The new Fox News poll has some mixed news for President Obama on the economy. On the one hand, his numbers in this area aren’t all that impressive — but people still blame former President George W. Bush more than they blame him.
Obama’s overall approval rating is 54%, with 38% disapproval. On the economy, this is a narrower 50%-43%, still in positive territory. This question could be troublesome: “Do you think the Obama administration has a clear plan for fixing the economy?” Here it is only Yes 42%, No 53%. The same question is asked about Congress, yielding an abysmal 21%-73% rating.
However, people still don’t view the economy as Obama’s fault, as Republicans would like to see things. Here’s one question: “Who do you think is more responsible for the current state of the economy — Barack Obama or George W. Bush?” Here it’s Obama 16%, Bush 61%, and both equally 5%. The same question is asked about the current size of the budget deficit: Obama 28%, Bush 53%, both 8%.
