As our president is trying to recharge his batteries with a little relaxation in gorgeous Martha's Vineyard this week, his political fortunes have been battered by a steady drumbeat of dismal news. A partial round-up:
(1) His job approval rating, as measured by Gallup, plunged to a new low of 38 (with 54 percent disapproving) on Tuesday -- before "rebounding" to 39/53 today.
(2) His numbers in a crucial swing state he carried in 2008 look even uglier.
(3) Dissatisfaction and buyer's remorse is on the rise among Iowa and New Hampshire...Democrats.
(4) The housing market remains terribly enervated, and analysts believe 2011 could be its weakest year on record. This underscores this administration's glaring housing policy failures.
(5) Several central promises of his signature "accomplishment" continue to be exposed as fallacies by non-partisan number crunchers.
(6) Nearly 8 in 10 voters say the country is on the wrong track.
(7) His presidency hit a grim (and, to use his own words, "unpatriotic") milestone, just two-and-a-half years into his first, and perhaps only, term.
(8) Another trillion-dollar-plus deficit is on the way, and projections of a future course correction are based on deeply unrealistic growth and policy assumptions.
(9) A new poll shows that few Americans believe race relations have improved since 2008. Even many of Obama's opponents hoped racial progress would be an apolitical dividend of his presidency.
(10) Despite its rosy formulas, the CBO estimates unemployment will remain north of eight percent through 2014.
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And to add insult to injury, there's this. But hey, at least Democrats are still raking in huge piles of campaign cash from major donors.
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