For the First Time, A Poll Puts Obama's Favorable Ratings Upside Down, 42 Unfavorable, 39 Favorable

Earlier today I wrote that Dennis Miller's own switch on this -- from "I think he's a good guy, I just don't agree with him" to "I don't like this man" -- might have been evidence of a broader shift in the public mood.

Not sure if that's true, or just a combination of wishcasting and coincidence, but Obama's favorables are now negative, at least in one poll.

And that poll is the CBS/NYT poll, as it turns out.

For the first time, more Americans have an unfavorable opinion of President Obama than have a favorable opinion of him, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll released late Friday...

Just 39 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Obama, while 42 percent view him unfavorably. In January of this year, 40 percent had a favorable image of Obama, and 34 percent had an unfavorable opinion. In January 2009, as he was inaugurated, 60 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of him.

What's surprising to me there is that in January his favorables were already pretty low -- and that's surprising since I had kept reading Obama's favorables were above 50%.

It is generally thought that a pol's personal favorable rating represents his highest plausible level of public support, under good circumstances. His job approval may rise and fall, based on varying conditions or policy responses, but if it fell on bad news, it could always rise up again on good news.

On the other hand, a pol's personal favorability would be the last to fall, and once lost, the hardest to get back.

So this may represent America finally giving up on the "Give him a chance" feeling and saying "Enough, he's incompetent."

Thanks to Miss80sBaby.

posted by Ace at 01:41 AM

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