MORE POLL PROBLEMS FOR OBAMA - AT 4:43 P.M. ET:  A new Fox poll reflects the general trend downward in approval for President Obama:

Though Americans still blame former President George W. Bush for the ailing economy, President Obama faces dropping approval ratings amid doubts that he has a clear plan for fixing the economy.

A FOX News poll released Thursday shows approval of Obama's job performance at a new low of 54 percent. That is down from 62 percent in June. The president's job approval rating has averaged 61 percent over the first six months of his term.

As Democrats continue to be happy with their party leader (86 percent approve) and Republicans continue to be cool to Obama (75 percent disapprove), everyone is tracking how independents feel. Some 54 percent of independents approve of the job Obama is doing, down from 66 percent last month, and 36 percent disapprove, up from 26 percent (9-10 June 2009).

The 12 percent drop among independents should be especially troubling for the White House.  But these are tentative figures.  An economic turnaround, for which Obama will take full credit, can send him upward again.

Obama's approval rating is lower on the top issues of the day. On health care, 43 percent of Americans say they approve of the job the president is doing and 45 percent disapprove. On the economy, 50 percent approve and 43 percent disapprove.

COMMENT:  Okay, but this still doesn't tell us how people feel about Republican ideas.  The GOP simply must come up with a coherent program, easily explained, and practical.  Without it the Republicans simply depend on Obama's misfortunes, and that's no way to conduct a campaign.

July 23, 2009