POLL STUNNER - AT 9:45 A.M. ET:  Rasmussen has just reported that President Obama's overall approval rating has fallen to 50%, the first time that has happened in the Rasmussen survey. 

Disapproval is at 49%.  The gap is one point.  If the trend continues, Mr. Obama will be in negative territory only six months into his presidency.

One thing is clear:  The novelty of an African-American president has worn off.   Americans are now looking at policies, and how those policies will change their lives.  They don't like what they see.  Unless there is a corrective, the president will face a serious political problem just as the 2010 midterm campaigns are starting.

July 20, 2009