The White House can't be happy with a new set of polls evaluating President Obama's job performance. The CNN poll showed the public evenly divided on the question of whether Obama's presidency has been a success (so far!). The poll also showed that 46 percent of the public feels that Obama is too liberal. Meanwhile, the CBS poll has Obama's approval rating at 46 percent--dangerous territory if the midterms were held today.
The most interesting poll, however, is the new Quinnipiac survey showing support for Obama's handling of health care at a dismal 35 percent. Obama's job approval is split down the middle at 45 percent in the Quinnipiac poll. Independents judge Obama's first year a failure by a margin of 47 to 40 percent.
Now look at the Pollster.com graph of Obama's approval rating. Obama's numbers began to slide as soon as he swore the Oath of Office; the real plunge came during the summer, when the nation debated health care reform and Democrats responded to townhall protests with a combination of dismissal and derision.
The behavior of the national Democratic party has fueled GOP victories in New Jersey and Virginia, sparked a Republican rally in the generic ballot, and contributed to Scott Brown's competitive standing with Martha Coakley in Massachusetts. The House minority leadership believes it has a chance of winning the lower chamber. Democrats can keep bringing up the unusual New York special election all they want; nevertheless, the substance and style of the Obama administration has sparked a broad-based reaction (on both right and left) against his policies.