Washington insiders watch cable television every day, see a strong personality like President Barack Obama, and just assume things will stay the same and he will be re-elected. But the polls tell a different story. Obama’s job approval rating has been underwater almost his entire presidency, and today stands just one point higher (46) than where it was (45) during the 2010 mid-term election debacle.
When special forces killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011, Obama’s job approval barely jumped above 50, peaked at 52, and only stayed there for two weeks before falling back into the 40s. The “charismatic” Obama is now only two points ahead of the “weak” Mitt Romney in head to head match-ups, and Romney has not even secured the GOP nomination.
Finally, it is worth remembering that during the 2008 election cycle, when the incumbent Republican president’s job approval was below 30, yes 30, Barack Obama did not even get all the way to 53% of the vote. His final number was 52.9%. Can Obama win re-election? Of course he can. But with only nine months left before election day, there is an ominous pattern for him in public opinion polls.
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