Rasmussen: Obama drops to lowest approval rating

posted at 11:36 am on November 24, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
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Give Rasmussen a lot of credit thus far in the Obama Era.  They predicted his decline first, have documented his rallies, and now report on the nadir of his standing among registered voters.  In their daily tracking poll, Barack Obama dropped to a 45% approval rating, tying the lowest mark of his term thus far, and hit a new record on their “passion index”:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 27% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-two percent (42%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -15. This is the lowest Approval Index rating yet measured for President Obama[.]

And, as always, independents are the key:

Fifty-two percent (52%) of Democrats Strongly Approve while 68% of Republicans Strongly Disapprove. Among those not affiliated with either major political party, just 16% Strongly Approve and 51% Strongly Disapprove[.]

A 45/54 split in the first year in office isn’t exactly the “hope and change” Obama had in mind. The intensity of his opposition has long eclipsed the intensity of his support, but the number among independents should be alarming for Capitol Hill Democrats facing the voters in 2010. A solid majority of independents now strongly disapprove of Obama, and only a sixth of them strongly approve. Democrats know what that means for a midterm that will serve as a referendum on the President and their legislative agenda.

Byron York looks at the internals from Gallup’s tracking polls, where Obama is also under 50% among adults:

Among age groups: For the first time in the White House, Obama is below 50 percent with every age group of Americans except those between 18 and 29. He’s at 48 percent with people in the 30-49 range; 46 percent with people in the 50-64 range; and 42 percent with people 65 and over. Among those 18-29, he’s at 61 percent. …

Among income groups: For the first time in the White House, Obama is below 50 percent with every income group except those making less than $2,000 a month. He’s at 49 percent among those making $2,000 to $4,999 a month; 44 percent among those making $5,000 to $7,499 a month; and 48 percent among those making $7,500 and more a month. Among the bottom income group, those making less than $2,000 a month, Obama’s approval rating is 59 percent.

There’s more at the link, but basically Obama’s collapse is broad based and almost complete. He only polls favorably among the youngest adults (18-29), the lowest income levels, the non-religious, and non-white adults. It’s basically a portrait of the hard Left, which is exactly what his agenda represents, and the only political core he’s got. And if he sends more troops to Afghanistan, even some of these numbers may start to fall.

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