DAMNING WITH FAINT PRAISE – AT 7:33 A.M. ET:  There has actually been a slight improvement with the way Americans see the direction of their country, but the numbers are still awful.  It's like saying that the Titanic is sinking at a slower rate than 15 minutes ago.  From The Politico:

Barely more than a quarter of Americans are satisfied with the way the country is going, though Democrats are significantly more content than Republicans are, a new poll says.

According to a Gallup survey out Monday, 27 percent of Americans are satisfied with “the way things are going in the United States today,” while 72 percent are dissatisfied. That’s still a slight uptick in satisfaction: in January, 25 percent of Americans said they were satisfied; in December, that figure was 23 percent, Gallup said.

Monday’s numbers break down sharply along partisan lines: 47 percent of Democrats say they are satisfied with the direction of the country, up from 39 percent last month, while only 9 percent of Republicans say the same.

COMMENT:  So, at the start of a president's second term, barely 27% of his constituents are pleased with the way things are going.  What a vote of confidence.  It tells me that it is Republican failure, not Democratic success, that determined November's election.  I find failure boring...and unacceptable.

February 19,  2013