SLAM !! GOP Takes a Seven Point Lead In Generic Congressional Ballot

Now we can honestly say that President Obama has achieved something worthwhile. Tonight Rasmussen has released its weekly look at party strength via the Generic Congressional Ballot. When the President took office in January of this year the Democratic Party had a seven point lead, but after ten months of an Obama Presidency the GOP has taken a 7 percentage point lead.

The report shows that if elections were held today, 44% of likely voters would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 37% would select the Democratic opponent.

Support for the Republican party held steady from last week, while support for Democrats dropped slightly. Republicans have held the lead for over four months now. Democrats currently have majority control of both the House and Senate. 

Key is the news that the GOP has more than a two to one advantage over the Democrats with independent voters, 44% to 20%.

Since late June, support for Republican candidates has ranged from 41% to 44%, while support for Democrats has run from 36% to 40%. Looking back one year ago, the two parties were in a much different place. Throughout the fall of 2008, support for Democratic congressional candidates ranged from 42% to 47%. Republican support ranged from 37% to 41%.

Even as Democrats kept 60 senators in line this past weekend to begin debate on health care reform in the Senate, support for the plan fell to a new low. Just 38% of voters now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats.
On Tuesday, Obama's job approval rating as measured by the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll dropped to -15, the lowest of his presidency to date. 

Thirty-six percent (36%) of voters believe the $787-billion economic stimulus plan passed by Congress in February has helped the U.S. economy, while 34% say it has hurt the economy. Twenty-four percent (24%) say it has had no economic impact. 

While some in Congress are pushing for a second stimulus package to fight the country's rising unemployment rate, only 21% believe that additional stimulus spending is the best tool. Sixty-two percent (62%) believe tax cuts are a better way to create jobs and fight unemployment. Fifty-one percent (51%) say a better way to create jobs is to stop all stimulus spending now. 

Most voters (53%) worry that the federal government will do too much when it comes to reacting to the nation’s financial problems. Concern about the Federal Reserve's actions in recent months is advancing a bill to audit the Fed in the House. 

Voters continue to think that the president’s top budget priority should be cutting the federal deficit in half by the end of his first term in office. But they see it as the goal the president is least likely to achieve.

 Thank You Mr. President !