Obama Popularity Declines--Now Ranks 10th Out of 12 Post-War Presidents

President Obama who was elected to fix the economy continues to see his public ratings fall precisely because of his handling of the economy. In a new USA Today/Gallop poll the Presidents approval ratings have fallen to 55% which places him in 10th place out of the 12 Post-war presidents whose approval was measured at the same point of their administrations.

The reason for the drop can be attributed to the fact that voters disapprove of his handling of the economy as well as the health plan he is trying to shove down the public's throat. According to the poll Americans are also uncomfortable with the high levels of federal spending required by the Obama programs, the growth of government interference in their lives, and the porkulus stimulus plan:

Poll: Less faith in Obama's economic abilities
By Susan Page, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — The public's confidence in President Obama's ability to handle the economy is eroding amid concern about higher federal spending and expanding government power, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds — a development that could complicate his efforts to push a health care plan through Congress in the next few weeks.

In the survey, taken Friday through Sunday, Americans by 49%-47% disapprove of his handling of the economy, and by 44%-50% disapprove of his handling of health care.

His overall approval rating was 55%, the lowest of his young presidency. That puts Obama 10th among the 12 post-World War II presidents at this point in their tenures. When he took office, he ranked 7th.

"His ratings have certainly come back to earth in a very short time," says Republican pollster Whit Ayre.

Most of those surveyed continue to see Obama as a strong and decisive leader, as someone who understands the problems they face in their daily lives and who can manage the government effectively.

There is a widening disconnect between his personal popularity and support for the policies he advocates, though:

•59% say his proposals call for too much government spending.

•52% say they call for too much expansion of government power.

•Expectations about when the economy will recover are souring. In February, the mean or average prediction for a turnaround was 4.1 years; now it's 5.5 years.

•There's limited faith in his economic stimulus package, especially when asked for its likely impact on their own finances. A third predict it will make things better for their families in the long term; a third say it will make things worse.

For Obama, "the trouble is it might make the policies more popular by being associated with him," says presidential historian H.W. Brands of the University of Texas at Austin. "But it's almost equally possible that it will make him less popular by linking him with those policies."

Still, Americans by 3-1 are more likely to give predecessor George W. Bush "a great deal" of the responsibility for the country's economic problems than Obama.

The poll of 1,006 adults, taken by landline and cellphone, has a margin of error of +/— 4 percentage points.