According to a recent Gallup Poll, Obama’s job approval rating is headed south.

“The latest Gallup Daily tracking results  show 49% of Americans approving of the job Barack Obama is doing as president, putting him below the majority approval level for the first time in his presidency.”

David Paul Kuhn at RCP summarizes thusly:

“Obama’s decline comes at an historic pace. It ranks in the lower third of modern American presidents.”

“The fall below 50 is a fraught milestone for any president. In legislative terms, a president is only as powerful as he is popular. Public approval rating is the metric of that popularity.”

“Below 50, a president can no longer claim the majority’s support. His political arsenal depletes. A president’s political opposition has powerful, though nebulous, new ammunition.”

Maybe things look better over at Rasmussen Reports. Nope, I spoke too soon. Rasmussen has O’s approval at -13.

“The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that 27% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty percent (40%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -13.”

Here’s an idea… If Obama focused on the economy, unemployment and national security, I bet his ratings would improve. Perhaps if the house and senate convened on a Saturday night to discuss these issues, their ratings would go up too.

Don’t count on it, though.