Obama's Approval Rating Crashing : But Santa Claus Lives

Why now do people care? What about all of the bad news from the past four years? Maybe it's only now with unemployment out of control, the economy in the dumpster and the world latterly on fire that people have found their collective spines to criticize  the first black president without fear of being called a racist.

Obama's Economic Approval Falls 
Source: Tal Kopan, "Poll: Obama Economic Approval Falls," Politico, August 15, 2013.
August 19, 2013

Approval of President Barack Obama's handling of the economy has declined by 7 percentage points this summer, according to a new poll. Just 35 percent of Americans approve of the president's job on the economy, down from 42 percent in June, according to a Gallup survey. Sixty-two percent disapprove, says Politico.

• Overall approval of the job Obama is doing as president also fell three points from June, to 44 percent.
• Along with a five point drop in approval on the other economic issues polled -- taxes and the federal deficit -- the slide in approval parallels a downward dive in Americans' overall economic confidence that Gallup's daily tracking polls have shown since June, though there was a slight rebound recently.
• On issues including terrorism and foreign affairs, Americans' slipping approval of Obama's leadership was consistent with his three point drop overall; on issues in which House Republicans are digging in their heels, immigration and health care, it was virtually unchanged at a one point dip.