In a culture where we want "instant" everything even I was amazed to read today that there is already a poll out on President Obama's approval rating. "You have to be kidding me," you respond. No, I am dead serious. John F. Kennedy had the highest rating after his first three days in office, at 72%. Obama is tied with Dwight Eisenhower's rating, who enjoyed 68% approval after his first few days in office. Thus Obama has the second highest approval rating since World War II, about the time all this tracking of opinion began.

How can anyone have a "serious" opinion about the president's job approval by now? How can any thinking person even bother respond to such a question/survey. If they surveyed me I would tell them to leave me alone. I am dead serious. This is about the most insane stuff I have read since last Tuesday and the inauguration.

It is this same endless taking of the pulse that harms the church. A pastor can't be on the job for a few weeks without the so-called "honeymoon" being over and done these days. Woe be the pastor who seeks to lead a flock by "approval." Vance Havner was right when he said a true pastor needed a tender heart and the hide of a rhinoceros.

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Comments

  1. Jack Isaacson January 26, 2009 at 2:28 pm

    John I do NOT see you telling the caller to leave you alone. I believe you would want to know who is behind this survey, what purpose do these surveys have regarding the way the American public think about their new president, etc.
    You would then engage in a spirited discussion because as a teacher you want the person asking the question to understand what they are doing even though they are doing the survey just to make money. After this few questions on your part they would hang up on you because they are not thinking they are just reacting.
    You are so right, what [I can’t write the description] kind of people come up with these surveys?

  2. Dave Moorhead January 27, 2009 at 11:25 am

    John, I just want you to know that I called one hundred readers of your blog and the approval rating of your opinion on approval ratings is 71.8. The .8 of an approval is from a guy in North Dakota who really likes polls and feels sorry for the pollsters. Hope you approve!

  3. WebmistressEMC January 30, 2009 at 9:18 pm

    You know, don’t you, that many Conservative sites — not yours, apparently — are crowing about the Rasmussen poll which (no surprise) is markedly more conservative in granting Obama a 60% approval rating (and they say it’s falling fast).
    I guess it makes Conservatives feel better to rely on the polling of a pollster who was consistently conservative (and WRONG) during the election campaign just past.

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