Jump to content


Satisfaction with Direction of Country


Recommended Posts

One set of polling that really captures how the country is feeling and doing overall is around Right Track/Wrong Track (Real Clear politics) or the Direction of the Country (Gallup).  This really assesses the country's mood overall and often times is an indicator of how well the party in power is doing without actually naming a person or group in the polls.  Here are the links to the RCP Right Track/Wrong Track average and the Gallup Satisfaction one.

 

While these numbers have been upside down for some time, I do think the trend lines show a lot.  For instance, with the Gallup numbers, Trump has recently hit 38% and 60% dissatisfaction which, on the surface, does now sound good, but we have been a dissatisfied country for a long time.  What is more notable is that not once did Obama poll at 38% or higher during his entire 8 years, or get to 60% or lower dissatisfaction during his entire 8 years, but he was still re-elected.  

 

The same trends are holding true for the Right Track/Wrong Track average where the country has been more optimistic in recent months than it was during Obama's entire 2nd term (January 2013 to January 2017).  

 

https://news.gallup.com/poll/1669/general-mood-country.aspx

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/direction_of_country-902.html

  • Thanks 1
  • Fire 1
Link to comment

18 minutes ago, HuskerNation1 said:

One set of polling that really captures how the country is feeling and doing overall is around Right Track/Wrong Track (Real Clear politics) or the Direction of the Country (Gallup).  This really assesses the country's mood overall and often times is an indicator of how well the party in power is doing without actually naming a person or group in the polls.  Here are the links to the RCP Right Track/Wrong Track average and the Gallup Satisfaction one.

 

While these numbers have been upside down for some time, I do think the trend lines show a lot.  For instance, with the Gallup numbers, Trump has recently hit 38% and 60% dissatisfaction which, on the surface, does now sound good, but we have been a dissatisfied country for a long time.  What is more notable is that not once did Obama poll at 38% or higher during his entire 8 years, or get to 60% or lower dissatisfaction during his entire 8 years, but he was still re-elected.  

 

The same trends are holding true for the Right Track/Wrong Track average where the country has been more optimistic in recent months than it was during Obama's entire 2nd term (January 2013 to January 2017).  

 

https://news.gallup.com/poll/1669/general-mood-country.aspx

 

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/direction_of_country-902.html

 

 

Do I need to superimpose a line onto the graph? It’s yet another trend Trump is continuing.

Link to comment
2 minutes ago, Moiraine said:

 

 

Do I need to superimpose a line onto the graph? It’s yet another trend Trump is continuing.

 

The real trend is that dissatisfaction was in the mid 70s in Obamas 2nd term and is down to the low to mid-60s under Trump.  While a 10-point swing may not seem like a lot its really significant given how divided this country has been for so long.  This trend showing more satisfaction and optimism especially over the past 12 months is notable and could show its way into the outcome of the 2018 mid-terms.

14 minutes ago, knapplc said:

Well. Kudos to you for posting something pro Obama. Now if only Trump could raise that satisfaction level like Obama did in 2008 instead of continuing to feed off Obama's trend, we'd be going somewhere.

 

Well for starters Obama was never able to get to the highs that Bush 43 had, but I realize you are not interested in context usually. :)

  • Plus1 1
  • Fire 1
Link to comment
4 minutes ago, HuskerNation1 said:

Well for starters Obama was never able to get to the highs that Bush 43 had, but I realize you are not interested in context usually. :)

 

I get the impression this is intended as some kind of slam, but I'm just looking at the chart you provided.

 

11ETkQt.png

 

And specifically, this is the jump I'm hoping Trump can give Americans. 

 

A91tN2m.png

 

But honestly, your chart shows that Bill Clinton was the real rock star.  And then W.  Ugh. 

  • Thanks 2
Link to comment

7 minutes ago, knapplc said:

 

I get the impression this is intended as some kind of slam, but I'm just looking at the chart you provided.

 

11ETkQt.png

 

And specifically, this is the jump I'm hoping Trump can give Americans. 

 

A91tN2m.png

 

But honestly, your chart shows that Bill Clinton was the real rock star.  And then W.  Ugh. 

 

Hey I have said before Bill was not an idealogue like Obama and reminds me of Trump in that he is more of a transactional POTUS that wants to get things done.  Under Trump and Clinton we had stock market highs and record low unemployment as well.  

 

Now one thing to note is that this country has gradually become more and more polarized since the 1990s and its gotten worse since.  Thus, numbers from the late 90s and early 2000s are not likely to be seen again for some time if ever.  But it's the Independents that I mentioned earlier that are key to the swings in this poll, and having a 10-point improvement in these numbers from Obamas 2nd term to Trumps first term is important as these are the folks deciding elections.  

 

And if you are suggesting an improved trend with Obama, per the RCP average, he never once had a right direction number in his 2ND term that matched or beat that in his first term...the trend was going sideways or in reverse during the latter Obama years.  

