GRIM NUMBERS - AT 9:39 A.M. ET:  For the White House, I mean.  Public Policy Polling makes this point about its newest national poll:

Perhaps the greatest measure of Obama's declining support is that just 50% of voters now say they prefer having him as President to George W. Bush, with 44% saying they'd rather have his predecessor. Given the horrendous approval ratings Bush showed during his final term that's somewhat of a surprise and an indication that voters are increasingly placing the blame on Obama for the country's difficulties instead of giving him space because of the tough situation he inherited. The closeness in the Obama/Bush numbers also has implications for the 2010 elections. Using the Bush card may not be particularly effective for Democrats anymore, which is good news generally for Republicans and especially ones like Rob Portman who are running for office and have close ties to the former President.

COMMENT:  The president is aware of these numbers.  This is pure speculation, but I wonder whether they influenced his Nobel Prize speech, which was decidedly more centrist than anything he's said thus far in his term.  We hope the president, and those around him, are realizing that this isn't a far-left or far-right nation, and that presidents who want to survive politically come to understand that.

December 10, 2009