Poll numbers reveal a divided, frustrated, and worried America
Based on several early polls in July, our nation remains polarized over President Obama, frustrated with Congressional performance, and pessimistic about the future.
In an RCP poll and a Gallup poll, President Obama's approval/disapproval ratings were evenly divided at around 47%. In a Rasmussen Reports poll, 45% approved, while 55% disapproved of his performance. In the RCP poll, a mere 22% approved of Congressional performance, while 71% disapproved. In addition, only 32% believed America was headed in the right direction, while 62% believed it was headed in the wrong direction.
These numbers continue to lend credibility to the growing prospect of a viable third party emerging by 2012. With the nation mired in $13 trillion of debt, 16.5% effective unemployment, a stalling, post-stimulus economy, $1 trillion overseas wars, and a perpetual cycle of media-stoked partisanship, deep voter frustration appears to be intensifying.
Seeing that, since 2001, both parties have exploded the national debt, bailed out Wall St., continued the $1 trillion Iraq-Afghanistan-Pakistan wars, polarized the electorate, and failed to stem the tide of the Great Recession, voters may increasingly consider a more multi-partisan, independent-minded third party in the not-too-distant future.
Recent polls demonstrate such a scenario is not far-fetched, with 31-35% of voters supporting a third party in order to challenge the Republican-Democrat duopoly and put America on a new path. If these numbers continue to rise, the next few years may usher in an era of political revolution that far surpasses the 1992 Ross Perot campaign.