Obama Approval Rating

President Obama was elected on a platform of change. With change, there is always controversy and debate. Two of the most important domestic issues of the campaign, an economic stimulus package and health care reform, are issues which cut across the grain of American public opinion. Certainly, with a recession in full swing, any program that proposes additional taxation and spending will draw controversy. A battle is brewing now over the EFCA, or Employee Free Choice Act, which promises to bolster worker's rights to organize. http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/efca-why-the-republicans-really-hate-obama/ The Obama Approval Rating site is here to help you compare and scan the various news sources for factors that influence the change of ratings. Bloomberg: [1]

The Employee Free Choice Act will help support union organization in the workplace. Secret ballot elections, conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), have generally fallen victim to management campaigns of intimidation, threats, harassment and firings that tend to turn the vote against the union, even when a majority of workers initially express interest. A campaign against this bill is actively in the works. According to American Rights at Work, initial advertising figures seem to be approaching around $120 million, coming from the Chamber of Commerce, the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, Employee Freedom Action Comittee, and Freedom's Watch. http://firedoglake.com/2008/07/31/efca-why-the-republicans-really-hate-obama/

The 8 principles of Obama's health plan are to:

• Speed up use of electronic health records and information technology.

• Support more research into comparing treatments so doctors and patients have better information on what works best.

• Double research on cancer, including a 6 billion injection at the National Institutues of Health.

• Improve services for American Indians and Alaskan Natives.

• Recruit more health professionals, including 330 million dollars for more doctors, nurses and dentists in regions of shortage.

• Expand child care such as Early Head Start and Head Start and create Nurse Home Visitation to support first time mothers.

• Strengthen quality and efficiency of Medicare, the government insurance program for seniors.

• Increase food safety and prevention of foodborne illness by investing over 1 billion dollars for more Food and Drug Administration inspections, labs, and surveillance.