In the wake of last week's Pew Poll report revealing that a mere 42% of independent voters approve of President Obama's job as President, the recent Gallup poll depicts an even more dismal approval rating from the nation's independents, with only 35% of them approving of the president's performance.
As the president kicks off his re-election campaign, he certainly has his work cut out for him, needing to win back those within his base whose confidence he's lost as well as the independents largely credited with helping him win back in 2008. The larger task, however, lies in reconciling himself with the latter group.
As trends based on samples of party-line voters have shown, the president's base is a bit more lenient toward his handing of the economy, more likely believing that current economic circumstances are prone to get better. In addition, registered voters in the Democratic Party are apt to take the approach that it's better to unite behind the current president rather than switch gears for a different candidate who could work toward acheiving the progressive agenda.
The bigger story here is independent voters, who went for Republican candidates by 19 points in the 2010 midterms, While seen as fickle by some in switching support from party to party seemingly every major election, it's usually this audience that's credited with putting the victor over the top.
The Financial Times noted the president's appeal to both the base and disgruntled independent voters in his speech last Wednesday where he presented his solution to the record-breaking budget deficit.
"Mr. Obama's address on Wednesday satisfied the liberal base by affirming his support of tax increases for the wealthy to pay for entitlement programs for the poor and elderly. It also spoke to independent voters who abandoned Democrats in last year's congressional election by reassuring them that he believed the deficit required immediate action," the Times said.