At 705 days in office, Obama’s approval rating (Gallup — national adults) runs at 47% (and rising!) Reagan at the same point in time was at 37% (and dropping.) Given Obama’s ten point “head start”, who wants to bet against me? I’ve got $100 that says Reagan ends up ahead of Obama at the end of his/their respective first term. Let’s call the finish line day 1384.
To sweeten the pot, how about this easy bet. I bet that whatever Republican finalist runs in the next general presidential election carries at least twice the number of electoral states against Obama that Reagan’s opponent did against him in the 1984 election. (do your research here…)
FYI. If Obama is not the democratic nominee, I win.
Anyone?
3 responses so far ↓
1 Steve Roth // Jan 6, 2011 at 9:35 am
Just to say, if this is some kind of measure of “goodness,” take a look at Eisenhower, who utterly trounced Reagan’s approval ratings from the time he took office to the time he left.
Now *there* was a true conservative.
Didn’t he coin some term having to do with the “military-industrial complex,” suggesting it was the greatest threat to our nation?
Isn’t that the very complex that Reagan poured gasoline on, and that his dee-sciples have been jacking up ever since, every chance they get?
Thank goodness that the likes of Bob Gates are trying to tame (and starve) that beast.
But wait! I forgot: he didn’t believe the USSR would fall. So we should ignore everything he says. He doesn’t know s**t.
2 Steve Roth // Jan 6, 2011 at 9:41 am
Among other things, Eisenhower seemed to deal with the “land mine” of the New Deal quite effectively:
http://www.usgovernmentdebt.us/downchart_gs.php?year=1954_1962&view=1&expand=&units=p&fy=fy11&chart=H0-total&bar=0&stack=1&size=1271_635&title=&state=US&color=c&local=s&show=
No wonder he had such high approval ratings. He was responsible and prudent. Sort of the defining characteristics of a “conservative.”
3 steve Broback // Jan 6, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Eisenhower? The entitlement land mine(s)? Both great topics, but not germaine. The subject at hand is who wants to bet me on the Reagan/Obama approval ratings? Obama is waaaaayy ahead and only two years to go!
Do I sense a lack of confidence?
BTW, the Great Society post-dates Eisenhower.
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