BARACK Obama is discovering the downside to being portrayed as a miracle worker. For almost six months in the White House, the US President rode high on his remarkable popularity. He used public support for his message of hope, change and renewal that inspired voters during the election campaign to assert his authority and win early backing for measures to combat the US recession.
But the bubble had to burst some time and Obama must wish it hadn't been so soon as he is yet to tackle the big policy challenges of his first term. Opinion polls have started to slide as American voters wonder whether their saviour after George W.Bush is all he was cracked up to be. According to an ABC-Washington Post poll released this week, Obama's personal job approval rating has dropped below 60 per cent for the first time. It is still high as polls go, but 10 points down from a peak three months ago is a quick and marked descent. Other polls by NBC News-The Wall Street Journal, Fox News and Pew Research put Obama's approval rating in a range of 57 to 59 per cent. One USA-Gallup poll gives Obama a 55 per cent rating, a point below where Bush stood at the same point in his first term.
I don't think the Brits and Canadians like him that much either. His polls are even lower from Friday's numbers. I can't wait until they use 0 as his last initial and poll ratings.