Lets talk about progressive goals, America.
  • Official White House photo by Pete Souza
  • Let's talk about progressive goals, America.

Pew released a poll of President Obama's approval ratings today. And it's good news: "The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Jan. 7-11 among 1,504 adults, finds that Obama’s job approval has risen five points since December ([when his rating was] 42%)."

Huh. So what's been happening since last year? Well, the president signed an executive order for immigration reform. And in preparation for next week's State of the Union Address, President Obama announced a plan to make two years of community college free for anyone who wants it. He's opening up relations with Cuba. Obama's call yesterday for faster, cheaper broadband for all Americans was outside the timeframe of the Pew poll, but it's hard to imagine anyone hating the idea of paying less for faster internet. And the news that he might push for paid leave from work in the State of the Union, too, seems like it will be a popular proposal.

When Obama's poll numbers were stagnating or dipping in 2014, he was acting like a centrist in an attempt to help Democrats win seats in the midterm elections around the country. There seemed to be an active attempt by the White House to not get too liberal last year, for fear that Democrats in purple states would lose their heavily contested seats. Instead, the Democrats were soundly beaten by Republicans. Now that Obama is talking like a Democrat again, his poll numbers are rising at a rapid clip. Seems as though there's a lesson to be learned from all this.