Monday, December 28, 2009

Poll: Winners and losers for 2009

With only four days until the New Year Americans are taking a look back at the year that was in 2009. Gallup released the results of a survey this morning asking responders to pick their winners and losers of the past twelve months.

Although it was a difficult first year, by most accounts, for the President a majority of Americans consider 2009 a win for both Obama and any number of high profile individuals associated with him. 58% consider the President to be a political “winner” this year. His wife, First Lady Michelle scores even higher with 73% of that opinion. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is considered a winner by seven of ten Americans and newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor tops out at 57% with just 24% believing her to be a “loser” in 2009.

The First Lady has received positive approval over the entire year and Hillary Clinton seems to have bounced back from a hard fought losing campaign for President in 2008 to successfully fill the role of Obama’s Secretary of the State in 2009. Sonia Sotomayor has far and away the highest number of Americans (19%) unsure of her standing as a winner or loser for the year. Her nomination and confirmation as Supreme Court Justice while surely viewed as a high honor by most is possibly undercut by the negative reaction of many to her controversial rulings in the New Haven firefighters case.

As for President Obama the 58% who feel he pulled out an overall victory for 2009 closely mirrors his average approval rating for the year. Obama pushed through his economic stimulus package earlier in the year and currently on the verge of passing health care reform as the decade comes to a close. In the meantime his approval ratings hampered by controversial legislation have declined considerably in recently months and Gallup currently measures the President’s job approval at 51%.
With only four days until the New Year Americans are taking a look back at the year that was in 2009. Gallup released the results of a survey this morning asking responders to pick their winners and losers of the past twelve months.

Although it was a difficult first year, by most accounts, for the President a majority of Americans consider 2009 a win for both Obama and any number of high profile individuals associated with him. 58% consider the President to be a political “winner” this year. His wife, First Lady Michelle scores even higher with 73% of that opinion. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is considered a winner by seven of ten Americans and newly confirmed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor tops out at 57% with just 24% believing her to be a “loser” in 2009.

The First Lady has received positive approval over the entire year and Hillary Clinton seems to have bounced back from a hard fought losing campaign for President in 2008 to successfully fill the role of Obama’s Secretary of the State in 2009. Sonia Sotomayor has far and away the highest number of Americans (19%) unsure of her standing as a winner or loser for the year. Her nomination and confirmation as Supreme Court Justice while surely viewed as a high honor by most is possibly undercut by the negative reaction of many to her controversial rulings in the New Haven firefighters case.

As for President Obama the 58% who feel he pulled out an overall victory for 2009 closely mirrors his average approval rating for the year. Obama pushed through his economic stimulus package earlier in the year and currently on the verge of passing health care reform as the decade comes to a close. In the meantime his approval ratings hampered by controversial legislation have declined considerably in recently months and Gallup currently measures the President’s job approval at 51%.

The so-called “losers” for 2009 include Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, South Carolina politicians Joe Wilson and Mark Sanford, the Republicans in Congress and the White House party crashers.

Pelosi is viewed as a political loser by half (50%) of Americans and a winner by 38%. The view of Republicans in Congress is nearly identical with 38% thinking them winners against 52% who consider them political losers. Republicans appear to have unsuccessfully attempted to derail a key piece of President Obama’s health care legislation but the 38% who consider them winners in 2009 does prevail over their current job approval ratings according to most polls.

Congressman Joe Wilson who was attacked for his “you lie” comment towards the President at a joint session is viewed as a loser by 61% of the public against just 29% who feel he was a winner in 2009. Fellow South Carolinian and Governor Mark Sanford who is under state ethics examination after admitting to an extramarital affair is a loser in the mind of 63% of the public. Just 12% consider him to be a winner with one in four having no opinion. Similarly the stunt pulled by White House party crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi has them viewed positively by just 16% of Americans with 70% considering them biggest “losers” for ’09.

There is a considerably large gray area as recorded by Gallup in the public opinion of Sarah Palin, Ben Bernanke, Harry Reid and Glenn Beck. Palin has struggled in the minds of the public through most of 2009, coming off of a defeat in the last November’s Presidential election and her surprising resignation as Alaskan Governor earlier this year. Palin remains popular in many circles however and her recent autobiography was a best seller. Currently Palin is labeled as a winner by 46% of the public and a loser by 49%.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2009 but seems to have split public opinion. 37% consider the year a win for the chairman against 35% who do not with a high number (28%) not holding an opinion. Those figures are essentially flipped for conservative talk show host Glenn Beck, the source of another Time Magazine cover this year. Beck is a winner in the eyes of 35% of the public, a loser with 37% and like Bernanke does not draw an opinion from 28%. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid actually fairs similar to House leader Nancy Pelosi although a far higher number of the public (27%) has no opinion of him. With a 31-42% winner to loser margin Reid’s net deficit of eleven-percentage points is equal to that of Pelosi.

