, because of the potato famine). Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, was a descendant of one of Kearney's daughters, Mary Ann Kearney, and Jacob William Dunham. So, the Irish can also claim him and how amusing that would be to his kith and kin from his black African father Barack Obama, Sr., a Luo from Nyang'oma Kogelo, Nyanza Province, Kenya.

Obama's 24-hour visit to Ireland begins on Monday and will receive the warmest of Irish hospitality when he visits the Emerald Isle where hundreds of thousands of well wishers will line the streets to his ancestral village of Monegall in Co, Offaly where preparations to host him are already in full swing.

“We have huge connections with America and we look forward to deepening those in years to come and giving a warm Irish welcome to all the Americans that come here. There are 40 million people of Irish decent in America and we think they are going to be thrilled that President Obama is coming here and the genealogical connection is an indelible one and we are delighted that president Obama is coming here to discover his roots with us in Ireland,” said Niall Gibbons, CEO Tourism Ireland.

“Well, we traced back nine generations from the president, so we took Megan Smolenyak’s work and we took it back another four generations again, tracing it back to the late 1600s and that’s a real achievement in Irish Genealogy because so many of the records have been destroyed over the previous 300 years. The thing to remember as well, is that the president’s family, they weren’t rich, they weren’t anglo Irish, they were simply a regular family and to be able to trace them back was really quite something,” enthused Fiona Fitzsimons, Genealogist, Eneclann.

“We hope he will come and visit the school house behind me where his ancestors were educated. The ancestral home still stands in the village, that’s another important site, also Templeharry church. So there are three important sites within the area for anyone to come and visit, and of course it wouldn’t be a presidential visit to Ireland without a traditional stop off in the local pub for a pint of Guinness,” said Henry Healy, one of the 28 living Irish relatives of President Obama.
'The place is buzzing,' Majella Hayes, co-owner of Ollie Hayes bar in Moneygall, told the German Press Agency dpa.
'The atmosphere is electric. The bar is full of visitors and locals alike. There's nowhere to park your car in the village. There are hundreds of extra people around,' said Hayes, in whose bar President Obama is expected to sample a pint of Guinness on Monday afternoon. But a source at the White House doubts whether the president will drink it.

'There is a lot of work going on too with telephone lines and the likes being put in. This is not a tourist town, so we're not used to anything like this,' she added.

During his stay President Obama will also visit the capital city of Dublin where a huge celebration rally is planned according to Tourism Ireland.



Photo: The residents of Moneygall is in the grip of Obamania, because later this month Obama will be making a presidential pilgrimage here to discover his Irish roots. Photo: KIM HAUGHTON.



Photo: Dorma Lee Reese poses for a picture at her home in Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday, March 16, 2011. Reese, 83, a retired EEG technologist, learned about a year ago that she is a third cousin to President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson.)

According to Monsters & Critics, souvenir shops are springing up along with an Obama café, residents painting their houses, with one even painting the front of his house in the colours of the US flag. US flags are on display and tourists can buy t-shirts proclaiming 'Is feidir linn,' which means 'Yes, we can,' in Irish and 'What's the crack, Barack?'. There's also high-fibre, low-fat Obama bread on sale in the grocery shop.

Villagers have also been treated to repeated visits from men in dark glasses, making preparations for the stringent security arrangements and a man was quizzed for making death threats.

US president is also scheduled to address a crowd of villagers and visitors and meet the Prime Minister Enda Kenny on Monday morning and later attend a concert in the evening before making a speech at central Dublin's College Green, where former US President Bill Clinton addressed a crowd of tens of thousands in 1995.

About 12 per cent of Americans claim Irish ancestry, and Ireland has welcomed several US presidents to their ancestral homes since the visit of John F Kennedy in 1963.

Monsters & Critics reported that some cynics pointed out that Obama is only 1/32 Irish. But in Moneygall at least, in the words of a song in his honour, 'There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama.'

Barack Obama Is í an Ghaeilge agus an Ghaeilge grá dó sin.


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima

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.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO)

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.


