Obama approval rating steady at 47 percent

Forty-seven percent of the public approves of President Obama's job performance in a new Gallup poll, a figure that has remained relatively consistent since the November midterm elections.

Obama saw his approval dip by a statistically insignificant 2 percentage points from its high of 49 percent last week in Gallup's daily, but the president has not suffered a steep decline in approval like other presidents have following losses in the midterm elections. 

Though Gallup noted the poll could be "characterized as positive for Obama," the president also did not see a spike in approval after Democrats passed a string of priority legislation during the lame-duck Congress.

The Gallup survey is the second this week that showed good news for the president, whose party suffered heavy losses in the midterms.

A CNN/Opinion Research poll released Tuesday showed Democratic support growing for a second Obama nomination after rumors swirled he could face a primary challenge in 2012. 

But it's not clear whether or not the president's approval will remain the same in 2011, when Republicans take control of the House and gear up for the 2012 presidential race.

Obama last week touted as a model for bipartisan cooperation next year the passage of his tax-cut deal, a repeal of the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, a 9/11 first responders healthcare bill, food-safety legislation and the ratification of the New START Treaty. But some believe compromise could be harder to achieve with more Republican seats in the 112th Congress.

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