Obama Shown to be Most Polarizing President Ever
The difference in President Obama’s approval rating between Democrats and Republicans for his third year in office is the highest in history.
A recent report by the Washington Post indicates that President Obama is the most polarizing president in U.S. history. That distinction is measured by the difference in approval rating between Democrats and Republicans for a given president and is based on a direct comparison of the each president’s given year in office. The news is all the more ironic because Obama ran and won in 2008 based on the premise of uniting the country. Instead, he has done exactly the opposite, with each of his three years in office marking all-time highs in the disparity between party approval ratings.
During Obama’s first year in office, Democrats approved of him at a whopping 88% rate, with Republicans weighing in at just 23%, for a difference of 65%. His second year saw a 68% difference in approval ratings between the parties, and his third repeated that trend exactly. The previous high percentage mark for a president’s third year in office was a 59% disparity, which is the number associated with George W. Bush’s third year in office, in 2007.
The ratings really don’t show anything much about Obama in particular, but point instead to the fact that there is an increased hardening of political ideals and party supporters are steadfast in supporting their party’s candidate while admonishing the deeds of the other party. It’s actually quite a shame, not because less partisanship would necessarily yield better results – it probably wouldn’t. Instead, it’s a shame that anyone still views American politics in terms of Democrat and Republican, or Liberal and Conservative. Each party has proven – time and time again – to be borderline criminal stewards of Americans’ trust and, more to the point – their tax dollars. As long as the two-party system exists, however, and as long as supporters line up behind terribly faulty candidates, nothing will change.
During Obama’s first year in office, Democrats approved of him at a whopping 88% rate, with Republicans weighing in at just 23%, for a difference of 65%. His second year saw a 68% difference in approval ratings between the parties, and his third repeated that trend exactly. The previous high percentage mark for a president’s third year in office was a 59% disparity, which is the number associated with George W. Bush’s third year in office, in 2007.
The ratings really don’t show anything much about Obama in particular, but point instead to the fact that there is an increased hardening of political ideals and party supporters are steadfast in supporting their party’s candidate while admonishing the deeds of the other party. It’s actually quite a shame, not because less partisanship would necessarily yield better results – it probably wouldn’t. Instead, it’s a shame that anyone still views American politics in terms of Democrat and Republican, or Liberal and Conservative. Each party has proven – time and time again – to be borderline criminal stewards of Americans’ trust and, more to the point – their tax dollars. As long as the two-party system exists, however, and as long as supporters line up behind terribly faulty candidates, nothing will change.
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