Click here for all the details

Top Headlines

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

Bankrate: Mortgage Rates Fall 6 Weeks in a Row

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. Declines

U.S. Postal Service Expands to 100,000 Locations

One in Eight Americans Have Contemplated Bankruptcy, Says New FindLaw.com Survey

Seniors Have Lost 32 Percent of Their Buying Power Since 2000

Increase in First Quarter 2011 Deal Activity Signals Positive Outlook for Global Industrial Manufacturing M&A, According to PwC

Delta, Air France KLM and Alitalia to Reduce Trans-Atlantic Capacity in Fall 2011

Southeastern Floods & Tornadoes

Judicial Watch demands proof of the death of Osama bin Laden

Judicial Watch Announces Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit Seeking bin Laden Photos and Videos

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2011

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Defense (DOD) seeking "all photographs and/or video recordings of Osama (Usama) bin Laden taken during and/or after the U.S. military operation in Pakistan on or about May 1, 2011" (Judicial Watch v. DOD (No. 1:11-cv-00890) (JEB)).

Judicial Watch filed a FOIA request with the DOD on May 3.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, the DOD has 20 business days legally to respond. Rather than follow the law, the DOD has stated:

At this time, we are unable to make a release determination on your request within the 20-day statutory time period.

Judicial Watch filed an identical FOIA request with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on May 4. The CIA has yet to acknowledge or respond to the request.

"The American people have a right to know, by law, basic information about the killing of Osama bin Laden. Incredibly, the Obama administration told us that it has no plans to comply with the Freedom of Information law, so we must now go to court. President Obama's not wanting to 'spike the football' is not a lawful basis for withholding government documents. This historic lawsuit should remind the Obama administration that it is not above the law," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

Visit www.judicialwatch.org to view Judicial Watch's Freedom of Information requests.

Founded in 1994, Judicial Watch Inc. is a constitutionally conservative, nonpartisan educational foundation that promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law. JW is perhaps the most active FOIA request or and litigator operating today.

SOURCE Judicial Watch

CONTACT: Jill S. Farrell, Director of Public Affairs, Judicial Watch Inc., +1-202-646-5188

Web Site: http://www.judicialwatch.org


Related Report:

Dead or Alive? Osama bin Laden: A Marketing Tool for US-NATO Military Operations by Elizabeth Woodworth

With An Important Chapter Closed, the Story Of 9/11 Is Not Over

Help Build The Flight 93 National Memorial Honoring The Heroes Of United Flight 93, Visit www.honorflight93.org Or Text “MEMORIAL” To 90999 And Donate $10 Today

Washington, D.C. (May 2, 2011) /PRNewswire/ — In the wake of world events, Neil Mulholland, President and CEO of the National Park Foundation, charitable partner of the Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign, issued the following statement:

“The death of Osama bin Laden marks an important moment in the history of 9/11, however the story is far from over and our work is not done. As people around the world reflect on recent events, and as the 10th anniversary of September 11th grows near, it is more important than ever that we remember that fateful day, pay homage to the ones we lost, and honor our heroes – including the 40 passengers and crew of United Flight 93, who sacrificed their own lives so others could live. May their courage, sacrifice and heroism never be forgotten.”

Ten years after the events of September 11th, memorials in New York and at the Pentagon are funded. However, the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA has yet to receive the funds necessary to be complete. An additional $15 million is needed to finish the project. To support the Flight 93 National Memorial, people are invited to visit www.honorflight93.org or text “MEMORIAL” to 90999 from their mobile device to donate $10 immediately.

The Flight 93 National Memorial will be the nation’s permanent memorial to the 40 passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, and all of those lost on September 11, 2001. United Flight 93, originally destined for San Francisco, was hijacked by terrorists in the skies over Ohio. Once they received word of the attacks in New York and Washington, the passengers and crew took decisive action, choosing to fight their terrorist hijackers. Together they fought, and through their heroic actions, sacrificed their own lives, ultimately causing United Flight 93 to crash in a field outside of Shanksville, PA, where no individuals on the ground were harmed. The most popular conclusion, including that of the 9/11 Commission, is that Flight 93 was headed for the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The actions of the 40 heroes on United Flight 93 saved countless lives and our nation’s capital.

The Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign is an ambitious $60 million initiative. To date, $45 million has been committed through public and private sources. The National Park Foundation continues to spearhead the campaign, working to raise the final $15 million to complete the Memorial. The memorial site is currently under construction with plans to dedicate the memorial on September 10, 2011. The Flight 93 National Memorial will be the only national memorial dedicated to the events of 9/11. To view the memorial site live, visit www.honorflight93.org/webcam.
About the Flight 93 National Memorial

On September 24, 2002, Congress passed the Flight 93 National Memorial Act. The Act created a new national park unit to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who, on September 11, 2001, courageously gave their lives thereby thwarting a planned attack on our nation’s capital. The memorial is outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed with the loss of its 40 passengers and crew. For more information about the Flight 93 National Memorial, please visit www.nps.gov/flni. For information on how to support the building of the memorial, go to www.honorflight93.org.
About the National Park Foundation

The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks. Chartered by Congress, we work hand in hand with the National Park Service to strengthen and connect all Americans to our parks, so they are protected for present and future generations. It is a legacy that began more than a century ago, when private citizens took action to first establish, then protect and endow our national parks. Today, the National Park Foundation carries on that tradition as the only national charitable partner for America’s national parks. To learn more visit www.nationalparks.org.

# # #

Media Contact:
Victoria Tagliabue
202-354-6488
vtagliabue@nationalparks.org

Post Bin Laden Death, President Obama's Job Rating Rises 8 Points

Post Bin Laden Death, President Obama's Job Rating Rises 8 Points
Highest rating for President Obama since September, 2009

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, May 9, 2011

NEW YORK, May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With the news that the most wanted man in America had been killed by Navy Seals, President Obama had one reason to breathe a sigh of relief last week. Now, he has another as Americans seemed to rally around not only him but also feel better about the state of the country. Currently, just under half (46%) of U.S. adults give President Obama positive ratings on the overall job he is doing, a rise of eight points from last month when only 38% gave him positive marks. Just over half (54%) give the President negative ratings, down from 62% who did so last month. This is also the highest rating for the President since September of 2009 when almost half (49%) of Americans gave him positive ratings.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100517/NY06256LOGO )

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,104 adults surveyed online between May 4 and 6, 2011 by Harris Interactive.



Democrats and Independents contribute the most to this rise. Over three-quarters of Democrats (77%) now give President Obama positive marks for his overall job approval, up from seven in ten (69%) last month. Among Independents, almost two in five (38%) give the President positive ratings up from three in ten (31%) in April. There is even a small rise among Republicans – in April, just 9% gave the President positive ratings; now, 12% do.

Congress also sees a small rise in their job ratings. Currently, just over one in ten Americans (13%) give the overall job Congress is doing positive ratings, up five points from last month when just 8% gave them positive marks. However, almost nine in ten (87%) still give them negative ratings.

The largest positive jump is in how the country overall is doing. In April, just one-quarter of Americans (26%) thought the country was heading in the right direction while 74% thought it was going off on the wrong track. Now, two in five U.S. adults (39%) say it is going in the right direction while 61% believe it is on the wrong track – a jump of 12 points.

So What?

The news from the White House late on Sunday, May 1st has caused many Americans to feel more positive about life in general and the way this country is going. This, in turn, translates into positive feelings about the President and even, albeit to a lesser extent, Congress. The question is does this hold or is it a temporary rise until something brings it back down. If the election were held today, the country is split on President Obama's re-election as 46% of Americans would be likely to vote for him and 47% would not be likely to do so. More than his approval ratings, these are the numbers the White House and re-election committee are watching closely.

Click here for the details

Is the death of Osama bin Laden FACT or FICTION?

The photo of Osama bin Laden before his death.

Speculations are spreading in the Arab world and among millions of Muslims in Nigeria that President Barack Obama and his administration have lied to the ignorant and innocent citizens of the United States and the rest of the world that they have killed Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of the dreaded global militant Islamist group al-Qa'ida.


