By Dave Andrusko

Pro-Abortion President Barack Obama

If you were President Obama running for re-election, what would you encourage/frighten you most? A slight uptick in your approval ratings or a swoon in the people’s confidence that your policies will work?

President Obama found both in a CNN/ORC International Poll released yesterday. With respect to his job performance, he is still under water: 46% expressed approval of to 50% disapproval. But that’s up from 43% approval and 55% disapproval in early September.

But consider this hit he took, according to the CNN Political Unit:

According to the survey, 36% say they think the president’s policies will succeed, with 59% saying Obama’s policies will fail, up 12 points from last year and nearly double the 32% who said in 2009 that the president’s policies will fail.

Frankly, that is just staggering. Nearly double the number who thought his policies would fail in 2009 and up 12% from an already low base a year ago!

But it’s the near universality across demographic lines that is so telling. As Ed Morrissey wrote today, those who believe Obama’s policies will fail is

“[A]lmost 2-1 among independents at 34/61 and 35/57 among self-professed moderates.  Majorities in every regional demographic believe Obama’s policies will fail, including a shocking 43/52 among urban voters.  Likewise, majorities in every age demographic believe that Obama’s policies will fail, starting with a 43/53 among the youngest voters and peaking at 30/64 among 50-64YOs.  Those earning under or over $50K reject Obama’s policies (42/53 and 29/66, respectively).

However it’s what these percentages portend for the future that is even more ominous for President Obama. How long can (an ever growing number of) people doubt that Obama has a firm hand on the tiller and yet still say they personally approve of his job performance in the White House? These figures eventually will largely coincide, no matter how much of a residue of good feeling and “hope” there is for Mr. Obama.

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