Getting on TV didn’t help.  Staying away from TV doesn’t appear to be helping, either.  Barack Obama has to wonder how exactly he will stop the bleeding after today’s Rasmussen tracking poll shows him hitting the lowest level of his presidency, at 45% approval.  His approval number now falls within the margin of error of his strong disapproval rating, a proximity that will mean trouble for his legislative agenda:

Overall, 45% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President’s performance. That’s down a point from yesterday and the lowest level of total approval yet measured for Obama. Fifty-three percent (53%) now disapprove. …

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 30% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-one percent (41%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -11[.]

Rasmussen also has a month-by-month analysis confirming that Obama has dropped precipitously over the summer.  He had ridden as high as 57% in May, but now is under 50% for the entirety of their August polling.  That includes some high-profile appearances in town halls and at Ted Kennedy’s wake, as well as significant cooling time on vacation at Martha’s Vineyard.  Neither appears to have helped.

This latest tracking poll includes data taken Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the first poll with all survey data after Ted Kennedy’s wake.  As I wrote yesterday, Obama’s appearance at the memorial has not given him any sort of bump despite efforts by supporters to link Obama’s agenda to Kennedy.  If anything, Obama has dropped faster than earlier in the month.

Congress has to be watching this decline with a great deal of trepidation.  Those facing constituents next year had hoped to rely on a popular President to garner turnout and discourage competition.  How many of them will be running away from Obama a year from now rather than with him?