Obama has an edge over Republicans among Americans: NYT poll

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama enjoys an edge over Republicans in the battle for public support, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Americans blame former President George W. Bush, Wall Street and Congress much more than they do Obama for the nation’s economic problems, the poll found.

The poll suggests that both parties face a toxic environment as they prepare for the elections in November.

According to the New York Times, public disapproval of Congress is at a historic high, and huge numbers of Americans think Congress is beholden to special interests.

Fewer than one in ten Americans say members of Congress deserve re-election.

As the party in power, Democrats face a particular risk from any wave of voter discontent.

The percentage of Americans who approve of Mr. Obama’s job performance, 46 percent, is as low as it has been since he took office.

Still, the poll suggests that Obama and his party have an opportunity to deflect the anger and anxiety if they can frame the election not as a referendum on the president and his party, but as a choice between them and a Republican approach that yielded results under Mr. Bush.

Americans say that Obama is far less likely to favor special interests over the American people than Congress.

The Tea Party movement, which has grown out of the strain of discontent, so far commands relatively little public support. Eighteen percent of respondents said they considered themselves supporters of the movement, while 55 percent said they had heard little or nothing about it.

The nationwide telephone poll of 1,084 adults was taken from Feb. 5 through 10 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points for all adults. (ANI)