TJ WALKER - THE HABIT INFLUENCER - Personal Development | LIVE STREAM

20 Sept 2011 · 2 min

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2:02

A short news/interview transcript from a TJ Walker YouTube live stream reporting on President Obama’s low approval ratings amid a weak U.S. economy. The segment cites a Gallup poll showing about 41% approval, notes unemployment above 9% and roughly 14+ million unemployed, references a proposed $300 billion jobs package (tax cuts and infrastructure), and includes TJ Walker’s view that Obama’s reelection odds are about 50/50. The piece links low approval to economic performance and political pressure from Republicans, Democrats, and independents.

Questions this video answers

About 41% (written as 4, 41% in transcript).

High unemployment expected to stay above 9% through next year.

Nearly 2 million since January 2009.

Over 14 million.

$300 billion in tax cuts and infrastructure spending.

Chapters

With the US Economy barely growing and high unemployment expected to stay above 9% through next year, President Obama's approval ratings have sunk to the lowest point of his tenure. According to the latest Gallup poll numbers, just 4, 41% approve of the once popular president's performance today. And according to TJ Walker, managing editor of the Daily National, Obama is facing pressure and anger from all sides.
Basically, everybody's upset with Obama these days. Republicans are upset with him because they think he's a big socialist. Democrats are upset with him because they think he is a wimp and just caves into whatever the Republicans want. And independents are upset with him because they say, hey, we just want results. We just want to see the economy growing and more jobs. We don't see it. And after three years, it's too late to just blame everything on Bush.
Walker believes that these low approval ratings could very well cost Obama his presidency come election year 2012.
The low approval ratings hurt him in many ways. People don't fear him. His political adversaries don't fear him, so they're less likely to be persuaded by anything he wants. So it hurts. Hurts him every single day. It also hurts him because Democrats may come out of the woodwork and start running against him. Ultimately, it hurts him because it could pave the way to losing reelection. I put his odds at winning reelection no greater than 5050 right now.
And analysts are skeptical that Obama's proposal for a new jobs creation package, including $300 billion in tax cuts and infrastructure spending, could sway public opinion back on his side. And given the strong Republican opposition in Congress, there's fear that this new plan could actually backfire and end up as yet another promise the President can't deliver.
Will it go up? For a day or two, Maybe. But ultimately, if you're in a massive recession with high unemployment, the only thing that's going to make a President more popular is bringing the unemployment down, increasing jobs. And at this point, the President is handcuffed and the Republicans are just going to say, oh, no, that's more big government socialism. No. Dead on arrival. All he can really do is attack the Republicans more forcefully and try to paint a picture to Americans that the Republicans are the obstructionists, that they are the ones destroying the economy.
Now, since President Obama took office in January 2009, nearly 2 million Americans have lost their jobs. Currently, over 14 million people across the country are out of work. For KSA2, I'm Shruti Maathar, reporting from New York City.