WHERE OBAMA STANDS – THE GOP CHALLENGE – AT 8:01 P.M. ET:  The numbers may not be great for the president, but a new Fox poll shows he actually gained ground when respondents were asked whether he deserved reelection:

Forty-four percent of American voters think President Obama deserves to be re-elected, while slightly more -- 48 percent -- think the country would be better off with someone else, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday.

In December, when the Fox poll last asked that question, 35 percent of voters said he deserved to win re-election, while a 53 percent majority disagreed.

The bump in Obama’s re-elect number comes mainly from Democrats: 78 percent think he deserves re-election now compared to 67 percent who thought so in December. About one in six Democrats (16 percent) think the country would be better off with someone else as president.

Most Republicans (83 percent) and half of independents (51 percent) don’t think Obama deserves re-election.

COMMENT:  Once again we see how quickly this president, with his political and oratorical skills, and the support of a loving press, can recover.  I'm worried that only 51% of independents think the president doesn't deserve reelection. 

Yes, it's true, these numbers don't put Barack Obama back in the White House, but they certainly don't keep him far away.  It will be a difficult fight, and Dem scare tactics ("The Republicans will take away your food and babies") are already starting.  The blatant ethnic appeals sounded yesterday by the president and his supporters are another part of the mix.  Appearing before a group run by Al Sharpton was not presidential, but it was smooth politics for a president whose base is very powerful.

April 7, 2011