Obama's big approval bump: Will it last?
In the first major poll conducted after bin Laden's death, the president's approval rating jumped 9 points, to 56 percent
![President Obama's approval ratings had been mired well below 50 percent, but after Sunday's historic announcement about the death of Osama bin Laden, his numbers shot upward.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/suJV75EfNVBLzhLJPs9fTc-415-80.jpg)
From the moment President Obama announced that he'd ordered a successful mission to kill and capture Osama bin Laden, political analysts have made a "parlor game" of guessing just how big the bounce to Obama's poll numbers would be. Now, the first numbers are coming in: A Pew poll for The Washington Post registered a nine-point jump in Obama's approval rating, to 56 percent — his highest numbers since 2009. A New York Times/CBS News poll released Wednesday morning pegged the rise at 11 points, to 57 percent. Will the good feelings last?
This will be a short-lived bounce: The healthy uptick in Obama's approval rating will be welcome news in the White House, says Steve Kornacki at Salon. And his poll numbers could improve even more in the next day or so. But as with most foreign policy victories, the president's bin Laden bounce will be fleeting. "After a few weeks — or even just a few days — of artificially inflated approval ratings," the sputtering economy will drag Obama back down.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Even a "muted" boost is meaningful: The Pew poll's nine-point bump is getting most of the attention, says Nate Silver at The New York Times. But "other polls show more marginal gains" — about a five-point boost, on average. That's at the low end of predictions, and suggests people's views of Obama are already "quite deeply entrenched." Still, if taking out bin Laden wins Obama even 1 percent of voters, that could swing a close election.
"Overnight polls find muted improvement in Obama's approval rating"
The polls are missing the real impact: Look, "I trust polling and political science... up to a point," says Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Beast. "But seriously, the idea that this event does not transform the arc of the Obama presidency is to miss the moment." In one move, Obama killed the entire narrative the Right has been selling about him: That he is weak, soft on terrorism, un-American, alien. What's the GOP going to run on now?
"Presidential bumps, past and future, ctd"
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published