My must read of the day is "Better Numbers for Obama, but Still Weak – WSJ/NBC Poll," in the Wall Street Journal:
There’s some good news for President Barack Obama in the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, but he and fellow Democrats remain in a heap of political trouble as the midterm elections approach.
For the first time since before October’s rocky rollout of the Affordable Care Act, Mr. Obama’s personal approval rating is above water, with 44 percent viewing him in a positive light and 41 percent viewing him negatively.
More of those polled still disapprove than approve of his job performance—as they have since last June—but that deficit stood at six points in the most recent poll, compared with a 13-point gap in March.
Based on the headline, it seems like this poll contradicts yesterday's poll from the Washington Post and ABC News, which according to the headline "show[ed] Democrats at risk in November as Obama's approval rating falls."
One survey reports a drop in approval and the other says it's improving.
The overall approval is slightly different (by 3 percent), but on his handling of the three main issues, economy, health care, and the situation in Ukraine, both polls found the same things: most people view it unfavorably.
On the economy, WSJ/NBC found that 42 percent approve of Obama's economic job performance while 54 percent disapprove. WaPo/ABC found the exact same - 42 percent "approve of his handling of the economy" and 54 percent disapprove.
When it comes to Ukraine, WSJ/NBC report that 37 percent approve of the president's "handling of the situation," and 45 percent disapprove. In WaPo/ABC 34 percent approve and 46 percent disapprove.
And then there's health care. The WSJ/NBC poll found 46 percent thought the Affordable Care Act was a "bad idea" and 36 percent thought it was a "good idea." WaPo/ABC found that, overall, 44 percent support the "federal law making changes to the health care system" while 48 percent opposed. WaPo/ABC also asked respondents if they "approve or disapprove of the way Obama is handling implementation of the new health care law;" 57 percent said they disapprove and 37 percent said they approve.
On each issue, in both polls, the findings were that more people disapprove than approve.
The headlines are different, but ultimately the polls have similar findings. If you're a Democrat, it's unlikely you're looking at either of these without feeling worrisome.