President Obama has reached his lowest approval rating in any Quinnipiac University national poll since being elected president, with 39 percent of registered voters now approving of his job performance and 54 percent disapproving.
The numbers released Tuesday compare to a 45 percent/49 percent approval/disapproval split Oct. 1, before the partial government and problems with the rollout of his health care overhaul took hold. The previous low was a 41/55 split in October 2011 after that summer’s debt-ceiling standoff with Congress.
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Nearly two-thirds of independents disapprove of the president’s job performance, and 91 percent of Republicans disapprove. Democrats approve by a 79 percent to 14 percent margin.
For the first time, voters say by a 52 percent to 44 percent margin that Mr. Obama is not honest and trustworthy.
“Like all new presidents, President Barack Obama had a honeymoon with American voters, with approval ratings in the high 50s,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “As the marriage wore on, he kept his job approval scores in the respectable, though not overwhelming, 40s. Today, for the first time it appears that 40 percent floor is cracking.”
“President Obama’s job approval rating has fallen to the level of former President George W. Bush at the same period of his presidency,” Mr. Malloy added.
Voters oppose the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, by a 55 percent to 39 percent margin and are essentially split on whether Mr. Obama “knowingly deceived” the public when he said people could keep their health insurance if they so desired.
Almost three-quarters of voters also support extending the March 31, 2014, deadline for signing up for insurance without facing a penalty under the law.
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The poll of 2,545 registered voters conducted from Nov. 6-11 has a margin of error of 1.9 percentage points.
Thirty-two percent of respondents identified themselves as Democrats, 26 percent said they were Republicans, and 35 percent said they were independents.
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-and-centers/polling-institute/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=1975
