Obama rating hits all-time low

US President Barack Obama’s rating plunged to a record low as public frustration about the country’s future continues to grow. A new opinion poll conducted by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal has shown that just 42 percent of respondents approve of the Obama’s job performance, down five points from earlier this month. The NBC/WSJ pollsters have attributed this slump down in the President’s public image to an accumulation of setbacks, including the NSA surveillance outing, America’s Syrian faux pas, the government shutdown and increasing scrutiny of Obama’s healthcare initiative. All of these mishaps have effectively erased some of the advantage he gained, with polls showing most people blame congressional Republicans for the shutdown. Even Obama’s personal ratings appear to be upside-down, with 41 percent viewing him a favorable light and 45 percent viewing him negatively. Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff, said that "personally and politically, the public’s assessment is two thumbs down".