Are Blacks Abandoning Obama?

[bijou]

...These sentiments are mirrored in recent polls suggesting that while overall support for Obama among black voters continues to be overwhelming, hovering in the 90 percent range, the intensity of that support appears to be diminishing—a trend that could end up affecting black turnout in next year’s congressional midterm elections and possibly even the presidential election of 2012.
A breakout of black voters in Washington Post surveys over the past eight months shows that those who “strongly” approve of Obama fell from 85 to 69 percent, while his disapproval rating quintupled—from 2 to 11 percent. Admittedly, that’s still very low number, but it’s evidently moving in the wrong direction.
Senior research associate David Bositis, of the African-American-oriented Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, says record black turnout was among the factors that delivered six key swing states to Obama, totaling 107 electoral votes, in the 2008 election—Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Bositis predicted that black turnout for Obama will remain strong in 2012—and that the president enjoys significantly higher approval ratings among black voters than African-American members of Congress in their own districts. But independent pollster Matthew Towery, a former Republican strategist, said even a slight diminution in turnout could have an outsize impact.
“In a state like Florida, which Obama won by two percentage points, a falloff of 10 percent in black turnout might have changed the result and given the state to McCain,” said Towery, who recently conducted a statewide poll showing the president with an astonishing 35 percent disapproval rating among African Americans in Georgia. Towery cautioned that the startling statistics might be a peculiarity, owing to the brutal economic downturn in a state that was only recently booming.
“My best guess is that the current black polling numbers for Obama are somewhat unusual in Georgia because black professionals and the black middle class here have had to get in the unemployment line alongside younger workers who've only recently moved to the city and state; and many of them, too, have seen their houses foreclosed on,” Towery wrote in a recent column. He added: “Will government’s apparent inability to effect the promised positive 'change' begin to fan discontent in other black communities across the nation? Or will this encroaching uneasiness with Obama stay limited to this one snapshot in time in this one Southern state? We can't yet know, but the early signs are there.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-15/has-obama-abandoned-blacks/full/

The lead in suggests that the disappointment is because Obama is not left wing enough, but the conclusions if right do suggest that turnout will be the key.

[Mr Mannn]

I think the waning of support is because they still have to make car and utility payments.

Think about it. A year later and whats changed? Obama was supposed to make things better. What part of the radical black agenda has even been discussed?
More blacks are unemployed now than before O became president.

It all boils down to this: Wheres my pony? A year later they still have their hand out.

[TheSarge]

Those people who supported him thinking he had some magic stash of money to pay all their bills are realizing that Obama's secret stash...resides in their wallets.

[Lacarnut]

In 2010, Obummer will unleash 500 billion of that stimulus money. So, you may see your free pony after all. The jokers in DC will try to pass a 2nd stimulus to get the economy going. The Democrats think that if they flood the economy with $$ that it will work. It won't. Blacks and unskilled workers suffer more in a down economy. So it is not surprising that blacks are not so enthused about Obama as they were 11 months ago. Being without a job, taxes going and the economy in the dumps will probably cause many blacks to stay home on 010 election day.

[Oceander]

In 2010, Obummer will unleash 500 billion of that stimulus money. So, you may see your free pony after all. The jokers in DC will try to pass a 2nd stimulus to get the economy going. The Democrats think that if they flood the economy with $$ that it will work. It won't. Blacks and unskilled workers suffer more in a down economy. So it is not surprising that blacks are not so enthused about Obama as they were 11 months ago. Being without a job, taxes going and the economy in the dumps will probably cause many blacks to stay home on 010 election day.

Not a free pony if the bill is just deferred to tomorrow, and twice as much as if you'd simply paid for it outright.

[TheSarge]

In 2010, Obummer will unleash 500 billion of that stimulus money. So, you may see your free pony after all. The jokers in DC will try to pass a 2nd stimulus to get the economy going. The Democrats think that if they flood the economy with $$ that it will work. It won't. Blacks and unskilled workers suffer more in a down economy. So it is not surprising that blacks are not so enthused about Obama as they were 11 months ago. Being without a job, taxes going and the economy in the dumps will probably cause many blacks to stay home on 010 election day.

