Obama’s low ratings higher than those of leading Republicans

President Barack Obama [source: USTREAM]

Conservatives are always quick to pounce on President Obama’s shrinking approval rating (currently hovering in the 45% area) as an indication that he’s an evil commie-pinko Marxist who’s destroying the country and so forth. But what they don’t tell you (amongst a whole anthology of things) is that even Obama’s decidedly (and, in my opinion, unfairly) lackluster rating still cleanly eclipses the ratings of any of the leading 2012 Republican presidential candidates. From Public Policy Polling:

Obama's decline since our August 2009 national poll is 11 points. A year ago he was at a +10 net approval (52/42) and now he's at -1 (47/48).

The Republican whose favorability has really fallen during that same time period, to a greater extent even than Obama, is Mike Huckabee. He had a +17 favorability a year ago (45/28) and that's dropped 19 points to -2 at 32/34. […]

Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich have seen identical 8 point drops in their favorability numbers, pretty similar to what Obama's encountered. Palin was at -9 (40/49) and is now at -17 (37/54). Gingrich was at -9 as well (33/42) and is also now at -17 (31/48). […]

The Republican leader seeing the smallest erosion in his poll numbers since last August is Mitt Romney. He was at +3 a year ago (37/34) and is now at -2 (35/37).

In other words: Even with the past two years or so of nonstop fear-mongering and hypocritical demagogy, Republicans still aren’t able to surpass President Obama’s approval ratings, even at their all-time lowest yet. Of course, time can only tell whether Obama’s numbers will keep sinking, perhaps to the point where the Republican candidates can finally surpass him; but for the moment there is reason to hope that he and the Democrats will remain in office for a while longer rather than concede defeat to the rapacious kooks and cranks of the Right.

(via @ebertchicago)

Tags: Barack Obama • approval ratings • Republicans • Mike Huckabee • Sarah Palin • Newt Gingrich • Mitt Romney