Today in Washington, D.C. - July 13, 2010 - New Polls: Record Disapproval For Barack Obama & Deep Frustration With The Economy

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has indicated he’d like to return to the small business bill (H.R. 5297) today and potentially take up the conference report on the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill (H.R. 4173). Votes are possible this afternoon and evening on amendments to the small business bill.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has a markup scheduled on the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. A vote on her nomination is expected to be held over until next week. Yesterday, the Senate voted 86-0 to confirm Sharon Johnson Coleman as a judge for the Northern District of Illinois.

Two new polls out today show again that Americans remain dissatisfied with President Obama and the Democrat-run Congress, especially on their handling of the economy. The Washington Post/ABC News poll today shows 54% disapprove of President Obama’s handling of the economy, while a new CBS News poll also shows 54% disapproving of his handling of the economy. Beyond that, the Washington Post/ABC news poll shows a deep frustration among voters that could have a significant impact on this fall’s elections.

The Washington Post writes, “Public confidence in President Obama has hit a new low, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. Four months before midterm elections that will define the second half of his term, nearly six in 10 voters say they lack faith in the president to make the right decisions for the country, and a clear majority once again disapproves of how he is dealing with the economy. . . . Just 43% of all Americans now say they approve of the job Obama is doing on the economy, while 54% disapprove. Both are the worst, marginally, of his presidency. Even a third of Democrats give him negative marks here. And overall, intensity runs clearly against the president on the issue, with twice as many people rating him strongly negative as strongly positive.”

CBS News adds, “More than half of those questioned (54%) [in the CBS poll] said they disapproved of Mr. Obama’s handling of the economy. Last month, 45% approved. The drop in approval has been seen mostly among independents, just 35% of whom now say they approve. . . . The poll shows widespread concern among Americans when it comes to employment. Seven in ten Americans rated the job market in their area ‘fair’ or ‘very bad’; only a quarter of those polled described it as ‘good’.”

But it’s not just the economy that has Americans frustrated and disapproving of the President’s performance. Majorities in the Washington Post/ABC poll disapprove of Obama’s handling of health care (50%), the budget deficit (56%), and even regulation of the financial industry (50%).

As a result, ABC News writes, “A year and a half into his presidency, 51% in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll would rather have the Republicans run Congress ‘to act as a check on Obama’s policies,’ vs. 43% who want the Democrats in charge to help support those policies. That’s accompanied by a 7-point, one-month drop in approval of Obama’s handling of the economy, to a career low.” Further, ABC explains, “Registered voters by 62-26 percent are inclined to look around for someone new for Congress rather than to re-elect their current representative – the broadest anti-incumbency on record in ABC/Post polls since 1989. Backing for incumbents has lost 11 points since February, an unusually steep decline.”

The Washington Post also notes, “Obama’s overall job-approval rating stands at 50%, equaling his low point in Post-ABC polling; 47% disapprove of the job he is doing. For the first time in his presidency, those who strongly disapprove now significantly outnumber those who strongly approve. Among those who say they definitely will vote in November, 53% disapprove of the way he is handling his responsibilities. . . . Obama’s overall standing puts him at about the same place President Bill Clinton was in the summer of 1994, a few months before Republicans captured the House and Senate in an electoral landslide.”

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