This is a remarkable turn of events. Obama is not entirely to blame -- but he shows absolutely no idea how to get us out of the mess we're in. Instead, he offers only more government spending on borrowed money, as if that were the path to real growth. Sooner or later, the public will catch on. Obama's popularity is already starting to slip. The latest Gallup tracking poll puts his overall approval at 56 percent, down from a high of about 70 percent when he took office. But a breakdown of his support among different demographic groups in the Gallup polls shows that he's down below 50 percent approval among those who identify themselves as "pure Independent" and among regular church-goers, and at 52 and 54 percent approval, respectively, among whites and persons who are married.
The Rasmussen Reports daily tracking polls now show that more Americans strongly disapprove of President Obama's job performance than approve: 38 percent to 30 percent. And on his handling of the economy, an even higher percentage of Americans give President Obama low marks: 43 percent. Obama is beginning to show weakness among men, a perennial disability for Democrats. Nearly half of all men, 46 percent, now strongly disapprove of the job the president is doing. Nonetheless, even Rasmussen, which has generally showed lower approval for Obama, indicates that a slight majority of Americans, 51 percent, at least somewhat approve of Obama's job performance.
Gallup estimates that most recent presidents have enjoyed an average seven-month honeymoon. Obama's grace period is about to end -- maybe then he'll be held accountable for how badly he's set back the economic recovery.