  • Plus1 1
  • Fire 1
Link to comment

MY view of the path the country on is s#!tty....

 

I can't talk to half of my relatives anymore because they continue to support separation of families at the border only because they missed the news that Trump signed an order to stop it and say it is bad.

 

I can't talk to half my family because they think our Mexican brother-in-law should be deported because an innocent girl died in Iowa.

 

I can't talk to half of my family because they complain about people taking a "handout" while they are down, while hoping they can get relief from the government because they will lose their ass on soy this year....

 

I can't talk to half my family because they think I'm a mooch on the system as a public school teacher indoctrinating their kids.  I teach Industrial Tech.....

 

I gave up going to Church because we apparently gave up on "works" and decided "grace" is the end-all, be-all as long as a person says so....

 

So my faith, family, and work has been attacked by half of my family.  The three staples that Trump himself claimed to be vital to the success of America.  Forgive me if I can't wait for 2020 when he hopefully goes away in an embarrassing fashion....

  • Plus1 2
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment

Obama was much less of an ideologue than his critics AND his most fervent supporters want to admit, I think. He was within the context of the system, I suppose, but he was still a classic game player for the most part. He got a lot done, he just had a lot of trouble with his biggest and sexiest projects. 

 

Anyways, the polarization and tenor of the country will continue to decay so long as we keep letting the rich and powerful con us into thinking they'll have our best interests in mind, and then con us into fighting with each other while they profit. 

  • Plus1 3
Link to comment
1 hour ago, funhusker said:

MY view of the path the country on is s#!tty....

 

I can't talk to half of my relatives anymore because they continue to support separation of families at the border only because they missed the news that Trump signed an order to stop it and say it is bad.

 

I can't talk to half my family because they think our Mexican brother-in-law should be deported because an innocent girl died in Iowa.

 

I can't talk to half of my family because they complain about people taking a "handout" while they are down, while hoping they can get relief from the government because they will lose their ass on soy this year....

 

I can't talk to half my family because they think I'm a mooch on the system as a public school teacher indoctrinating their kids.  I teach Industrial Tech.....

 

I gave up going to Church because we apparently gave up on "works" and decided "grace" is the end-all, be-all as long as a person says so....

 

So my faith, family, and work has been attacked by half of my family.  The three staples that Trump himself claimed to be vital to the success of America.  Forgive me if I can't wait for 2020 when he hopefully goes away in an embarrassing fashion....

 

 

Chances are near 100% that if your family members are farmers they have taken handouts. There is a website where you can look them up. 

 

I posted about it awhile ago but I  found that my cousins got something like $10k and $20k per year on average over the last 10 years while complaining on FB about welfare recipients. 

 

Also, count yourself lucky. I’ve found 1 cousin who isn’t a Republican. Luckily my entire immediate family is either independent, Democrat, or Republican just to vote in the primary, then votes the other way (my mom).

  • Plus1 2
Link to comment

10 hours ago, Moiraine said:

 

 

Chances are near 100% that if your family members are farmers they have taken handouts. There is a website where you can look them up. 

 

I posted about it awhile ago but I  found that my cousins got something like $10k and $20k per year on average over the last 10 years while complaining on FB about welfare recipients. 

 

Also, count yourself lucky. I’ve found 1 cousin who isn’t a Republican. Luckily my entire immediate family is either independent, Democrat, or Republican just to vote in the primary, then votes the other way (my mom).

Wait, Farmers getting stuff for free from the government and still complaining?  Noooo...That doesn't happen!

 

 

Link to comment

I'm looking at the first graph and thinking about what was happening during those times.

 

Obama spent the first year or so trying to improve an economy that he inherited.  

 

During the 92-2000 upswing, the economy was good and life was flowing along for most Americans fairly decently.  Then...what happened in 2001?  Everyone's life changed when over 3,000 Americans lost their lives.

 

This event can not be ignored.  It changed everything.  From that point on, we were mired in war after war after war.  In 2007, gas prices went through the roof and the housing crash started.

 

In 2008, Obama took office.  He was stuck with  trying to drag us out of the worst economic period since the great depression.  We can debate all we want about what steps should have been taken or not taken.  But, the fact is, ever since 2009, our economy has been improving, unemployment decreasing, stock market rising, housing market improving to the point it is at pre 2006 levels....etc.

 

The last two years have been an extension of that.

 

So....I am not surprised that ever since around 2008 or 2009, it's been a steady improvement on if people think the country is headed in the right direction. 

 

As for our company, Prior to Trump being elected, we had the best 5 years in the history of our company.  That has not changed.

 

From my view, his policies have not affected the economy that much either way.  That will take time....like anything.  As someone who is not tied to either party to the point of needing to "buy in" to propaganda, I'm in a wait and see on this.  I have my concerns though and I am managing  our company to prepare for the worst.

  • Plus1 1
Link to comment
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Visit the Sports Illustrated Husker site



×
×
  • Create New...