President Barack Obama

Many cynics, skeptics and conspiracy theorists have been questioning the authenticity of the claim that Osama bin Laden was actually “Killed In Action” (EKIA) by a 24-man U.S. Navy SEALs task force and aircrews from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment -- the "Nightstalkers" in one of the rooms on the third-floor bedroom of a comfortable house in a building in Abbottobad, a suburb of Islamabad, Pakistan on May Day, 2011.

The highly respected Nigerian Islamic scholar Afis Oladosu also raised the issue on The “second death” of Osama bin Laden published on Friday, May 6 2011 of the Friday Worship column in The Guardian newspaper of Nigeria.

Kawther Salam, the notable Palestinian journalist from Hebron is the most outspoken of the cynics, skeptics and conspiracy theorists who are saying that President Obama and his administration should tell their story to the marines!

The following is from Kawther Salam.

"One among many “small problems with this show is, Osama is reportedly dead since 16 December 2001. It was reported in June of 2001 that Osama was hospitalized because of kidney problems and that he received a visit of CIA employees in the hospital. In December 2001 an obituary was published in an Egyptian newspaper. And the holes in the story only become bigger the more one looks. To support the narrative of the US government, the AP agency first published and then retired a picture of the supposedly dead Bin Laden. The picture is below, together with another Osama bin Laden picture. If you look, you can notice that the picture on the left, purported to be a portrait of the dead OBL, is obviously a Photoshop job of the undistorted picture on the right. The picture on the left appears to be a composite of Osama’s head and details from the picture of a cadaver of unknown provenience, probably an Iraqi victim since many pictures of dead Iraqis have been published in the past by US soldiers. It is also obvious that the AP picture has been worked on with a blurring filter.

The photo of Osama bin Laden at death that Kawther Salam said is fake.

The fakery around Osama bin Laden is very interesting before the background that American citizens investigating the 9/11 attack have found that the list of victims of that crime published by CNN appears to be a vast catalog of false, composite identities. They have published a so-called “Vicsim Report” (“Vicsim” = Victim Simulation”) which includes many examples of manipulation of pictures and other personal details of purported victims. Another hole in the story published is the almost immediate DNA identification purported to have been performed. According to this article, it would take about two days to confirm an identification done with help of DNA (if a reader knows otherwise, please post a comment.)

Abottabad (link to Google map), the city in northern Pakistan where Osama was supposedly killed yesterday, lies sprawled along a valley, it has about 300.000 inhabitants. The city appears to be neither remote nor underdeveloped. It has many schools and other educational institutes, several hospitals, paved roads, government offices, a golf course, other modern amenities and several big military compounds. It appears inconceivable that Osama bin Laden could live for “years” in such a place without having come to the attention to the massive intelligence service of Pakistan. Several hundred meters immediately north of one of the probable locations of the house which was raided yesterday lies the campus the “COMSATS Institute of Information Technology”, a professional education institute whose Islamabad branch was visited on April 25 by British Prime Minister David Cameron. Whatever the Prime Minister was doing in Islamabad, it is doubtful that he traveled halfways around the globe to merely give some nice a speech in exactly the school which has a branch next to the raided house. The emissaries of empire always afford their tribute, be it in blood or otherwise."

You can also read Mark Dean's doubts in MADHOUSE: The Obama Omniscience on why Americans are asking their first black President for photos to authenticate his claims! From doubting the authenticity of his birth certificate, they are now doubting his claim of killing Osama bin Laden!

No one should ignore Alex Jones who even produced the YouTube video to expose ("the contrived "victory" in the War on Terror surrounding a man who many experts have said was already dead for years. After nearly a decade of "hunting" for Bin Laden, he is summarily shot in the head and allegedly dumped into the ocean (conveniently making the body unavailable). So goes the official life of Osama bin Laden (aka Tim Osman), one of the CIA's most useful patsies and assets.)



The testimony of Alex Jones supports that of Kawther Salam that the "second death" of Osama bin Laden is a hoax. But on May 6, 2011, "al-Qaeda acknowledged his death and concurrently vowed to retaliate."

Would President Barack Obama lie to the world and risk being impeached and vilified as the most dishonest President in the history of America? Imagine the grave consequences of such a calamity on the United States of America and the black race?


~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima