A little more than half of the middle class believe President Obama's policies will improve their situation, according to a new Pew Research Center report. Fifty-two percent prefer Obama's policies to the 42% who said Republican candidate Mitt Romney would aid the middle class.
Figures from an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll last month showed a similar lead by the president in winning the middle class. It found that 49% of voters believe Obama's policies look out for the middle class, compared to 33% that believe Romney does—a 16-point advantage. A whopping 80% of those respondents said they would vote for the candidate they believe will strength the middle class. Interesting, because a new Obama campaign ad released Thursday has the popular former President Clinton promising that Obama's economic plan will do just that.
Courtesy Daily Rundown
This doesn't mean the president's path to re-election is a simple skip down the yellow-brick road. Indeed, only 44% of voters in the NBC/WSJ poll approve of his handling of the economy (though up 2% from the prior month).
While both campaigns profess their dedication to strengthening and improving the middle class, the number of those who possess a middle class income are dwindling as more people join the ranks of the poor and the wealthy, increasing America's income disparity, Pew found. In 2011, 51% of adults were considered middle class, a 10-percentage point drop from 1971 when 61% were middle class.
While upper-incomers wealth held steady over the last decade, the middle class' median net worth fell by $36,432 (see chart).
And they aren't happy. Eighty-five percent of those who identify as middle class say it is more difficult for them to maintain their standard of living today than it was a decade ago. Who do they blame for this? Politicians and a few other culprits.
- 62% blame Congress
- 54% blame banks and financial institutions
- 47% blame corporations
- 44% blame the Bush administration
- 39% foreign competition
- 34% blame the Obama administration
In discussing the Pew report this morning, conservative Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough blamed both parties for the "depressing" news. "It's all B.S.," he said. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer because for 40 years our economy has been changing...We had an IT revolution that displaced a lot of people."
"The political parties are just stupid in their simple-minded solutions," Scarborough continued while pointing to tax reform suggested by each candidate for president.
Watch the clip below.
Top Talkers: A new study from the Pew Research Center shows the middle class as having its "worst decade in modern history." The Morning Joe panel discusses.
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The middle class has endured more than a decade of pillar to post, gut wrenching torture. Ending the protection of the Glass Steagall Act was a deal with the devil. The wars and terror threats, belt tightening, and out sourcing of jobs coupled with drug dealers proliferating on our street corners as well as gang violence. Not a pretty picture really. The Obama Presidency has kept the "Ship of State" floating and I may be a majority of one but I do feel safer from the terroristic threat than I did under the Bush years. I cannot put a value on this but it is very high.
The entire problem with President Obama's term has been the fact that the GOP and consistently thwarted anything and everything he has been trying to achieve. Although I do believe that the President should get another term, I think the problems for the middle class go much deeper than just the fact that he should be re-elected. What needs to be done is ensure the republicans CANNOT stand in the way of what he tries to do to help the middle class survive. The President has tried to pass things to help the middle class, and the GOP and stood in the way of his every effort.
There will be no hope for the middle class if Romney gets elected. Also, even if the President gets another term, I do believe the GOP will simply continue doing what they have been doing throughout the President's entire term. There must be a better way.....
Its Criminal that the GOP can continue to hole up America progress,something has too be done!
Get out and vote every damn Republican you can out of office if you ever want to see any progress.
MJB thats the only way this country can ever more forward, period. Vote the traitors out!
Question :
If the polls are showing President Obama ahead by quite a bit with Women, Blacks and HIspanics -- and the polls about likeability are ALL saying this --- then why are the polls not showing him far ahead of Mr. Robme Hood in the race for President ?
Who in the heck are they calling in these polls about who people want for President ? Only older people with land lines ??
I mean really --- something is not adding up.
Just sayin' !
I have wondered the same thing Hope....
Pretty much that is what the pollsters appear to be doing. They called here and SO said I am voting democrat and she got click dead line. I took it as they are searching for tea bagged republicans to answer their polls. SO has a WASP last name so she gets GOP calls a lot.
Obama's not leading because he doesn't have a real leading amount of support. What's happening is Obama is holding at around 50% and Romney doesn't seem to be able to really break past that. Keep in mind the demographics of likely voters not just the enitre population.
People like Obama as a person but that's not so much a political question so there are many people who like him personally and would have the perverbial beer with the guy but don't think he is doing a good job. So you have to realize that this is a measure of his personal popularity not his job approval.
What the hell is wrong with the American People? They don't care if the GOP lies on every subject,and does absolutly nothing for the Peoples Welfare? I think who ever votes better think! If they get their hands on SS its done for, or anything else that helps the People.They will give it all too the 1 % thats already has everything !
Good question Joe.
I think they've been brain-washed by Fox for so long, they wouldn't know the truth when they hear it. That's the only reason I can guess as for why people would cut their own throats.
Obama has kept the American people from a depression instead of a recession. It would have been 10 times worst because of the failed policies of Bush. Give me a break people, stop the denial. The problem lies with President Bush and not Obama.
Obama is the person that is getting America back on track even with the resistance of the Republican Party. They want to see the economy tank thinking that it will help the win the presidency. This is wrong that they would allow the American people suffer for their greed. They have no good intentions for the American people if so why not pass President Obama's jobs bill that would have created one million jobs. If they have good intentions for the American people, why approve the Ryan's budget that gives the rich a tax break and cut many social programs that are vital to the average person. The Republicans are only looking out for that top 1% and that is shameful. In addition, if the Republicans were so great for our economy, why would they refuse to give the American people a 60 day tax credit or extend the unemployment for people in a time of need. Give me a break; this economy is not good due to failed policies of the Republicans.
Give me a break people, when you have Republicans, such as, Mitch McConnell saying "My Job Is To Make Sure Barack Obama Is A One Term President" ....are you kidding me, America do not need the Mitch McConnell's. The economy could have been much worse if it was not for the stimulus that Obama put in place. When Obama took over America was losing 850K jobs per day and since Obama has been elected we had a growth of over 4.2 million or more jobs. The situation was horribly bad when he took over and it takes time to recovery from the Bush disaster. If the Republicans thought Bush had done a great job, why are the Republicans not talking about it? The reason is because they know it was an absolute disaster, otherwise, they would be talking. America does not need to look for Romney to turn the economy around because he is also a part of the problem. Romney work with Bain Capital is the pioneer of outsourcing American jobs overseas to India and China for over a decade. Romney was busy making money for the benefit for his pocket and his stakeholder’s. Romney is the wrong person that should be talking on how he can make things better. Romney/Ryan have done nothing but lie.
Glory Hallelujah! You hit it dead on the head. The Republicans would rather see the middle class plummet and the poor get poorer. This is very disturbing. These people are hungry for more money, more power, and more control.
It amazes me what so called conservatives" have come to believe. I am an independent business person, and the 4th generation of small business person in our family. Not once did I ever check out the tax code to determine if I should hire someone. The sales volume always determines how many workers I need. I'd also like to know which small business person is going to close up shop because of the Affordable Care Act? I'm very, VERY happy that there are other options for me and my employees to get and KEEP health coverage. By the way, I'm still trying to find out where all those tax increases are in the health care act that's going to put me out of business. As for Medicare, it's really simple; We Americans are going to take care of our elders....and to do so requires that the correct amount of taxes be collected to pay for the system. Period! Politicians can dace around medicare all they want, but longer life, better technology, and an ever increasing population of older Americans tells me that sooner or later, everyone will have to pay ...oh, say 1/2 of 1% more in taxes to pay the medicare bill. Now just to let the conservatives know, I have a Ph.D in Economics, and that alone should scare hell out of every one of you. Also, I'm a true North Carolinian and communicate well with my fellow citizens who, if they wake up and pay attention, could actually change the direction FOR OBAMA in NC! It will only take a handful of voters to send our 15 electoral votes to the President. I only hope he can generate enough extra support in the next 75+ days to help oust tea bagged republicans out of congress so obstructionism will cease being the rule of the day!!
My suggestion is to do whatever you can personaly no matter what it takes and save every penny you can. Neither Obama are Romney realy care about you. if you have to rake leaves dig ditches pick peaches watermelons are what ever the job it is. Trust me all the illegals that are here are taking these jobs but yet we americans dont want to do these jobs anymore. In the long run if you dont look out for yourself and your family you will be screwed.
I don't know why big business is against Obama. Since the Market to a huge nose dive at the end of GW watch, it has gone back up to the level it was before under the present POTUS. Wall street is making money. If Robme has his way there will be no middle class, thus very few will have the money to buy what big business makes here and in China, and many businesses will go under as almost happened to the big three auto makers. The stimulus bill worked, but the Repubs refuse to acknowledge that.
Robert, It worked only if you were a Government Emplyee or a UAW member. The Tax Payers holding the bag for these bailouts did fare so well. Did you not see Eds graph on the Middle Class. Those lease affected were Obama's buddies in the UAW and Government Employees. The rest of us were left out in the cold. While the average income is 50K annually, Government Employees continue to have an average income of nearly 80K. And these were the folks Obama felt compelled to help.
Less than a week before the Republican convention begins, the race for the White House is a virtual tie. According to a Fox News poll of likely voters, the Mitt Romney-Paul Ryan ticket receives the backing of 45 percent, while the Barack Obama-Joe Biden ticket garners 44 percent.
The poll, released Thursday, is the first Fox has conducted among likely voters this year, which means an apples-to-apples comparison can’t be made to previous polls. Likely voters are eligible/registered voters who will most likely cast a ballot in this year’s presidential election.
This is also the first Fox poll to ask about the top and bottom of the major party tickets: Democrats Obama and Vice President Joe Biden against Republicans Romney and Paul Ryan. Romney announced his vice presidential pick of Wisconsin Rep. Ryan on August 11. …
Independents back Romney by 42-32 percent (one in four is undecided). Independents were vital to Obama’s 2008 victory, backing him over Republican John McCain by 52-44 percent (Fox News exit poll).
Thanks to Mitt Romney's economic agenda under his reign of terror at Bain, who much education is required to operate cash registers, cleaning supplies and lawn mowers? This is the economy he forged by systematically dismantling America's arsenal of democracy.
As for his defense spending wishes, its the fig leaf many 1960s draft evaders wear for patriotism in the GOP. I like to think of him as a Talibanic leader who believe certain people have no rights and have them strictly serve his interests and desires of wealth.
America already exists in the Romney Economy that he created in the era of corporate and economic restructuring when greed was good.
Obama and Bill Clinton need to hit very hard on telling the public that if Obama is to get anything accomplished in his next term a majority of Democrats must be elected to both the House and the Senate in order to stop the obstruction and filabusters that the Republicans use in order to keep Obama from achieving anything. If he doesn't get a strong Democratic congress it doesn't matter if he wins or loses since at any cost the Republicans and the Tea Party will negate anything Obama wants.
If Im not misstaken Clinton had a republican congress beginning in 94. In other words if Obama came torward the center like Clinton did he may have had sucess. Instead Obama phocused on health care and didnt put the ecomony first.
In order for our economy to improve it needs to have people
working. Hmmmm, how will that come
about? Well, to improve our economy there must be demand for products! If
people don’t have money, demand shrinks. When this happens, the” Job creators” won’t
create jobs no matter how many ‘Tax cuts” they get, look at the last 10/12
years! They haven’t so far. Any smart on
their toes Business operator will not hire anyone until they have orders in
hand for their products. I wouldn’t hire just because I could get a tax
break! So enough of the Job Creators and
Tax breaks for them, that don’t work!
Education works well.
Government help for Business with less than 10 employees,
NOT Shell Oil, Georgia Pacific and the likes.
And the decline in Middle Class Wealth is directly related to Housing Values, which were destroyed because of the abolishment of the Glass Stegull Act and changes implemented to the Community Reinvestment Act, both done by Democrats. Obama's mishandling of the economy and his extremely poor performance in job creation has added to the reduction of the Middle Class. You can believe what you need to, to help you get by, but must people are not stupid. Its time for a "Change" and that "Change" is coming in November. We will have Republican majorities in the House and Senate, as well as a Republican President. The economy and the Middle Class will grow like weeds next year. Get ready for energy independence and a booming economy.