Politics

Obama’s ratings drop by one-fifth in one month

Neil Munro White House Correspondent
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Only 37 percent of adults approve of President Barack Obama’s performance, according to a new CBS poll shows that President Barack Obama.

That record low score shows that one-fifth of his supporters in October are now giving him a thumbs down amid the revelations about the president’s deceptive “you can keep your plan” claims during the Obamacare debate. He had 46 percent approval rating in October.

Obama’s score is only 2 points above the 35 percent approval rating held by George W. Bush during the most troubled stage of the Iraq campaign.

Several other polls show a steep drop in support, usually down to 41 or 42 percent.

The mid-November survey is very bad news for Obama, and suggests the progressive president won’t be able to pass any transformative legislation through Congress in 2014, and may lose the Democratic majority in the Senate next November.

Obama’s support among women fell from 49 percent in October to 39 percent in November. Among men, his support dropped from 43 percent to 34 percent.

Among critical swing-voting independents, support fell from 41 percent to 29 percent.

Only 49 percent of adults consider Obama to be “honest and trustworthy,” compared to 60 percent in September 2012.

But the poll of 1,010 adults show the public hasn’t embraced the GOP’s agenda, either.

Only 21 percent of the adults say they approve of the GOP in Congress. Congressional Democrats got a 26 percent approval rating.

Also, the poll shows that swing voters and independents haven’t give up on Obamacare.

The far-reaching federal takeover of the nation’s health-sector was backed by 31 percent, and is opposed by 61 percent, said the poll. That’s a huge drop from October, when the law was backed by 43 percent, and opposed by 51 percent of respondents.

But only 43 percent of respondents — likely the GOP base — want the law repealed, according to the poll.

Seven percent say the law is working well, and 48 percent of adults — including most swing voters — said they believe Obamacare “needs some changes.” The poll did not what those changes should be.

The poll increases the pressure on Democratic politicians — include Hillary Clinton, Vice-President Joe Biden and Democratic Senators — to stage public breaks with Obama. For example, they may choose distance themselves from Obama by criticizing other aspects of his presidency, including his economic record, his foreign policy priorities and his efforts to pass an immigration-boosting bill in 2014.

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Neil Munro