Obama’s Job Approval Slips Below 50 Percent

President Barack Obama’s on-the-job approval rating is slipping, with two polls in the past week showing that fewer than half of those surveyed are happy with the way he is conducting the business of the presidency.

Reuters:

President Barack Obama’s job approval rating has dropped below 50 percent in a second major poll in an indication he is suffering from the long healthcare debate and weakness in the economy, Gallup said on Friday.

Gallup said 49 percent of Americans approved of Obama’s job performance. A survey by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday had a similar finding, putting him at 48 percent support.

It was the first time he had fallen below majority support in those two polls. He had been polling in the low 50s for months after taking office in January with an approval rating just under 70 percent.

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AP / Sergei Chuzavkov

The long health care debate and weakness in the economy have combined to drag down the president’s popularity.