By Susan Page,USA TODAY
Barack Obama,who completed six months in office Monday,has a 55% approval rating in the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll,putting him 10th among the dozen presidents who have served since World War II at this point in their tenures.
Even so,a president’s standing at the moment is more than a matter of vanity. It affects his ability to hold the members of his own party and persuade those on the other side to support him,at least on the occasional issue.
"Approval ratings are absolutely critical for a president achieving his agenda,"says Republican pollster Whit Ayres.
For Obama,the timing of his slide in ratings is particularly unhelpful:He’s intensified his push to pass health care bills in the House and Senate before Congress leaves on its August recess. He’ll press his case at a news conference at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
His overall approval rating has dropped 9 percentage points since his inauguration in January,and his disapproval rate has jumped 16 points,to 41%.