Thread: Gallup: Obama -Worst 3rd Quarter Drop in Approval Since 1953

October 21st, 2009
Gallup: Obama Suffers Worst 3rd Quarter Drop in Approval Since 1953

Barack Obama has suffered the worst third quarter decline in his public approval rating of any elected president in the post-World War II era.

Obama's average quarterly approval rating has slipped from 62 percent in the second quarter to 52.9 percent in the third quarter, according to Gallup polling. That 9 percentage point decline is twice the amount of any other post-war elected president. Dwight Eisenhower, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan saw their standing decline 4 points between the two quarters. No other elected president has declined more than 4 points since 1953. The third quarter began July 20 and ended October 19.

Harry Truman, who of course inherited the presidency from FDR, dropped 13 points between his second and third quarters in 1945 and 1946.

Significantly, Obama's plunge in the polls is notable but not new news. Obama suffered the bulk of his decline in late summer, though the media was slow to notice or note.

Since summer, Obama has stabilized and generally bobbed slightly above the 50 percent mark. However, Gallup's latest tracking poll shows Obama right at 50 percent. That matches the lowest ranking of his still-young presidency. Rasmussen also tracks Obama near his previous floor.

Among all presidents since WWII, Obama's third quarter approval rating is above only Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford.

Clinton averaged 48 percent in the third quarter of 1993. Ford averaged 39 percent during his 1975 third quarter.

More sobering for Obama, Gallup reports that Obama's latest quarterly average ranks 144th, or in the 44th percentile, for all post-war presidents during any quarter.

http://realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com ... ince-wwii/

LOL! Well, it's official. Golden Boy has definately lost his shine!