What Is This World Coming To?

From US News And World Report:

New polls show the public increasingly concerned about the budget deficit, amid signs that the support for White House’s economic policies may be slipping.

During NBC Nightly News’ lead story, Chuck Todd said an NBC/Walls Street Journal poll suggests “the honeymoon is coming to an end for President Obama, but it’s not personal, it’s professional, as now the public appears to be judging the President on some of his actions. And right now, there’s a growing concern about the budget deficit, and some of this government interaction into the economy on things like GM.”

The Wall Street Journal says that the public’s “rising doubts threaten to overshadow the president’s personal popularity and his agenda, in what may be a new phase of the Obama presidency.”

While “there’s good news for the administration, too, including tentative support for Mr. Obama’s health-care plan and approval of his nominee for the Supreme Court,” the poll “suggests Mr. Obama faces challenges on multiple fronts, including growing concerns about government spending and the bailout of auto companies.”

Nearly seven in 10 “respondents said they had concerns about federal interventions into the economy.” However, The Politico reports, “46 percent think the economy will get better in the next year the highest level of optimism in four years.”

AFP reports the President’s 56% overall approval rating in the NBC poll, but reports that “among independent voters, Obama fell from 60 percent approval versus 31 percent to 46 approving against 44 disapproving.”

Meanwhile, the New York Times analyzes its own poll, reporting that “a substantial majority of Americans say…Obama has not developed a strategy to deal with the budget deficit.” The poll “found a distinct gulf between Mr. Obama’s overall standing and how some of his key initiatives are viewed, with fewer than half of Americans saying they approve of how he has handled health care and the effort to save General Motors and Chrysler.”