Our Popular Governor
One of the tidbits of information I missed from the Republican Rasmussen Poll released this week was this:
Fifty-nine percent (59%) approve of Jack Markell’s performance as governor, including 12% who strongly approve. Thirty-seven percent (37%) disapprove of the job the Democrat is doing, with 12% who strongly disapprove.
That is down only three points from a 62% rating he got in March from the Public Policy Poll, although one shouldn’t compare different polls to each other, as there could be different methodologies and polling samples. But I digress.
I’m kind of surprised the state budget crisis and sports betting defeats hasn’t taken a bigger hit on his popularity. Right now Markell looks like teflon man.
Gov. Markell has been out holding town hall meetings and they have been well attended and well received. He doesn’t have to do this but it is so nice to have a leader who doesn’t take us for granted.
That’s really phenomenal given the budget crisis and cuts, the state employee protests and the gambling mess that blew up in his face.
However, by next July, if the economy stays stuck or gets worse and there have to be major, major cuts in the budget, look for those numbers to plunge. This winter and spring is going to be a big behind-the-scenes test of how Markell can corral the Legislature into action.
Agree, Anon. Markell has said his first budget was merely a stop gap and that his Administration will be cutting useless or broken programs and would cut spending. He is going to have to do that and he better be working on that now.
I certainly admire the man. We’ve seen and heard more from him than any of our governors during good economic times. I attended one of his TH meetings and was quite impressed that, even thoug the economy is in the tank, he’s out there growing business one worker at a time. He’s got the right idea. There aren’t the corporate giants of decades past to try to attract. He’s going at business growth from a whole new angle that could serve our little state well. January is going to bring some tough decisions about state government/jobs though and I, for one, hope he goes with lay-offs next time around instead of pay cuts. I’ve heard nothing but complaints and disatisfaction from the folks who lost 2.5% of their pay. The other thing that needs to go is that double share on health benefits.
State workers are not going to forget about the cuts when the next election comes around. I know co-workers who have lost homes lost child care and are taking on 2nd & 3rd jobs just to get by. See you at the poles in three years Jack!
Well this state worker will still be supporting Gov. Markell.
Governor Markell is a good man who is trying to do his best in tough times. His education policies will be his crowning achievement. His energy policies will unfortunately unravel his legacy. I think the tax hikes, social liberalism, and energy rationing will hurt Democrats down ticket. The most sensible solution is to take out insurance and put Republicans back in the House. Republicans agree with Markell on his best policies so there is no downside with electing more and dumping weak Democrats if you like Markell.
I too think it will be hard for state workers to forgive the cut, or worse the planned 8% cut that he originally proposed. I’ve never voted Republican for major office and doubt that they will produce a viable candidate anyway, but the temptation to undervote or write in will be strong unless he does something to truly impress me in the next few years.
I spoke to a state worker this weekend who really likes Markell. He said something that stunned me. He said that the morale among state employees has never been this low. He said that if things didn’t improve, Markell was likely a one-termer. He did add that that likelihood is diminished by a weak bench of Republicans, but perhaps that is the strategy. There is strength in the weakness of the Republicans.
“See you at the poles in three years Jack!”
I’m sure he’s glad you’re going to the poles instead of the polls. What’s your slogan, “Morans Against Markell”?
Perhaps he thinks Jack will have to expand the the state’s strip clubs to close the budget deficit.
Good luck turning to Republicans to champion the interests of workers. The strategy the GOP offered in response to Markell’s pay cuts was to cut jobs altogether – in other words instead of a 2% cut, your job would be on the line for a 100% cut. And after they got done with that they’d probably cut pay across the board altogether.
Not to mention the other Republican pay cut proposals such as prevailing wage repeal, attacking worker benefits, and defunding of public schools.
If state workers want to fight to get that 2% back in the future, they are way better off fighting Democrats than Republicans.
To put it even more bluntly – if state workers want to fight to get that 2% back, they had better put some more and better Democrats in the General Assembly, to give leadership enough cover for progressive tax increases.
If state workers put more Republicans or conserva-Dems in the GA, there will never be enough revenue (or enough political will) to get that 2% back).
LG — Figure out a way we can bet on the strippers, too, and it has my vote. And no, I have no problem having to bet on more than one at a time.
Markell is complete stooge. How can anyone think he’s doing a good job.
what were Minner’s approval numbers?
doesn’t sound like a very high standard for Markell.
No, Minner during most of her second term was stuck in the low to mid 40s.