68% give Obama speech a thumbs-up

Paul Steinhauser
CNN Deputy Political Director

WASHINGTON (CNN) — A national poll indicates that two-thirds of those who watched President Barack Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night had a very positive reaction to his speech.

Sixty-eight percent of speech-watchers questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey had a very positive reaction, with 24 percent indicating that they had a somewhat positive response and 8 percent indicating that they had a negative reaction.

Eighty-five percent of those polled said the president’s speech made them more optimistic about the direction the country is headed in over the next few years, with 11 percent indicating that the speech made them more pessimistic.

Eighty-two percent of speech-watchers say they support the economic plan Obama outlined in his prime-time address, with 17 percent opposing the proposal.

“These are great numbers for Obama, but they are no better or worse than Bill Clinton or George W. Bush got after their first speeches to Congress,” CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said.

The speech audience skewed about 8 to 10 points more Democratic than the general public.

The poll involved 484 adult Americans who watched Obama’s speech. All interviews were conducted on Tuesday, after Obama finished speaking.