Great Unifier? Pew Center Survey Finds Largest Partisan Gap in Presidential Approval Ratings

The Pew Center has released a study which finds deep partisan divisions in public perception of President Obama's job performance. According to the Pew study, 88% of Democrats and 27% of Republicans hold favorable views of President Obama. The 61-point gap is the largest of four decades.

The partisan gap contradicts one of the most prevalent themes in President Obama's campaign: Only he could unify the country. Although I always questioned and really never believed this narrative (not believing that any candidate would reduce partisanship), the theme strongly shaped his campaign and proved highly effective.

In February 2008, the Editorial Board of the Austin American-Statesman published an editorial that offers very effusive support for Obama and passionately embraces the "unity" theme:

Obama presents a view of governing that is inclusive and relies on Americans to work with their government to solve sobering problems at home and abroad. Obama’s familiar refrain on the campaign trail is, “Yes, we can.”

[Obama's] optimism, unifying vision and ability to inspire are the kind of healing balm the country needs at this moment in history. . . .

At home, we’re divided into red and blue camps. Democrats and Republicans have stoked divisions to advance their party’s interests. Meanwhile, Washington is stumbling along with its red leg moving right and blue one lurching left.

Along the way, elected officials - and the public - have forgotten that those legs are part of the same body. It’s not surprising, therefore, that we’ve danced in place, failing to make progress on the big challenges that confront our country. . . .

No other candidate except Obama offers a way out of that rut. He has articulated a vision that would allow the legs of government to again move fluidly in a natural motion that takes the country forward [boldface text added].

That rosy vision has not taken hold.

The Pew study suggests that the partisanship gap results not only from Republican disapproval of President Obama, but from Democratic approval of him as well. These numbers reflect a historical trend.

Beginning with George Bush, Republicans and Democrats have almost uniformly opposed Presidents from the other party, but they have strongly endorsed their own party's leader. The level of support and disapproval for Carter, Bush, Sr. and Clinton, however, was more evenly distributed among voters in both parties. Although Obama promised to reverse the pattern of partisanship, it seems to have grown larger during his presidency.

Related Reading on Dissenting Justice: Look Who's "Divisive" Now: The Anti-Obama Attacks Similar to Republican Smearing of the Clintons

No Unity Yet: Republicans Set to Oppose Stimulus Package Despite Obama's Effort to Secure Their Votes

After Obama held his widely (and wildly) reported luncheon with Republicans yesterday, media accounts suggested that the Great Unifier had performed an absolute miracle. Republicans emerged from the meeting beaming and offering effusive praise for the president, and Obama later invited some GOP leaders to the White House for drinks. After the GOP mocked the inclusion of funds for family planning in the stimulus package, Obama ordered (or requested) that Democrats remove the provision. But Obama's networking could not change the policy differences between Democrats and Republicans or to secure unified support for the stimulus, in spite of these differences.

ABC News reports that the stimulus will undoubtedly pass, but without much support from Republicans. I do not find this shocking or upsetting. Although contemporary Democrats have often voted against their party's professed values, earning them much criticism during the last decade, Republicans have typically supported the party line. Accordingly, I am not surprised that they have defied Obama's bipartisan gestures.

The cynic in me says that Obama probably knew he would not change their minds, but he engaged in this very public "outreach" in order to portray himself as a unifier and, possibly, to make Republicans look like sore losers for not joining the team. Also, he clearly does not need GOP support for the legislation to pass. If Republicans support him, however, they could lose some credibility if they subsequently tried to criticize the legislation. If the stimulus helps the economy, then the GOP will look bad for not supporting "sound economic policy." But now that Republicans have said they will not support the legislation, I wonder whether a bold Democrat try to reinsert the family planning elements.

Regardless of the underlying motives and risks, the partisan split reminds me of one of the funniest moments during the Democratic primaries, when Hillary Clinton challenged Obama's frequent assertion that he would bring about a "new" politics of bipartisanship and unity, while she was too "divisive" and could only offer "more of the same." I have posted a video clip of Clinton's controversial stump speech. Enjoy.

[Editor's Note: Beware of the CNN pundits!]