Fox News poll: Obama leads Republican contenders; public supports birth control coverage

[cal04]

by DemFromCT
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/10/1063608/-Fox-News-poll-Obama-leads-GOP-contenders-ACA-offers-popular-BCP-coverage-?via=blog_1



Joining other polls in showing an Obama head to head lead over Republican challengers, Fox News notes improved Obama numbers (MoE plus/minus 3 for registered voters, higher margins for sub-groups):

Looking ahead to November, Obama edges Republican Mitt Romney by 5 percentage points (47-42 percent) in a hypothetical matchup today. In January, the president had a narrow one-point edge (46-45 percent). Both leads are within the polls’ margins of sampling error.

The president’s advantage widens against the other GOP contenders. Obama leads Ron Paul by 10 percentage points (48-38 percent), Rick Santorum by 12 points (50-38 percent) and Newt Gingrich by 13 points (51-38 percent).

An important part of the story is the 85 percent support from Democrats, and that:

48 percent of voters approve of the job Obama is doing as president. That’s up from 45 percent in January, and the highest positive rating Obama has received since June 2011.

(snip)
The new Obama health care law requires that employer health plans provide birth control coverage as part of preventive services for women. Catholic and other religious-affiliated hospitals and universities typically have not provided any birth control coverage for their employees, and oppose the new requirement because it violates their religious rights. Overall, do you approve or disapprove of requiring employer health plans to cover birth control for women?

Approve 61%
Disapprove 34
(Don’t know) 5
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/10/fox-news-poll-methodology-santorum-surge-obama/

(Fox News Poll: Obama holds edge over Republicans in matchups)
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02/10/fox-news-poll-obama-holds-edge-over-republicans-in-matchups/


Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified

more at link

[doc03]

1. Any poll is totally meaningless if gas goes over $4, Europe takes us into another

recession, unemployment numbers don't continue to improve, the Republicans chose a candidate outside the clown car gang, the Republicans refuse to extend the withholding
tax cut etc.

[Warren DeMontague]

3. Going outside the clown car at this point would positively reek of desperation.

I think it's too late for that.

[zbdent]

17. I don't think there's anybody left

outside the clown car to present to the voters ...

Who are they going to go to?

[Warren DeMontague]

21. They have no good options.

I might almost feel bad for them, except, I don't.

[lark]

22. Jeb Bush is wating in the wings

All Repugs would unite behind him. He's good at talking MOR but governing from the far right. He supported requiring the surgar cane farmers to pay for continuing damage to the everyglades during his campaign, got the law passed, but had major restrictions added which nullified almost all th good it did. he's a major hypocrite, totally right wing, but can don the moderates issues for a short time to use to his advantage. he's much smarter than the current crop, so more dangerous by far.

[secondwind]

6. POSITIVITY!!!

[CAPHAVOC]

20. GOP goes for the safety?

Horrible thought. What if the GOP is trying to lose? Take a safety and punt. Then they will blame Obama and the Democrats for the impending complete collapse.

[DFW]

2. I'm not surprised about the birth control part

Even Fox female employees like to be able to have sex without getting pregnant.

[tclambert]

4. Obama hasn't really started campaigning yet.

Of course, the Republican SuperPACs haven't targeted him as much as they have their own candidates so far. This will be a very nasty campaign. Thank you, stupidest Supreme Court in history, for the Citizens United ruling.

[underpants]

7. No he hasn't. The Republicans have had months of free advertising during the debates

The FREE debates have three results:
1. Tons of free advertisement (both the debates themselves and the new coverage)
2. Republican in fighting which is not their gameplay. They finish it early and start selling their product.
3. Self promotion tours by Newt and Cain were sustained by the free advertising.

Everyone is talking about the money Obama will have - and he will - but the big factor is the organization he will have. I witnessed it firsthad in 2008 and it is formidable, impressive, and high tech. Look out REpublicans, you have no idea what is about to hit you.

I agree with post #1 - gas prices are key and they are going to go up - for the main reason of getting Obama out of office.

[Rozlee]

16. All their advertising might be backfiring.

Familiarity breeds contempt. The more people are seeing of these guys, the more they're being turned off. The GOP couldn't have found a bigger crop of losers if they'd gone dump diving.

[zbdent]

18. BUT ... it's really gotten to the point where all Obama would have to do

is replay the GOP debates ... and not the "gaffes", but their hard-core, "true" beliefs ...

Of course, when Dems/Libs said "Anybody but Bush", it was okay for the "liberally-biased media" to let the RW pundits to say "Oh, well, that means that the Democrats would vote for Hitler/Osama bin Laden."

[DCBob]

5. Nice gap developing there.

I wonder though what will happen if Santorum becomes the likely nominee.

[underpants]

8. there will be a Santorum Explosion

[tanyev]

9. GOP 1: "Ow! Why does my foot hurt so much?"

GOP 2: "Don't know! Just keep shooting!"

[stlsaxman]

10. SO stealing that!

- "thanks!"

[ibegurpard]

11. I have no idea why they think this issue is a winner for them.

Yes, it may rally their base but if they keep pushing this they will get buried as the Komen fiasco showed.

[Arugula Latte]

19. Hey, Chris Matthews says everybody is OUTRAGED!

So it must be the case!

[Johnny2X2X]

12. Edges

Obama edges Romney by 5 points eh? You can bet if the Mitt was up 5 points they be calling it a huge insurmountable lead. This FOX poll is actually in line with most other polls right now. Obama thrashes all the GOP candidates and is up on the Mitt by 5-8 points.

All the hub bub about the birth control deal has actually helped Obama.

I cannot wait for Obama to start campaigning. I plan on volunteering this year. I have no doubt the Romney machine will be formidable, but the World has never seen a campaign as vast, as organized, as high tech, and as well funded as Obama is about to launch. With that being said, the Republicans' only hope is for something bad to happen in America. At this point the recovery could stall and as long as it's not a double dip Obama would still win handily.

[SaintPete]

13. Obama's lead (7.1%) is outside of the 6% spread

given by the +- 3 %MOE.

and this without his having really campaigned against R.Money.

I don't think gas prices will matter as much as the unemployment rate. We hate high fuel prices, but we all kind of know it will go up eventually...we've been told for a few years that it's going to happen. It won't be fun, but it won't be a shock.

The key will be whether we can afford the bill when the inevitable happens. The key will be our jobs...

[powergirl]

14. So, if we discount the "magic" of a Fox News poll

Obama must be ahead by 10 points.

[Gman]

15. These results are in spite of the apparent push poll question

"...oppose the new requirement because it violates their religious rights. " There is obviously no legal ruling about this violating religious rights. That is only an opinion, at least at this point until shown by a court to be otherwise.