As it turns out, literally every other “business sector” in the United States, according to a new Gallup survey. Just 17 percent of Americans said they have a positive overall view of the federal government, compared to 63 percent who have a negative view. As you can see from the graph below, public sentiment toward the federal government is at its lowest point in eight years. Apart from a slight bump following Obama’s election in 2008, it’s been on a steady decline, which has resumed now that people don’t seem to be as “hopeful” about “change they can believe in.”
It is data like this that make the president’s push for an ever-increasing role for the federal government all the more baffling. As a result, Obama must resort to increasingly desperate pleas to the public to have more faith in government. For example:
“Government and politics are two different things,” Obama said, before listing all the parts of government that make people’s lives better, like soldiers in combat, FEMA relief workers, public school teachers, firefighters, police officers and even EPA workers who monitor pollution. “That’s government. So don’t be confused, as frustrated as you are about politics. Don’t buy into this notion that somehow government is what’s holding us back.”
That he fails (or simply doesn’t want to) see the connection between the two is truly beguiling. Going down the list of private sector industries that poll better than the federal government, the results are rather astonishing:
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Oil and gas industry (20 percent view positively)
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Airline industry (29 percent)
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The legal field (29 percent)
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Banking industry (30 percent)
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Advertising and public relations (32 percent)
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Accounting (36 percent)
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President Obama (38 percent approval rating)
Barry Obama, King of the Straw Men!
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse“Government and politics are two different things,”
Over the years Obama has told quite a few whoppers. This is one of the biggest.
Govt is politics. That's all it is. Period. End of story.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe intelligence and/or sanity of Americans who give Obama and the legal profession a 38 and 29 ranking, respectively, is in doubt.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGreat statistical evidence to support a point that many have been trying to bring to the attention of the administration. America needs jobs, ones that the public sector is more than capable of creating -- if only the federal government could step aside and let American small businesses and job creators do what they do best, without all of the red tape. The Friends of the U.S. Chamber has a similar post regarding the administration's suggestion of creating a "Department of Jobs," to help solve our unemployment problems.
"Instead of a new government agency, perhaps the Administration and Congress should work to peel away the layers of already established regulation that are crippling our job creators..."
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Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseObama the genius isn't too bright. He thinks throwing out the politics/government tripe will make people change their opinion. Considering how poorly the schools are functioning(because of politics, mostly), it's funny he keeps trotting out that as a positive government body, too.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAnd I'm sure Gibson guitar and the SC Boeing employees just love government right now.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDo 17% of Americans now work for some level of government?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs usual, President Obama communicates a compelling message that sounds reasonable at first.
For example, "school teachers, firefighters, police officers" represent services broadly valued by Americans, don't you agree?
Yet these are not federal services. It is our federal government that has grown at an incredible pace recently, that is spending borrowed money at an unprecendented rate(40% of expenditures), and that is extending its authority beyond the Constitution. It is probably true that federal subsidies for some of these functions has increased to the point that they would be sorely missed if dropped, but that is not the structure defined by the Constitution.
Republicans will need to step-up to match Obama's skills at communicating. Romney will hopefully consider NRO writers like Stiles and Krauthhammer.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDoesn't Obama remind you of the popular kid in high school who runs for Class President and discovers that you actually have to do something? Bummer!
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