There's been a lot of blogging (here and here for example) about the new SurveyUSA poll showing Illinois' Barack Obama as the most popular Senator in the country among constituents. That last part is important because it's a bit misleading to say Obama is the most popular Senator in the country (implying the nation as a whole was surveyed).
Obama's approval rating was at 74% statewide, higher than any other senator in their home state (including Illinois' other Senator, Dick Durbin, who came in with only a 50% approval rating).
I like Obama but I have to believe a lot of his popularity at this point is based on things having little to do with his performance in office. It's just too early to judge him on his legislative record having gone to Washington only a few months ago.
What Obama has is charisma and a way of coming off as being very reasonable, not like those bickering politicians we usually associate with national politics. He's a great speaker. He has a fascinating background. He's a one-man racial and cultural melting pot. He just exudes success, dammit! All of that is good stuff to have but he really hasn't been tested yet so his numbers may or may not hold. I wish him total success.
I'd also be interested in what Obama's numbers are in various parts of the state. He polls well even among Republicans statewide in this survey but I doubt he would get 74% here in Sangamon County.
One thing to note in the poll is how other Senators fared in their states. It struck me the Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi is almost as popular in his state (65%) as Obama is here. I find Lott to be a vile human being but Mississippians seem to like him. (Oh, Mr. Lincoln, why couldn't you have just let them go). And the Senator with the lowest negative rating: Daniel Inouye of Hawaii. If I lived in Hawaii I probably wouldn't be bothered to think badly of anyone either.
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