Obama's poll numbers dive bomb toward Earth

It might be a stretch to compare President Obama's new poll numbers to plummeting cliff divers in Acapulco (despite the scenic visual).

Nor could you say the new theme song for the president is Bruce Springsteen's "I'm Going Down." But it's not "Walking on Sunshine" either.

A new poll by Quinnipiac University shows the president's numbers have fallen steeply in the last month. Just half of those polled (50 percent) approve of the job the president is doing. While 42 percent fall into the disapprove category.

That's a change from the 57 percent approval rating and 33 disapproval rating he received in Quinnipiac's July poll.

The Obama camp will undoubtedly prefer a CNN poll instead as it provides sunnier news for the president with 56 percent approving of his job performance while 40 percent disapprove. But the trend is the same as the earlier poll -- downward.

It's a five-point drop since June and seven-point decrease since April.

Healthcare, economy, and race relations

What about the big ticket items like healthcare and the economy? Quinnipiac says he's taking on water on the economic front, but he's not sinking. By a 49 - 45 percent margin, Americans disapprove of the way the president is dealing with the economy.

On healthcare reform, you can't call it a Titanic yet, but the iceberg is looming. Fifty-two percent disapprove of the way Obama is handling the issue while 39 percent like what he's doing.

What about the hot-button issue of July? No, not Sarah Palin's resignation. Race relations. Once President Obama stepped into the feud between Harvard professor Henry Gates and Cambridge police officer James Crowley, race relations became a huge focus.

Overall, Americans approve of his handling of race relations by a 55 - 35 margin. But he didn't fare as well when asked about the events which led up to the "Beer Summit."

"Obama acted 'stupidly' in the dispute between a black professor and a white police officer, American voters say 49 - 33 percent," reads the report. "White voters say 54 - 27 percent that he acted stupidly, while black voters disagree 61 - 16 percent. Hispanic voters split 42 - 43 percent."

How's the whole post-partisan thing going? About as well as the prospects for the Detroit Lions upcoming year. Democrats approve of the president by a 85 - 9 margin, while Republicans disapprove by a 77 - 16 percent split.

Independents are confused with 45 percent giving him a thumbs up and 45 percent say thumbs down.

GOP ain't dancing in the end zone

Just because Obama's numbers are down doesn't mean the Republicans can start celebrating. Most people still don't like the GOP.

"The good news for President Barack Obama is that American voters still see him as better able to handle the economy and healthcare than Republicans in Congress. The bad news is his margins are shrinking," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "The President is right on the magic 50 percent threshold in public approval because of bad grades on the economy and even worse grades on healthcare."

The guys over at the CNN center are saying the same thing. Not great news for Obama, but the Republicans are faring much worse.

"The bad news for the GOP is that they get twice as much blame as the Democrats," says CNN's director of polling. "The good news for the GOP is that the number of Americans who blame them is now below 50 percent."

To read more about the Quinnipiac poll, click here. For more information on the CNN poll, click here.

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