OUCH: Harris Poll has Barack Obama at 45% Approval Rating (-20 Favorability Gap Among Independents)

The bad polling news continues to come in for President Barack Obama. It appears that Obama’s recent Nobel peace Prize has done little for his approval ratings in the United States. A recent Harris Interactive Poll (full pdf results) has Barack Obama at 45% approval rating. In May 2009 Obama had a 59% – 41% approval ratings. That has all but reversed itself and then some as in four months Obama’s approval ratings are a -14.

H/T: Wake Up America

President Obama may have won the Nobel Peace Prize, but unfortunately, he is not winning accolades from the American public as his job approval rating continues its downward slide. In September, U.S. adults were split almost evenly on the job the President has been doing – 49% gave him positive ratings and 51% gave him negative ratings. This month, the number giving him positive ratings drops to 45% while over half of Americans (55%) give him negative ratings.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,293 adults surveyed online between October 5 and 12, 2009 by Harris Interactive.

The approval ratings of the president by Democrats and Republicans are as one would expect with 77% of Democrats giving President Obama positive ratings compared to 14% of Republicans. Independents, however, are more down on the president as 60% give him negative ratings while 40% give him positive marks on his overall job performance.

Making matters worse, 3 in 5 Americans believe the country is heading in the wrong direction. As stated by Wake Up America, the public is dissatisfied with the direction of the country and Obama’s policies … the polls are starting to reflect “We the People” opinion of Obama’s agenda and not the fact that he is a slick Campaigner & Chief.

Hot Air has some more details on the Harrison polling numbers that should be causing much concern with the Obama Administration and those Democrats who wish to put their neck out on the line and vote for any of his socialist agenda like Obamacare and Cap and tax.

As the Harris summary mentions, the only age group Obama wins is the youngest (18-32), and only barely at 51%/49%, and only 10% of these think Obama has done an “excellent” job. He loses the other three age categories by wide margins, from 10 points to 22 points. Most troubling for Obama and Democrats as they close out their first year of single-party control of DC are the independents. Obama has a -20 favorability gap among unaffiliated voters, with only 6% rating him as “excellent” while 28% rate him “poor”.

The real question is just what politician in their right mind, risking political and reelection suicide is going to back the agenda and policies of a President whose poll numbers are in free fall? Less than one year into his Presidency, Barack Obama is going to be hard pressed to force Democrats, especially Blue Dog Democrats to vote for his socialist vision of America. Think these poll numbers are not weighing heavily on those who face reelection in 2010? How about the upcoming 2009 Governor races in New Jersey and Virginia?