How far has Barack Obama’s star fallen? KPIX reports on a new Survey USA poll in California, where Barack Obama beat John McCain by over 20 points and which anchors the liberal Left Coast. Since winning 61% of the vote in November 2008, California voters have cooled considerably on Hope and Change, with Obama dropping to a 46/49 approval rating. And that spells bad news for Barbara Boxer, as this report concedes:

Survey USA has not released the data for this poll yet, but they do have the data for the poll taken just five weeks ago on the same question. The sample in that poll gives Democrats a +7 advantage over Republicans, which may be a shade low but is still in the ballpark.  Five weeks ago, Obama had a 51/44 approval rating, and still had an eight-point advantage among independents, 52/44.  He did worst among retirees and homemakers and in the Central Valley and Inland Empire regions, and best in the Bay area, not surprisingly.

Unfortunately for Boxer, she has to run in the whole state and not just the Bay area.  If Obama’s star is fading, Boxer’s will be descending even further, and for the same reasons — a lousy economy and too much spending.  Voters can’t punish (or support) a President in a midterm election, but they can take out their frustrations on those who closely aligned themselves to him, which Boxer has certainly done over the last two years.

KPIX says this won’t impact Jerry Brown because of his supposed arms-length distance from the national party.  Don’t bet on that.  For decades, he’s been seen as a darling of the national Left that now runs the Democratic Party, and Obama represents that faction.

Update: I misread the graphic.  Obama’s approval rating in CA is actually underwater, with 49% disapproving of Obama’s performance.  I fixed the lead paragraph.