Opinion: New Gallup Poll finds Americans suddenly souring more on Obama; Now, why could that be?

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Americans, apparently unhappy with President Obama insulting Asian allies by twice postponing his long-planned trip there this week, have turned against the Democrat in a major poll.

Now, a new Gallup Poll finds, Obama’s public approval rating has suddenly fallen to the worst level since he took office however many years ago that seems. He was right around 70% in January of 2009.

Today, Gallup reports, the ex-senator has plunged to a 46% approval rating.

Today, even more disapprove of his presidency, 48%. That seems right down there in the Sarah Palin neighborhood.

True, Obama’s approval ratings had dropped faster during his first year in office than any recent rookie president. They had hovered around the 50% level the last couple of months.

But in recent days Gallup found Americans suddenly souring even more until more disapprove than approve.

The only possible reason to explain this drop is the public does not like the president’s NCAA tournament picks. Or maybe the fact that the administration’s $787 billion economic stimulus plan has stimulated unemployment up to 9.7%.

Unless this dramatic poll drop perhaps has a little something to do with Obama’s determined drive to....

...push through/down/up/over/into the $940 billion healthcare legislation that seems to have dominated virtually every moment of his public thought and talk for months.

A congressional showdown appears set now for Sunday using a series of controversial parliamentary maneuvers because the leadership of the overwhelming Democratic majorities in both houses either don’t have the votes to pass the measure as usual and/or they don’t want to force colleagues to take a recorded stand on the measure with crucial midterm elections coming in November.

Because the political opponents that Democratic leaders have labeled as ‘the party of No’ now seem to be benefiting from saying No.

All presidents profess never to watch polls because they are far too busy making tough decisions to think about politics.

It is, however, theoretically possible that congressional Democrats facing election races this fall have glanced at polls showing their party leader’s diminution in approval and might conceivably have thought that voters could take it on them come November. Since Obama is not on any ballot and all three major candidates he’s campaigned for in recent months have lost.

Oh, speaking of Congress, the new Gallup Poll also finds that barely 16% of Americans approve of its job while 80% (as in eight out of every ten Americans) now disapprove of the work being done by both bodies and their Democratic leaders, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Both of whom are up for re-election in November.

We don’t know Pelosi or Reid’s NCAA picks. So perhaps their unpopularity is somehow also tied to their dedicated drive for this healthcare legislation. Or their inability to effectively direct the large Democratic majorities Americans elected in 2006 and then again in 2008 to provide change.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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