A new AP-GfK poll has found that white independent voters and women are a re-election problem for President Barack Obama. Younger voters and liberals are, too, but to a lesser extent. Jennifer Agiesta reports that the Democratic constituencies that helped him win the White House in 2008 have grown weary of the nation's first black president.
An analysis of Associated Press-GfK polls, including the latest survey released last week, shows that Obama has lost ground among all of those groups since he took office. The review points to his vulnerabilities and probable leading targets of his campaign as he seeks to assemble a coalition diverse enough to help him win re-election in tough economic times.
Obama's team is working to expand his pool of voters, which has been diminished because of high unemployment, the debt-ceiling crisis, the credit downgrade and speculation that the U.S. will fall into another recession.
President Obama's approval rating has continued to fall, with 46 percent of Americans approving of his job performance, which is down from 52 percent in June.
It seems as if President Obama's base has slipped away from him. How one person can isolate so many "supportive" groups so quickly is amazing to us. He inherited a hot mess and has been doing what he can to fix it, which is hard to do with an obstructionist government and fair-weather supporters, including fellow Democratic lawmakers.
Contrary to popular belief, President Obama has accomplished a lot despite these constant obstacles, which his team needs to highlight and champion instead of allowing his opponents to drive the conversation on Capitol Hill and in the press.
Read more at the Associated Press.
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