POLL PROBLEMS FOR OBAMA – AT 8:18 A.M. ET:  A new CBS poll out this morning reports the worst numbers President Obama has registered in that poll:

President Obama's job approval rating has fallen to 46 percent, according to a new CBS News poll.

That rating is Mr. Obama's lowest yet in CBS News polling, and the poll marks the first time his approval rating has fallen below the 50 percent mark. Forty-one percent now say they disapprove of Mr. Obama's performance as president.

In last month's CBS News poll, 50 percent of Americans approved of how the president was handling his job, while thirty-nine percent disapproved.

The source of the trouble:

Mr. Obama still receives strong support from Democrats (eight in ten approve of his performance), but his approval rating among Republicans is only 13 percent. More importantly, Mr. Obama's approval rating among independents has declined 10 points in recent months – and it now stands at just 42 percent.

It's the independents who are deserting the ship. 

The poll, though, doesn't have particulary good news for Republicans either.  Republicans in Congress remain even less popular than their Dem counterparts.  The unpopularity of the Republican Party is a major drag going into this year's elections.

January 12, 2010