Obama’s Approval Rating Continues To Fall; Independents Turning Away

A new nationwide poll finds President Barack Obama’s approval rating continues to slide as he battles Republicans in Congress over healthcare reform.

Overall, 53 percent of Americans approve of the job Obama is doing in the Oval Office, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday. However, breaking down the poll reveals 53 percent of independent voters, a key block that helped Obama defeat Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in November, disapprove of the job he is doing as Commander in Chief.

Since June, Obama has lost 8 percent of American support overall. The numbers of Americans that openly disapprove of his administration’s progress is also on the rise.

“Obama won a majority of the vote among independents last year, and that helped put him in the White House,” CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. “Losing their support makes it more difficult for Obama to govern from the center.”

“Among all Americans, his rating on health care has dropped 13 points since March. Compare that to his 16 point drop on the deficit and 17 point dip on taxes and it looks like there is growing discontent with Obama’s overall domestic agenda – not just his health care policy,” Holland added.