OBAMA SINKS IN ANOTHER POLL – AT 8:08 P.M. ET:  The polling data gathered by a number of polling organizations this week cannot be denied – the president continues to be in trouble, although today's guardedly optimistic employment report may help him. 

There's a real anger out there, and the president is taking his share of it.  From CBS News:

Last week, President Obama signed historic health care reform legislation into law -- but his legislative success doesn't seem to have helped his image with the American public.

The latest CBS News Poll, conducted between March 29 and April 1, found Americans unhappier than ever with Mr. Obama's handling of health care - and still worried about the state of the economy.

President Obama's overall job approval rating has fallen to an all-time low of 44 percent, down five points from late March, just before the health bill's passage in the House of Representatives. It's down 24 points since his all-time high last April. Forty-one percent of those polled said they disapproved of the president's performance.

General approval ratings, when you combine polls, are hovering in the mid-40s.  Disapproval ratings tend to very more widely, with Rasmussen showing disapproval in the low 50s.

When it comes to health care, the President's approval rating is even lower -- and is also a new all-time low. Only 34 percent approved, while 55 percent said they disapproved.

And...

Just 42 percent said they approved of how President Obama is handling the economy, only one point above January's all-time low. Half of the public disapproves.

COMMENT:  Well, if the election were held today, Obama might well be calling the moving vans.  But, as an old political wag liked to say, "If the election were held today...I'd be very surprised."  We have seven months to go, the Democrats are raising more money than the Republicans again, and the perpetual campaign run from The White House is moving into major gear. 

Don't be lulled by polls.  The results are pleasing...today.  But the Republican Party remains unpopular, and its leadership is shaky.  The press hasn't yet  unleashed the kind of bias bomb we saw in 2008, but the planes have taken off.

Fight as if you're 20 points down.

April 2, 2010