Gallup Poll shocker: Obama job approval hits new low

As the economy sags, unemployment climbs and debt negotiators dawdle, President Obama's job approval rating has fallen to a new low.

A new Gallup Poll, just released, finds the Democrat's job approval rating has dropped to 40% in recent days, one point below his previous low from April and a full 10 points below the job approval he enjoyed as recently as June 7.

Gallup notes his job approval has hovered in the mid-40s for most of the last two months.

"However," the new survey says, "it has stumbled in the past few days, coinciding with intensification of the debt ceiling/budget battle in Washington."

No one is coming out of the negotiation stalemate with a high approval rating. But much of the attention in the media had focused on House Republicans and Speaker John Boehner's ongoing attempts to rein in rebellious "tea party" advocates.

Until now.

Not surprisingly, Gallup found Obama's job approval still low with Republicans, in the 12%-13% area.

But among the crucial independent voters who provided him the decisive margin of victory in 2008, Obama's approval has fallen from 41% to 34%.

Even more surprising is that the Democrat's job approval among Democrats has fallen from 79% to 72%. This confirms a poll earlier this week, showing crumbling within Obama's hard-core liberal African American base. Scroll down to Related items for that link.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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