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Optimism over Obama is eroding, poll finds

Some respondents daunted by his to-do list

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: July 22, 2009

WASHINGTON - That was fast.

The hope and optimism that washed over the country in the opening months of Barack Obama's presidency are giving way to harsh realities.

An Associated Press-GfK Poll shows that a majority of Americans are back to thinking that the country is headed in the wrong direction after a fleeting period in which more thought it was on the right track.

Obama still has a solid 55 percent approval rating -- better than Bill Clinton and about even with George W. Bush six months into their presidencies -- but there are growing doubts about whether he can succeed at some of the biggest items on his to-do list. And there is a growing sense that he is trying to tackle too much too soon.

The number of people who say they think that Obama can improve the economy is down 19 percentage points from the euphoric days just before his inauguration. Ditto for expectations about creating jobs. Also down significantly: the share of people who say they think that he can reduce the deficit, remove troops from Iraq and improve respect for the United States around the world, all slipping 15 points.

On overhauling health care, a signature issue for Obama, hopes for success are down a lesser six points.

Add it all up, and does it mean Obama has lost his mojo? Has yes-we-can morphed into maybe?

"I think it's just reality," said Sandy Smith, 48, a public-relations worker from Los Angeles. "He's not Superman, right?"

It is not unusual for approval ratings to slide once presidents actually get to work. They are pulled down by things going on in the real world, by people who don't agree with the ways they are dealing with problems, by criticism from political opponents.

In Obama's case, the problems that he is confronting domestically and internationally are legion, and his ability to blame them on his predecessor is fading. The president is deep into the debate over how to overhaul the nation's health-care system.

It is all taking a toll on expectations. The number of people who say they think that it's realistic to expect at least some noticeable improvement in the economy during Obama's first year in office dropped from 27 percent in January to 16 percent in the latest survey.

There has been slippage, as well, in how people view Obama personally, although he is still well-regarded. About two-thirds now say they think that he understands the problems of ordinary Americans, down from 81 percent in January. Sixty-nine percent say they think that he's a strong leader, off from 78 percent before the inauguration.

Overall, the number of people who say they think that the country is going in the wrong direction hit 54 percent in the latest AP-GfK poll, up from 46 percent in June.