Obama's Approval Rating Has Dipped Into Dangerously Low Territory
The 39% mark is a point lower in Gallup's three-day rolling average. Obama's disapproval held steady at 53%.
It's Obama's worst approval rating in Gallup's daily tracking poll since the Oct.17-19, 2011, average, which came right after a bruising fight for both Democrats and Republicans over raising the nation's debt ceiling.
This time, Obama has also been hit by the damage of Washington's recent fiscal battles, as well as a litany of setbacks since the summer. Those include the controversy over some of the National Security Agency's surveillance practices, the debate over military intervention in Syria and, lately, intense scrutiny over the continued botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act.
The dipping approval ratings don't bode well for Obama and his legislative agenda - which, immediately, includes a new push to pass comprehensive immigration reform. They also present a plausible problem for Democrats running for election and re-election next year.
It has proven historically difficult for recent presidents who dive into the 30s in Gallup's polling history to rebound back to good approval ratings. George W. Bush first hit 39% on Oct. 13-16, 2005. He never went above 43% after that. An exception: Ronald Reagan, who hit 35% in early 1983, was back up in the 50s by the end of the year. Of course, Obama also bounced back from a few 30s readings in his first term to win re-election last year.
Here's a chart from Gallup that looks at the recent shift and separation for Obama:
