Poll Shows Public Turning Against Obama Over Oil Spill, Jobs

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Poll Shows Public Turning Against Obama Over Oil Spill, Jobs
Poll Shows Public Turning Against Obama Over Oil Spill, Jobs

The Gulf oil spill and the unemployment picture have caught up to President Obama's poll ratings. According to a New York Times/CBS News survey, 54% of the public believes the president has no clear plan for job creation; only 34% of respondents say that he does.

The poll also shows that 48% believe Obama is doing a good job on the economy versus 45% who say he is not. And 47% disapprove of his handling of the oil spill in the Gulf, while 43% approve.

It's hard to see how the poll results could have been much better for the president. The unemployment rate has hovered near 10% for the last year. The $787 billion stimulus package, which swelled the deficit, does not show many signs of staunching the bleeding in the job market. Regarding the Gulf spill, the rate of oil escaping from the ocean flow has not been arrested although BP (BP) is now capturing about 20,000 gallons a day. But estimates of the rate of the leak keep rising, and are now as high as 100,000 barrels a day.

The survey of 1,259 adults was conducted by telephone from June 16 to 20.

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