OBAMA AT THE BOTTOM – AT 9:52 A.M. ET:  Today's Rasmussen tracker brings the grimmest news for President Obama.  He has equaled his lowest numbers, and those numbers are spectacularly bad:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 22% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-one percent (43%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -21. That matches the lowest Approval Index rating yet recorded for this President...

...Among those not affiliated with either major political party, 17% Strongly Approve and 45% Strongly Disapprove...

...Fifty-seven percent (57%) believe that passage of the proposed health care legislation will hurt the economy. Just 25% believe it will help...

...Overall, 43% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. That, too matches the lowest level yet recorded for this President. Fifty-six percent (56%) disapprove.

And here's another smile:

Republican candidates lead Democrats by seven points in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot.

The new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 37% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent. Voter support for GOP congressional candidates held steady from last week, while support for Democrats is up a point.

Voters not affiliated with either major party continue to favor the GOP by a 42% to 22% margin, showing little change for several months now.

COMMENT:  Or, as the Democrats used to sing, "Happy days are here again."

These numbers are a disaster.  They show once again that the health-care bill, if it passes, will be an extra burden for the Democrats in November.  They also show that the president and his party are failing to make any kind of a case for continuation in office.

Obviously, all this can change.  But the word "failure" is written all over the Democratic Party.  The idea now is for the Republicans to build on the political situation, and not be content with it, which is the old GOP malady. 

March 10, 2010