Aug 14, 2010, 08:12 AM
Michelle Obama popularity falls
By: Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
08/12/10 7:55 AM EDT
Spain's King Juan Carlos, right, welcomes U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha on their arrival at the Marivent Palace, in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010. U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha had lunch with Spain's king and queen on Sunday at the royal family's holiday retreat on the resort island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean. (AP Photo/Manu Mielniezuk)
The number of Americans who have a positive opinion of First Lady Michelle Obama has fallen in the last 16 months, according to the new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. In April, 2009, 64 percent of those surveyed by the Journal/NBC said they had a positive impression of Mrs. Obama; today, the number is 50 percent. That 50 percent personal approval is just slightly above President Obama's personal approval figure, which stands at 46 percent in the new poll.
The specific survey question asked respondents to rate their feelings about Mrs. Obama "as very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative, or very negative." The first lady's rating, a combination of the very positive and somewhat positive answers, has fallen from 64 percent in April '09 to 55 percent in January 2010 to 50 percent today.
Mrs. Obama's personal popularity is lower than former First Lady Laura Bush's ratings in the same poll by the same pollsters. In December, 2001, 76 percent of those surveyed had a positive opinion of Mrs. Bush. In February 2005, that number was 65 percent. In October 2006, with her husband's job and personal approval ratings plummeting, Mrs. Bush's personal approval rating was 56 percent.
Michelle Obama received the first negative press of her time in the White House in recent weeks during her vacation trip to Spain. Critics questioned why the first lady chose to go to a glitzy, high-priced resort at a time when unemployment is high and many Americans are suffering economically. The White House pushed back, first giving reporters the story that Mrs. Obama made the trip to comfort a friend who had recently lost her father and then stressing that the first lady is so popular that she will be in great demand by Democrats campaigning for House and Senate seats this November. But the new Wall Street Journal/NBC numbers suggest that Mrs. Obama's popularity is falling, not rising.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinio...z0waMw80vs
By: Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
08/12/10 7:55 AM EDT
Spain's King Juan Carlos, right, welcomes U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha on their arrival at the Marivent Palace, in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010. U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha had lunch with Spain's king and queen on Sunday at the royal family's holiday retreat on the resort island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean. (AP Photo/Manu Mielniezuk)
The number of Americans who have a positive opinion of First Lady Michelle Obama has fallen in the last 16 months, according to the new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. In April, 2009, 64 percent of those surveyed by the Journal/NBC said they had a positive impression of Mrs. Obama; today, the number is 50 percent. That 50 percent personal approval is just slightly above President Obama's personal approval figure, which stands at 46 percent in the new poll.
The specific survey question asked respondents to rate their feelings about Mrs. Obama "as very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat negative, or very negative." The first lady's rating, a combination of the very positive and somewhat positive answers, has fallen from 64 percent in April '09 to 55 percent in January 2010 to 50 percent today.
Mrs. Obama's personal popularity is lower than former First Lady Laura Bush's ratings in the same poll by the same pollsters. In December, 2001, 76 percent of those surveyed had a positive opinion of Mrs. Bush. In February 2005, that number was 65 percent. In October 2006, with her husband's job and personal approval ratings plummeting, Mrs. Bush's personal approval rating was 56 percent.
Michelle Obama received the first negative press of her time in the White House in recent weeks during her vacation trip to Spain. Critics questioned why the first lady chose to go to a glitzy, high-priced resort at a time when unemployment is high and many Americans are suffering economically. The White House pushed back, first giving reporters the story that Mrs. Obama made the trip to comfort a friend who had recently lost her father and then stressing that the first lady is so popular that she will be in great demand by Democrats campaigning for House and Senate seats this November. But the new Wall Street Journal/NBC numbers suggest that Mrs. Obama's popularity is falling, not rising.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinio...z0waMw80vs