| Polls: Americans Mostly Enthused About Obama Presidency |
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| Written by Administrator |
| Saturday, 24 January 2009 12:12 |
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(Washington, DC) -- These are not the best of times but Americans are
generally an optimistic bunch and expect a brighter day when Barack
Obama takes office.
A newly released "USA Today"/Gallup survey says expectations are very high for President-elect Obama with an overwhelming majority expecting him to achieve every one of his major campaign promises. Most survey respondents seem to have a list of priorities for the new president with the top five affecting linked in some way to pocketbooks. An expansion of health care for children and a reduction in health care costs top the list. Doubling production of alternative energy is high on the list while withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq falls out of the top five. Rebuilding America's infrastructure is very important and most of those surveyed think bridges, roads and schools will benefit from the upcoming stimulus package expected to cost about $850-billion. While there was great debate during the presidential campaign about closing the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the subject has nearly vanished from American priority lists for now. Mr. Obama garnered 53-percent of the popular vote in the November election. The poll finds 83-percent are giving a thumbs up to the way he's handling the transition, 45-percent appreciate his Cabinet-level appointments and a majority even tell pollsters his politics are "about right." President Bush had similar high ratings when he walked into the White House eight years ago. Now his disapproval rating is 61-percent, the highest of any departing president since World War Two. At the moment, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed think Obama will turn out to be an outstanding or above-average president and the nation will be better off in four years. The survey involved more than one-thousand adults polled by phone January 9th through 11th. The margin of error is plus or minus three-percentage points. |