PRESIDENT SLIPPED IN OCTOBER RASMUSSEN POLL - AT 9:38 A.M. ET:  With October now past, Scott Rasmussen sums up the trends for the president during the month, and finds that Mr. Obama dipped a bit:

When tracking President Obama’s job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis.

The president’s ratings dipped slightly in October after stabilizing in September.

In October, for the third straight month, 39% Strongly Disapproved of the president’s performance. The number who Strongly Approved fell two percentage points to 29%, the president’s lowest full-month total to date. That leads to a Presidential Approval Index rating of -10, also a new low for Obama.

Also in October, the president’s total approval slipped a point to 48%. His total disapproval remained stable at 51%.

COMMENT:  There is really nothing encouraging on the horizon for the president.  The White House might mention the possible passage of health-care "reform," but that is so controversial that it's hard to see it helping Mr. Obama's cause.  He continues to dither in Afghanistan.  The only thing on time and working smoothly is Air Force One.

November 1, 2009