President Barack Obama's approval rating has hit its highest point in two years - 60 per cent - and more than half of Americans now say he deserves to be re-elected. According to a poll taken after U.S. forces killed Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, the president's standing improved not just on foreign policy but also on the economy. Independent Americans — a key voting bloc in the November 2012 presidential election — caused the overall surge in support by sliding back to Obama after fleeing for much of the past two years. This was demonstrated yesterday when the President, speaking in El Paso, Texas, was heckled over immigration policy but was cheered when he referred to Bin Laden's death. It was the first indication the President is likely to revel in the success of last weekend's mission and exploit it as part of his re-election campaign. Today's AP-GfK poll runs counter to polls published earlier this week which suggested Bin Laden's death had only given the President's rating a small lift...read more...Tuesday, 17 May 2011
The Bin Laden bounce: 60% of Americans give Obama the thumbs-up after death of terrorist mastermind
President Barack Obama's approval rating has hit its highest point in two years - 60 per cent - and more than half of Americans now say he deserves to be re-elected. According to a poll taken after U.S. forces killed Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, the president's standing improved not just on foreign policy but also on the economy. Independent Americans — a key voting bloc in the November 2012 presidential election — caused the overall surge in support by sliding back to Obama after fleeing for much of the past two years. This was demonstrated yesterday when the President, speaking in El Paso, Texas, was heckled over immigration policy but was cheered when he referred to Bin Laden's death. It was the first indication the President is likely to revel in the success of last weekend's mission and exploit it as part of his re-election campaign. Today's AP-GfK poll runs counter to polls published earlier this week which suggested Bin Laden's death had only given the President's rating a small lift...read more...