Liberal Democrats remain strong supporters of President Obama, but their approval of the job he is doing has fallen noticeably since the midterm elections. For the first time, it dropped below 80% in the week after the announcement of the tax deal he brokered with congressional Republicans.
These results are based on weekly averages of Gallup Daily tracking, including interviews with more than 3,000 U.S. adults each week, and approximately 500 interviews with Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who describe their political views as liberal.
The Gallup data indicate that Obama's support among liberal Democrats was starting to decline even before he reached the tax deal. He averaged 88% approval among this group the last full week before the midterm elections (Oct. 25-31) and 83% the first three full weeks (Nov. 8-28) after his party suffered major losses in those elections, and then dipped below 80% the week after the announcement of the tax deal on Monday, Dec. 6.
Democrats in Congress largely opposed the deal, mainly for extending the 2001 and 2003 income tax cuts for wealthy Americans and for its revisions to the estate tax. Those revisions included higher limits than Democrats wanted on the amount of inheritances exempt from taxes and lower tax rates on the portion of inheritances that are subject to taxes.
Liberal Democrats have been Obama's most consistent supporters throughout his presidency, averaging 89% approval since he took office. That compares with an 82% average approval rating among moderate Democrats and a 75% average among conservative Democrats during his tenure in office.
Obama's overall approval rating has been relatively stable in recent weeks,
narrowly ranging between 44% and 46% since the elections.
Compared with mid-November, when Obama had a 46% average among all Americans, his support has dropped most among liberal and conservative Democrats, with other party and ideological groups showing only minor movement.
Courtesy:
Gallup
