POLL GRIMNESS FOR OBAMA – AT 6:29 P.M. ET:  A new CNN poll will not be served at dessert tonight at the White House.  Real Clear Politics reports: 

An eye-opening result from the new CNN/Opinion Research survey:

6. Do you think Barack Obama deserves to be reelected, or not?

All Americans
Yes: 44%
No: 52%

Registered Voters
Yes: 44%
No: 52%

President Obama's job rating is slightly better, though still in negative territory. Forty-nine percent approve of the job he's doing while 50% disapprove.

And then there's Congress:

...the GOP leads the Democrats by 2 points in the generic congressional ballot, 48 to 46.

COMMENT:  Obviously, the 2010 midterm elections are many months away.  But what is striking is the relentlessness of the president's decline, as well as the decline of his Congressional party. 

And there does not appear to be anything on the horizon to reverse the trend. 

But if Republicans are smart, and there are doubts about some of them, they'll run as if they're 20 points behind, and will critique their campaign every day.  Nothing is in the bag. 

February 16, 2010