Either they will try to sneak a second stimulus bill through or that is when they will suddenly start spending the 2/3rds of the first Porkulus bill they haven't spent yet.

[kenth]

I think the waning of support is because they still have to make car and utility payments.

Think about it. A year later and whats changed? Obama was supposed to make things better. What part of the radical black agenda has even been discussed?
More blacks are unemployed now than before O became president.

It all boils down to this: Wheres my pony? A year later they still have their hand out.

If there really is any drop in support among black people who voted for him, that's exactly what it is. By "making things better", it basically meant "getting reparations." I'm sure some basically voted for him to be part of the vote that put the first black man in office. It doesn't matter that it is racist at its core, voting for him merely because of his skin color. They think that makes them part of history. I agree, part of history as one piece of the downfall of this country.

[Lacarnut]

They think that makes them part of history. I agree, part of history as one piece of the downfall of this country.

Many of them are too stupid to realize that in the last 11 months their lives have deteriorated. Obama, liberals and the black hucksters like Jessie and Al can always fall back on let's blame our plight on race and Bush.

[Hawkgirl]

An increase in cigarette tax, talk about adding a sin tax for sodas and sugared drinks...this guy did little for the po' man.

But the black people that I work with still believe he's the best thing since sliced bread...

[thundley4]

An increase in cigarette tax, talk about adding a sin tax for sodas and sugared drinks...this guy did little for the po' man.

But the black people that I work with still believe he's the best thing since sliced bread...

One more tax on cigarettes from the state or the feds and I'm quitting.  Gave up booze over 18 months ago, so smoking is next.

[Pat]

An increase in cigarette tax, talk about adding a sin tax for sodas and sugared drinks...this guy did little for the po' man.

But the black people that I work with still believe he's the best thing since sliced bread...

even with the added taxes. Day to day life isn't much different 11 mos later.

[bkg]

I hate agreeing with Pat, but at the end of the day, I think he's correct. People will adjust and will forget what it was like to have the extra money in very short time.

[Pat]

I hate agreeing with Pat

[thundley4]

I hate agreeing with Pat, but at the end of the day, I think he's correct. People will adjust and will forget what it was like to have the extra money in very short time.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. 3 people I work with quit smoking after the last tax hike.  Between Illinois banning smoking in public buildings and the tax issue, lots of people are quitting.

[bkg]

 

BTW - I'll be back in ATL in July for sure. I'm going to take a few extra day s this time... I wanna sleep on one of those boats. 

[Pat]

I wouldn't be so sure about that. 3 people I work with quit smoking after the last tax hike.  Between Illinois banning smoking in public buildings and the tax issue, lots of people are quitting.

those were semi intelligent people. Spend any mount of time in a stop and rob and you'll see the looser tax (lottery) line still rolling $1's. Cig sales still up. It's just the cheap brands now instead of the big names. Beer sales still going strong by the 40oz.

BKG,
get me some dates when we get closer.

[Hawkgirl]

I don't even have friends who smoke...so I can't comment on whether the new tax will decrease consumption of the stogie.


Smoking is so......80's

[thundley4]

those were semi intelligent people. Spend any mount of time in a stop and rob and you'll see the looser tax (lottery) line still rolling $1's. Cig sales still up.

Hey, wait a minute. I'll buy lottery tickets, but only when the MegaMillions gets high like it is now. Me and a few other guys at work throw in $5 each on it.  I get your point about the tickets though. More than once I've been behind a person buying a pack of cigarettes . $20 worth of daily game tickets and $2 worth of gas.

[Oceander]

those were semi intelligent people. Spend any mount of time in a stop and rob and you'll see the looser tax (lottery) line still rolling $1's. Cig sales still up. It's just the cheap brands now instead of the big names. Beer sales still going strong by the 40oz.

BKG,
get me some dates when we get closer.

Some people quit (such as myself - I don't look at it so much as responding in knee-jerk, pavlovian response to an external stimuli - thank you BF Skinner - so much as my way of denying the imperialists a little of the theft, I mean tax, revenues they've grown addicted to.  Others just keep on going, whittling away this expense or that in order to continue funding the cigarette demon.  A third group goes underground - cigarettes from Native Am. reservations, from online, smuggled across the border, etc, etc.