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For The First Time Since 2009 More Americans Approve Of Obama’s Handling Of The Economy

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A Bloomberg Politics/Selzer & Company poll conducted from April 6-8 and released on April 16th finds more Americans approve of President Obama’s handling of the economy than disapprove. The national survey of 1,008 U.S. adults found that American optimism is growing. 49 percent of Americans approve of the job Barack Obama is doing with the economy, compared to 46 percent who disapprove. While those numbers show fairly modest backing of the President, they are his best marks on the economy since September 2009.

The survey also found that Americans view President Obama and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton more favorably than any prominent figures in the Republican Party. Barack Obama was viewed favorably by 52 percent of respondents to 45 percent who have an unfavorable view. Hillary Clinton had a slightly less robust 48-44 favorable rating, but her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had a 60-32 favorable rating, as Americans still recall the economic boom that took place during the Clinton presidency.

By contrast, none of the GOP presidential hopefuls, or Republican members of Congress are viewed positively, except for Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who barely registers on the plus side with a 32-31 favorable rating. President Obama’s chief antagonists in Congress, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both are viewed very negatively by the American people. McConnell has an upside down 25-35 favorable rating and John Boehner sports and even more dismal 24-48 favorable rating.

The polling company’s President, J. Ann Selzer said the results demonstrated a growing optimism about America’s economic future and a revival in President Obama’s popularity as well. Selzer stated:

The uptick extends not just to Obama but to the mood of the country and to things getting better. This will be an interesting potential transition, if it’s a movement that signals the country is more cognizant about things turning better and that, in an indirect way, they’re feeling better about Obama.

Since the poll was last conducted in June 2014, Americans have become more optimistic about future job growth, the housing market and America’s standing in the world, all positive signs that President Obama is steering America forward, even though the economic recovery has not been felt evenly across the nation.

When Barack Obama entered the White House, he inherited one of the deepest recessions in American history. From the beginning, he took bold steps as chief executive to try to get the economy moving again. Now, well into his second term, Americans have begun to recognize that those steps worked and that the President should be commended for moving the economy forward again.

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Keith Brekhus

Keith Brekhus is a progressive American who currently resides in Red Lodge, Montana. He is co-host for the Liberal Fix radio show. He holds a Master's Degree in Sociology from the University of Missouri. In 2002, he ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate in the state of Missouri. In 2014, he worked as a field organizer for Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick's successful re-election bid in Arizona's 1st Congressional District. He can be followed on Twitter @keithbrekhus or on Facebook.