Politico: What Obama’s Poll Numbers Mean

Jillian Bandes | July 09, 2009 12:45 PM

The White House is denying it, but Obama's poll numbers are trickling downward, and the trickle is coming from key independent voters who have the ability to make or break major elections. These voters are located in key swing states like Virginia and New Jersey and other “purple” areas of the country.

Independent voters, it appears, now need to feel tangible evidence that Obama’s policies work. Rhetoric is no longer enough.

Hmm… sound familiar? My ears burned with the sound of Bush critics blaming his administration for the failure of the economy, Iraq war, and their kitchen plumbing, but it seems that the Democrats aren’t really miracle workers, either. Apparently, spending a bunch of money and talking about how the problems you can’t fix are all Bush’s fault just aren’t good enough.

The Politico story by Ben Smith notes that the “Republican brand is not in good shape,” meaning it may be difficult for the GOP to take advantage of his waning popularity. Also, the poll numbers are disputable – one of Obama’s supporters pointed out that there’s a 59 percent approval rating among independents in June, according to Gallup. But Smith says the average of most polls shows a downward trend in approval ratings for Obama, and that it could have serious political consequences for the commander in chief.