A Couple Polls

Barack Obama's numbers are still going down:

In today's Rasmussen survey, President Obama's overall approval rating has fallen below 50% for the first time in his administration. Rasmussen finds 49% of likely voters approving of the President's performance, while 51% disapprove. Obama's "approval index," the difference between those who "strongly approve" and "strongly disapprove," has been negative for some time and now stands at -8.

These numbers are based on a three-day rolling average, and most of Rasmussen's polling took place before Obama's Wednesday press conference and the Gates controversy. It will be interesting to see whether his numbers continue to decline over the next two days.

Obama scores lower in Rasmussen's survey than in the Gallup poll and most others because Rasmussen's is a likely voter poll. Obama continues to be extraordinarily popular with African-Americans, and I assume his numbers depend in part on how one assesses the likelihood that the first-time and infrequent voters whom Obama brought to the polls in 2008 will turn out again in 2012. Any way you look at it, however, it appears clear that for President Obama, the honeymoon is over.

I'm sure it's mostly because of the outrageous spending and strong-arm tactics, but I think it's also partly because of the ridiculous micro-management that Obama demands upon Americans, and they just don't want it. Case in point:

Washington’s got another bright idea that most Americans don’t like.

Just 18% of adults think it’s the government’s job to tell Americans what kind of light bulb they use, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Seventy-two percent (72%) say it’s none of the government’s business

But that's precisely what the Democrat Nanny State will do:

The federal government under an energy bill passed in 2007 is requiring consumers to dump incandescent bulbs, the ones we’ve used for well over a century, for more expensive incandescent ones. The plan is scheduled to go into effect over the next 10 years in the name of great energy efficiency.

Eighty-three percent (83%) of Republicans and 78% of adults not affiliated with either major political party say it’s not the government’s role to make Americans change their light bulbs. Among Democrats, 58% share that view, but 29% say it is the government’s job.

This is the level of control that liberals want over YOUR life! There is nothing that they will leave alone if they had their way. The sooner the American people stand up and force them to back off, the less control they will take.

There's my two cents.