Pollsters Douglas E. Schoen and Scott Rasmussen have a ground-breaking reassessment of Obama's perceived popularity in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal.
Their polling data shows that Obama's current approval rating of 56 percent is below that of President Bush during the analagous period in 2001. His current net presidential approval rating is just six points.
"Overall, Rasmussen Reports shows a 56%-43% approval, with a third strongly disapproving of the president's performance. This is a substantial degree of polarization so early in the administration. Mr. Obama has lost virtually all of his Republican support and a good part of his Independent support, and the trend is decidedly negative.
A detailed examination of presidential popularity after 50 days on the job similarly demonstrates a substantial drop in presidential approval relative to other elected presidents in the 20th and 21st centuries. The reason for this decline most likely has to do with doubts about the administration's policies and their impact on peoples' lives."
