From CNN
An average of five national polls conducted in July indicates that President Obama’s approval rating has slipped to under 60 percent.
Fifty-seven percent of Americans surveyed approve of the job Obama’s doing as president, according to a CNN Poll of Polls compiled and released Friday, with 36 percent disapproving.
In early June, Obama’s average approval rating was 62 percent. It dropped a point to 61 percent in mid-June and stayed at that level through the rest of the month.
“Recent polls indicate that Obama’s lowest ratings — and biggest losses — come on the public’s perception of how he is handling the economy,” said Keating Holland, CNN polling director.
Holland adds: “And the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll shows a double-digit drop in the number of Americans who think that the president has a clear plan for solving the country’s problems. The public may not be as willing to give Obama the benefit of the doubt after six months on the job as they did when he first took office.”
So how does Obama compare to his most recent predecessors six months into a first term?
Former President George W. Bush also drew a 57 percent approval rating six months into his presidency, in July 2001. Bill Clinton stood at 48 percent in July 1993. Two-thirds of Americans polled approved of George H.W. Bush’s job as president in July 1989, and six out of 10 gave Ronald Reagan the thumbs-up in July 1981.
