New Poll Shows Obama Ratings Down As Mosque Controversy Lingers

A new poll released Monday showed that the ongoing debate regarding Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s proposed mosque and cultural center two blocks from New York City’s Ground Zero is skewing the public’s opinion of President Barack Obama and how he has handled the situation.

Nine years after the September 11 attacks, public sentiment towards Islam remains relatively low with only 38 percent of voters having favorable opinions of Islam, the poll found. Fifty percent of voters, however, perceive mainstream Islam as a peaceful religion, rather than an ideology which encourages violence to non-Muslims.

Although the Quinnipiac University National Poll found that 70 percent of Americans believe that the Muslim group has the right to continue with building the Mosque, 63 percent of voters say it’s wrong to do so.

Controversy over the Mosque’s construction stirred up radical opposition among some Americans. Florida Pastor Terry Jones threatened to assemble a Quran burning rally during this weekend’s 9/11 anniversary, ultimately canceling it after receiving warnings from the White House and Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

The controversy has taken its toll on the public’s perception of President Barack Obama and how he has handled the mosque situation in New York. After publicly defending the mosque’s construction in last week’s press conference, the new poll shows American voters disapprove 44-31 percent of the way Obama is handling the situation.

“The proposed mosque near Ground Zero are taking a toll on President Barack Obama’s standing with American voters,” assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute Peter Brown said. “The fact that so many Americans think the President does not share their values might worry the White House.”

Netenyahu, Abbas Agree To Meet Again In Two Weeks

UPDATE - 5:00pm - Both heads of state, Prime Minister Netenyahu and President Abbas, agreed today to meet for another round of talks in mid-September, according to U.S. President Barack Obama’s special Mideast peace envoy, George Mitchell. The meeting will take place in the Middle East, though an exact location has not yet been specified.

WASHINGTON - After two years of silence, direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders begin today.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet at the State Department, presided over by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to begin discussions of compromise and long-lasting peace.

A major factor in these negotiations is the expanded settlement of Israel in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.  There is currently a moratorium on the settlement expansion that played a major role in building the trust for advancing Thursday’s peace talks. The moratorium, however, is scheduled to expire September 26 and if it is not extended, peace talks between Israel and Palestine will take a heavy blow.

President Barack Obama met with the two leaders yesterday, along with the leaders from Jordan and Egypt, to emphasize that this is an opportunity that must be seized. Despite lingering skepticism, Obama said he believes both countries are looking to achieve a peaceful resolution.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas are two leaders who I believe want peace [and] both sides have indicated that these negotiations can be completed within one year,” Obama said in an address following meetings with both Netanyahu and Abbas. “Now is the time for leaders of courage and vision to deliver the peace that their people deserve.”

Obama Calls On Senate To Tackle Jobs Bill As Its Top Priority

President Barack Obama is expecting Congress to hit the ground running after returning from its August recess.

Obama told reporters Monday that the number one priority for Congress in the coming weeks is to vote on and pass a jobs bill that has been stagnant for months.

“Too many businesses are still struggling, too many Americans are still looking for work and too many communities are far from being whole again,” Obama said as he urged Congress to take immediate action on a jobs bill he said would cut more taxes and increase access to more loans for small businesses.

The president pointed the finger at Senate Republicans, calling on them to put an end to partisan politics and help put people back to work. 

“Unfortunately, this bill has been languishing in the Senate for months, held up by a partisan minority that won’t even allow it to go to a vote,” Obama said. “That makes no sense.”

The Senate is likely to make their return to Capitol Hill on September 14. 

Democratic Candidate A No-Show At Obama Event

Roughly 3,500 people were on hand in Austin, Texas today for President Barack Obama’s speech on higher education and the economy, but the state’s Democratic candidate for Governor was not among them.

Bill White, the former Mayor of Houston and the man who will challenge incumbent Texas Governor Rick Perry this fall, opted to attend campaign events in other parts of the state rather than be seen on stage with the President. White, however, told reporters on Friday that his decision to not appear with Obama wasn’t that big of a deal.

“I really don’t think about stuff like that,” White said. “I don’t use national figures as surrogates for me. I tend to campaign for myself.”

At least one recent poll, however, shows that Obama’s approval ratings in Texas are lower than in most other states. Nearly 63% of Texas voters dissaprove of the job Obama is doing, according to a Rasmussen survey taken last month. Perry, who greeted the President when he arrived in Texas earlier in the day, put out a video this morning tying his opponent’s views and policies to Obama’s.

Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) cautioned reporters after the speech to not rush to judgment on the meaning of White’s absence.

“[Bill White] has a great deal of respect for the President,” she said. “There is no divide as relates to the respect they have for each other.”

Before the speech, White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton dismissed the theory that White would like to distance himself politically from Obama.

“I don’t think [White’s decision] says anything broadly about the President’s coattails. I think it says that Bill White had something else going on today that he would rather do than campaign with the President,” he said.

“[President Obama] definitely does not take that as an insult,” Burton added.

White, who served as deputy Energy Secretary under President Clinton, trails Perry slightly, according to polls conducted last month.

Higher Education Key To Economic Success, Says Obama

President Barack Obama told an audience in Austin, Texas today that his administration is making college more affordable and accessible for students and their families nationwide.

The crowd, comprised mainly of students from the University of Texas, listened as Obama laid out steps he has taken in his first 18 months on the job to combat rising tuition prices and higher dropout rates. Among them: putting the federal government directly in charge of the student loan industry, investing more in community colleges, creating the largest college tax credit ever for members of the middle class and making it easier for families to apply for financial aid.

“At each and every juncture throughout our history, we’ve recognized…that the way to move forward, in our own lives, and as a nation, is to put education first,” the President said.

Obama lamented the fact that the U.S. currently ranks 12th worldwide in college completion, and repeated his goal of producing eight million more graduates by the year 2020. More Americans with degrees, he said, will ensure the nation’s economy remains a global leader.

“If we’re serious about making sure America’s workers, and America itself, succeed in the 21st century, the single most important step we can take is to offer all our kids…the best education the world has to offer,” said Obama.

“Education is an economic issue,” he added. “It may be the economic issue of our time.”