Cloudy with a chance of hostile (reuters photo)
Remember when President Obama stunned the nation (by which we mean Hillary Clinton) by winning the Iowa caucuses? It seems like ages ago. Later today, Obama arrives in Des Moines — where voters aren’t so fired up and ready to go as they were two years ago.
The Des Moines Register has a new poll today showing 55 percent of likely voters disapprove of the job he is doing.
The new poll continues the downward trend in Iowa for Obama, whose approval in Iowa was 68 percent in January 2009, around the time he took office.
Paul Harstad, who was one of Obama’s top 2008 campaign pollsters, was somewhat heartened that Obama’s overall approval had changed little since February, despite continuing high unemployment and his signing of controversial health care and banking industry legislation.
“I’m pleased that he’s holding steady,” said Harstad, who is also a longtime pollster for Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin. “He’s come down only slightly, but he’s taken on huge issues and he’s dealing with a wretched economy.”
