Americans not buying Obama's hopeful economy talk

There's one problem with the encouraging economic talk coming out of the mouths of Barack Obama, Joe Biden and their political posse in Washington and elsewhere these days. Turning the corner on the bad times seems to be the operative phrase.

But evidence is now mounting that more than 15 months into the Obama era, many Americans don't believe it.

A new Harris Poll out this morning indicates that 43% of the country feels less secure about its economic position now when compared to last year. In the next six months half the country thinks its economic situation will be the same.

But the poll of 2,755 adults also finds 30% saying it will be worse come late October, which is just about the time millions of Americans will be making their candidate choices for the Nov. 2 midterm elections.

History suggests the White House party loses on average 16 House seats in its first midterm elections. Watching polls and generic congressional ballot surveys, prognosticators now say at least 25-30 Democrat seats will....

...become Republican. A change of 40 would turn the House of Representatives over to the GOP for the first time since its 12-year reign there ended in the 2006 midterms.

On Friday campaigning and fundraising again in Pennsylvania, Biden dismissed White House concerns about his optimistic economic predictions and made another one: He said the economy would produce 200,000 new jobs next month.

Write that down.

But the Harris pollsters find that after all last year's initial talk about job creation and the $787 billion Obama stimulus bill followed by many more months of healthcare talk, public opinion has pretty much stayed the same the last half-year, with one third expecting improvement, one-third expecting the same and a quarter expecting worse.

Obama may indeed be eager to jump on any encouraging internal economic indicators as a sign the recession is bottoming out, even though new jobs are among the last positive signs to appear in a real recovery.

But the job-seeking, job-holding, job-searching-but-we-gave-up public remains skeptical.

Only one-in-ten Americans believes the job market has started growing again and nearly four-in-ten don't think it will for another year or longer.

A bad job situation, like high gas prices, tends to injure political incumbents. And thanks to voters' decision to turn both houses of Congress and the White House over to the same Democratic party by significant margins in 2008, there are many more Democratic incumbents than Republicans to be injured this time around.

Related items:

Obama's fifth-quarter approval slips, among worst 3 modern presidents

Large Republican House gains 'inevitable:' Rothenberg

Red flag for Obama: Americans now prefer Hillary Clinton

Joe Biden update: Democrat says he's campaigned for some 'real turkeys' over the years

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Pete Souza / White House; Associated Press (file).

Comments

[used cars]

Well.. day by day the graph of Obama's popularity declines..

[Anu]

This is actually pretty neutral reporting. I like it!

[Steve Rodriguez]

Obama is in way over his head!!!!!

[Kelly Klein]

"On Friday campaigning and fundraising again in Pennsylvania, Biden dismissed White House concerns about his optimistic economic predictions and made another one: He said the economy would produce 200,000 new jobs next month.

Write that down."

Mr. Malcolm:

I wrote it down. It looks like he was wrong as you say. 290,000 jobs were produced, not 200,000 jobs. Biden is quite obviously a shyster, whereas you are an true expert in the field. The good you are doing for the country with this blog is immeasurable.

[Big fan of Laura's press secretary]

"On Friday campaigning and fundraising again in Pennsylvania, Biden dismissed White House concerns about his optimistic economic predictions and made another one: He said the economy would produce 200,000 new jobs next month.
Democrat Joe Biden in a Senate hearing
Write that down."

Heck of a job, Malckie!!
You were way ahead of the rest of the pundits - you've gotta be feeling great to have predicted that Biden would be oh-so-very-wrong!! That wacky VP of ours, right? There he goes again! Predicting that the US would produce 200,000 jobs last month!! Sadly typical - that silly Biden, he was way, way off!! I wrote it down, just as you suggested - and I'm happy I did! How stupid of Biden to miss his estimate by almost 100,000 jobs!! I can see why the LA Times must be paying you the big bucks - your horribly snide remarks let us know well in advance that Biden's estimate would be well shy of the official numbers - underestimating by almost 100,000! Wait, that is what you meant, right???

[Mitsubishi Cars]

Obama gained a lot of fame when he got elected but after he came to power he lost the popularity but after the scene of the Osama I salute him..