Gallup has conducted a poll on who are the "Winners" and "Losers" of 2009. They found out that people who were associated with Obama were more likely on the "Winners" list while those associated with the GOP were more likely on the "Losers" list.
http://www.gallup.com/...
Although Obama's approval rating isn't what it was like at the beginning of the year, most people associated with Obama including Obama himself when polled were on the "winners" list.
The highest on this "winners" list is Michelle Obama (73%) followed by Hillary (70%), President Obama (58%), and Sonia Sotomayor (57%).
In Americans' estimation, the top three political winners of 2009 are all women closely linked with the Obama administration: Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Sonia Sotomayor. Among these, Michelle Obama has the broadest support with 73% calling her a "winner" in U.S. politics this year and 21% a "loser." However, Clinton's rating is nearly as positive.
Out of the "winners" category President Obama did have the highest percentage of people rating him a "loser" at 58% winner, 38% loser. IMO this is pretty good for Obama considering all that we have endured as a country in 2009.
President Barack Obama, himself, also falls in the political winners circle, although the percentage calling him a political loser is somewhat higher than is seen for the three women.
The one notable woman that has been associated with Obama that is on the "losers" list is Nancy Pelosi (39% winner/50% loser). The Republicans in congress (38% winner/52% loser) including Joe Wilson (29% winner/61% loser) were also more likely on the "losers" list.
The picture is quite different for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whom half of all Americans identify as a political loser. More than half say the same of Rep. Joe Wilson (the representative who yelled "You lie!" to Obama at a joint session of Congress), as well as Gov. Mark Sanford (who is losing his wife and is under a state ethics investigation over an admitted extramarital affair), White House party crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi, and the Republicans in Congress generally.
Other notable public figures in 2009 had more of a split rating.
In between the clear-cut political winners and losers are a number of public figures with more mixed reviews. Nearly half of Americans (46%) call Sarah Palin a winner, but slightly more (49%) call her a loser. About equal numbers of Americans call Ben Bernanke (Time magazine's choice for person of the year) and radio talk host Glenn Beck winners and losers, while a large segment has no opinion about either man. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid is more widely viewed as a loser than a winner, but not to as great a degree as Pelosi -- possibly in part because of his high "no opinion" rating.
My thoughts are that Republicans in general are just NOT popular. What happens in 2010 midterms will be more a reflection on what the Democrats can or can not achieve rather than what the Republicans stand for. Thus the Democrats do have their destiny in 2010 in their hands.
The fact that Nancy Pelosi is not popular is NOT helpful for the Democrats in Congress. However, it is helpful for President Obama because the GOP are more likely to attack Pelosi than Obama with labeling everything the "Pelosi agenda" or the "Pelosi bill". Nancy Pelosi understands that and even welcomes being the one being pillored so that the President can remain "above the fray".
Any thoughts on this poll?