Like Bush, Americans Overwhelmingly Approve of Obama’s Transition
A new ABC News poll found 67 percent of Americans approve of President-elect Barack Obama’s handling of his transition thus far. That’s good news for Obama,
Jul 31, 202094K Shares2M Views
A new ABC News pollfound 67 percent of Americans approve of President-elect Barack Obama’s handling of his transition thus far.
That’s good news for Obama, relative to other recent presidents. The same poll taken in November 1993 found 62 percent of Americans felt the same about then-President-elect Bill Clinton’s transition. However, Clinton’s numbers skyrocketed thereafter — just before his inauguration, 81 percent viewed his transition favorably.
Obama has a lower bar to clear to match President George W. Bush. In January 2001, 72 percent approved of the current president’s handling of his transition.
I think the bottom line appears to be that most Americans generally tend to have a high opinion of the new administration until it actually takes power and gets down to the business of governing.
Unfortunately for Obama, the same poll found that just 44 percent of Americans think he will be able to “improve the economy significantly.”