Obama's Approval Rating Jumps 9 Points

Reuters
Elspeth Reeve 19,250 Views May 3, 2011

President Obama's job approval rating has jumped 9 points in the wake of Osama bin Laden's killing, rising to 56 percent, his highest since 2009, the Washington Post's Jon Cohen and Dan Balz report. That might have something to do with the fact that more than three-quarters of Americans think Obama deserves credit for the terrorist leader's death. And 69 percent of Americans now approve of Obama's handling of terrorism, an all time high for him. As for Afghanistan, 60 percent approve of how the president is handing the war.

But Americans are still really nervous about the economy--and very few have changed their minds about how Obama is handing it. Just 40 percent approve of his handling of the economy, his lowest ever in Washington Post polls. And by a 2-to-1 margin, Americans don't like the direction they think the country's going in.

Obama got a 10-point jump among independents in their approval of him. But many Americans see bin Laden's death through a partisan lens: 81 percent of Republicans think George W. Bush deserves at least some credit for bin Laden's demise, while only 35 percent of Democrats think that.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ereeve at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.

Sources

Related Articles   More by Elspeth Reeve

Scott Brown Was Tricked by Fake Bin Laden Photo

Photos: Obama, National Security Team React to Bin Laden Raid

Trumpdate: A Single Advertiser Fires The Donald

 

The IRS Scandal Was First Revealed by an IRS Official Asking to Be Asked About It

So Who Lied to ABC News About the Benghazi Emails?

Elsewhere on the Web

User Comments

Please type your comment and click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be prompted to log in or register

  • The Atlantic Wire on Twitter
  • The Atlantic Wire RSS Feed
  • The Atlantic Wire iPhone App