A new Gallup poll released Saturday reveals that President Obama's public opinion numbers have been down throughout his second-term, averaging around 44.5 percent.
Compared to his previous quarter in office, the president's approval rating dropped more than 3 percentage points in the July 20 to Oct. 19 period. That's the third-lowest quarter in his presidency, behind a big drop in his first year in office and a 6-point drop amid the first debt-ceiling crisis, notes The Business Insider.
However, it's not the lowest point for Obama. That occurred during his third quarter in 2011 when he hit 41 percent.
"After a relatively strong fourth year that included several quarters of higher ratings that aided his (2012) re-election, his approval rating has now declined in each of the last three quarters," Gallup reports.
Dating back to the middle of the 20th century, Obama's 19th quarter in office is most comparable to Bush's and Truman's who had approval ratings of 43.9 percent and 45 percent, respectively, reports the Washington Post.
"Three post-World War II presidents - Ronald Reagan, Dwight Eisenhower, and Bill Clinton - had significantly higher 19th quarter averages, all near 60 percent, than Obama. Two presidents had lower 19th quarter averages than Obama: Richard Nixon, whose 19th quarter came during the Watergate investigations, and Lyndon Johnson, attributable mostly to the increasingly unpopular Vietnam War."
According to Gallup, Obama rating took a turn for the worst due to the legislative battles over the federal budget and the Affordable Care Act, in addition to the federal debt limit.
"Obama did sign into law the Senate-brokered deal to end the government shutdown and raise the federal debt limit before the Oct. 17 deadline without also gutting the Affordable Care Act. The effect of those events on his popular support is not yet clear, but will be evident in the coming days of Gallup Daily tracking."
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