Poll: Majority of Americans say Obama's presidency either about the same or worse than Bush's

A majority of Americans say President Obama's tenure has been either as good or worse than former President George W. Bush's, according to a new poll.

A Gallup poll released Friday found that 43 percent of Americans say President Obama has been a better president than Bush, while 22 percent say Obama's presidency has been about the same and 34 percent say it's been worse. Together, that's 56 percent who say Obama's presidency has been either about the same or worse than Bush's.

Matched up with former President Clinton, 12 percent say Obama's presidency has been better while 35 percent say it's been about the same. The majority in the Gallup poll said that Obama's presidency has been worse than Clinton's.

Broken down by party affiliation, most Democrats (79 percent) say Obama has been a better president than Bush, with 15 percent saying about the same and 6 percent saying worse. With independents, only 33 percent say Obama has been better than his predecessor while 29 percent say about the same and 38 percent say worse. Just 9 percent of Republicans say Obama has been better, while 71 percent say Obama has been worse than Bush. A slim 19 percent of GOPers say Obama has been about the same.

In the match-up with Clinton, 51 percent of Democrats say Obama's presidency has been about as good as Clinton's while 29 percent say it's been worse and 20 percent say it's better. The majority of independents say Obama's presidency has been worse than Clinton's, while 32 percent say it's been about the same and 10 percent say it's been better. Unsurprisingly, 72 percent of Republicans say Obama's presidency has been worse than Clinton's and just 8 percent say it's been better. Nineteen percent of GOPers said it's been about the same.

The Gallup poll's findings are the latest in an increasingly large pool of polls indicating how a troubled economy will weigh down a president's approval ratings and perceived success in the eyes of the public. Republicans have been hoping to harness dissatisfaction to win the White House and take back the Senate in 2012.