As Gallup is quick to point out partisan feelings dominate the perceptions of each individual in this survey. The narrowest divide between parties comes when rating Michelle Obama and even in her case there is a considerable gap. 96% of Democrats think the First Lady was a winner in 2009 against less than half of Republicans (48%) and seven in ten independents who agree. Twice as many Democrats (90%) think Secretary of the State Hillary Clinton is a winner than Republicans (45%) and independents (72%) remain positive towards the former Senator. Sarah Palin has weaker support from her own party with just a little more than three-quarters (76%) thinking her a winner in 2009. Democrats are particularly harsh with just 21% agreeing with that assessment and less than half of independents (45%) also believe 2009 to have been a good year for Sarah.

Not surprisingly the sharpest division between parties comes when rating President Obama, the highest profile of any of the aforementioned. 92% of Democrats see Obama as a winner for 2009 but just 22% of Republicans agree. Perhaps a good omen for the President heading into 2010 is the 56% of independents, just short of his overall average of 58%, consider Obama a winner during his first year in office.

The so-called “losers” for 2009 include Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, South Carolina politicians Joe Wilson and Mark Sanford, the Republicans in Congress and the White House party crashers.

Pelosi is viewed as a political loser by half (50%) of Americans and a winner by 38%. The view of Republicans in Congress is nearly identical with 38% thinking them winners against 52% who consider them political losers. Republicans appear to have unsuccessfully attempted to derail a key piece of President Obama’s health care legislation but the 38% who consider them winners in 2009 does prevail over their current job approval ratings according to most polls.

Congressman Joe Wilson who was attacked for his “you lie” comment towards the President at a joint session is viewed as a loser by 61% of the public against just 29% who feel he was a winner in 2009. Fellow South Carolinian and Governor Mark Sanford who is under state ethics examination after admitting to an extramarital affair is a loser in the mind of 63% of the public. Just 12% consider him to be a winner with one in four having no opinion. Similarly the stunt pulled by White House party crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi has them viewed positively by just 16% of Americans with 70% considering them biggest “losers” for ’09.

There is a considerably large gray area as recorded by Gallup in the public opinion of Sarah Palin, Ben Bernanke, Harry Reid and Glenn Beck. Palin has struggled in the minds of the public through most of 2009, coming off of a defeat in the last November’s Presidential election and her surprising resignation as Alaskan Governor earlier this year. Palin remains popular in many circles however and her recent autobiography was a best seller. Currently Palin is labeled as a winner by 46% of the public and a loser by 49%.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2009 but seems to have split public opinion. 37% consider the year a win for the chairman against 35% who do not with a high number (28%) not holding an opinion. Those figures are essentially flipped for conservative talk show host Glenn Beck, the source of another Time Magazine cover this year. Beck is a winner in the eyes of 35% of the public, a loser with 37% and like Bernanke does not draw an opinion from 28%. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid actually fairs similar to House leader Nancy Pelosi although a far higher number of the public (27%) has no opinion of him. With a 31-42% winner to loser margin Reid’s net deficit of eleven-percentage points is equal to that of Pelosi.

As Gallup is quick to point out partisan feelings dominate the perceptions of each individual in this survey. The narrowest divide between parties comes when rating Michelle Obama and even in her case there is a considerable gap. 96% of Democrats think the First Lady was a winner in 2009 against less than half of Republicans (48%) and seven in ten independents who agree. Twice as many Democrats (90%) think Secretary of the State Hillary Clinton is a winner than Republicans (45%) and independents (72%) remain positive towards the former Senator. Sarah Palin has weaker support from her own party with just a little more than three-quarters (76%) thinking her a winner in 2009. Democrats are particularly harsh with just 21% agreeing with that assessment and less than half of independents (45%) also believe 2009 to have been a good year for Sarah.

Not surprisingly the sharpest division between parties comes when rating President Obama, the highest profile of any of the aforementioned. 92% of Democrats see Obama as a winner for 2009 but just 22% of Republicans agree. Perhaps a good omen for the President heading into 2010 is the 56% of independents, just short of his overall average of 58%, consider Obama a winner during his first year in office.

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