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.