OBAMA'S CONTINUED STRENGTH – AT 9:22 P.M. ET:  Supporting the theme of our first post today, a new CNN/Opinion Research poll shows President Obama still very much in the game as far as the American people are concerned, demonstrating once more how much work Republicans have.  At the same time, belief in a Republican Congress vastly exceeds belief in Democratic control of Congress.  From The Politico:

Americans are less supportive of President Barack Obama’s policies than they were a year ago, but a majority of those surveyed in a new poll still hope his policies will be successful.

In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Wednesday, 61 percent of Americans surveyed said they hope Obama’s policies succeed. A year ago, 71 percent hoped for Obama’s policy success.

Those surveyed were also less confident that the president’s policies would succeed, with 44 percent saying they would and 47 percent saying they would fail. A year ago, 52 percent of Americans said they thought Obama’s policies would be successful, while 41 percent said they thought his policies would fail.

Fifty-one percent of Americans said they think the GOP majority in the House of Representatives will be a good thing for the country, while 42 percent said they think it will be a bad thing.

And get this:

Forty percent of Americans said they are most confident in Republicans in Congress, while 35 percent said they are most confident in Obama and 15 percent said they are most confident in congressional Democrats.

COMMENT:  We see, as we've seen before, that the GOP isn't winning any popularity contests.  The year 2011 will be a year of bitter political battles.  One Republican ace:  public resentment if Obama starts imposing regulations, not backed by legislation, that raise the costs and burdens of the American people.

December 29, 2010