strategy and research | November 30, 2009
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With unemployment now above 10 percent and still rising, a new survey by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Democracy Corps reveals a country more pessimistic than at any point since the earliest days of the Obama presidency. An increasing number of voters think the country is on the wrong track, and after months of slow but steady improvement, pessimism on the economy is again on the rise. Voters’ frustration with the economy, bailouts for elites, bonuses and spending, and the seeming partisan gridlock is fueling an increasingly anti-incumbent mood that is impacting everyone in Washington. But as the party in power, Democrats are suffering disproportionately.
This is about the economy, and it is not pretty. The Democrats’ biggest loss has come on who would do a better job handling the economy.
The country is looking for their national leaders to act on the economy starting with jobs – seen as far and away the biggest problem facing the economy. Confronting the deficit and spending are very important too, but when forced to choose, voters embrace a bold jobs initiative over a long-term deficit reduction program by two-to-one. That is true of independents too. Voters want immediate action on jobs and serious action on the deficit starting a year later.
Despite lower marks for Democrats and President Obama, Republicans are far from being seen as an acceptable alternative -- a unique feature of this period. The Republicans and Republicans in Congress’ favorability ratings are stable from September, keeping them only slightly above their all-time low in Democracy Corps polling. The actual Republican members of Congress, however, have seen their favorability ratings drop faster than Democratic incumbents in that same time period. And, overall, the Republican brand remains less popular than the Democratic.
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