|
A recent Gallup poll found that President Obama’s approval ratings among Democrats and Republicans is more polarized in the second year of his presidency than any other president since Dwight Eisenhower. The Gallup poll found a 68-point gap between conservative and liberal voters, which is the fourth most polarized year for a U.S. President since 1953.
While there are certain to be many explanations for this polarization–particularly the contentious public debates on immigration, health care and the economy–given the rise of “birthers” and other conservative extremists, we should also be mindful of any role race and ethnicity may acutely play in the negative reaction from social conservatives to Barack Obama. While George Bush accounts for six of the 10 most polarized presidential years in Gallup history, the growing wedge in America is cause for concern. Never has the spread been this high (nearly 70 points) for any individual president, particularly one which has made concession after concession to advance a relatively moderate (rather than progressive) agenda on social policies.
It is time we focus on what unites us. We’re all concerned about health care, education, and ultimately, the economy. We’re all connected in the universal struggle for fairness and opportunity. Let’s be sure that our approval of our leaders is informed by of their decisions and actions, rather than by the color of their skin. With the changing demographics of our society, the future of our democracy depends on it.
Copyright 2011 Monique W. Morris
| 
