Obama really digging into that second-term malaise:
Obama’s job approval rating, after a slight winter rebound, has lost 5 points among all adults since March, to 41 percent, the lowest of his presidency by a single point. Fifty-two percent disapprove, with “strong” disapproval exceeding strong approval by 17 percentage points. He’s lost ground in particular among some of his core support groups.
Economic discontent remains the driving element in political views in this survey, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates. Americans rate the condition of the economy negatively by 71-29 percent – the least bad since November 2007, but still dismal by any measure. Only 28 percent think the economy’s improving, down by 9 points since just before Obama won his second term. He gets just 42 percent approval for handling it.
When the words “least bad” are used to describe the best news of a survey about your performance, you just might be a president dealing with a poor economy and an intransigient opposition party, am I right?
Over in the Gallup poll, Obama is at 43 percent. By comparison, at approximately this point in their second terms, Bill Clinton was at around 60 percent and George W. Bush was around 40 percent (and headed for less).
Gallup
Ah, yes. George W. Bush. Remember all that? [Long, weary sigh.]
