Poll shows U.S. views on economy, Obama are pessimistic

Americans’ views on the economy have grown pessimistic, but so far it does not seem to be taking a toll on President Barack Obama’s re-election prospects, a new Associated Press-GfK poll showed on Thursday. More Americans now believe the country is headed in the wrong direction and confidence in Obama’s handling of the economy has slipped from just a few months ago, notably among fellow Democrats, according to the poll. The survey found that 86 percent of adults see the economy as “poor,” up from 80 percent in June. About half (49 percent) said the economy worsened just in the past month, and only 27 percent responded that way in the June survey. Despite the perception of a weakening economic recovery, there has been no significant change in the number of people who say Obama deserves re-election (47 percent) as opposed to 48 percent two months ago. And more Americans still blame former President George W. Bush rather than Obama for the economic distress. Some 31 percent put most of the blame on Obama, while 51 percent point to his Republican predecessor. More than 6 in 10 people (63 percent) disapprove of Obama’s handling of the economy. Nearly half, or 48 percent, “strongly” disapproved. Approval of Obama’s economic performance now stands at just 36 percent, his worst approval rating on the issue in AP-GfK polling.