Poll: Obama’s approval rating slides

The honeymoon period for President Obama’s second term appears to be over, as Washington’s perpetual budget battles have diminished the president’s approval rating in the eyes of voters.

According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released Wednesday, 50 percent said they approve of the job the president is doing, against 46 who said they disapprove. That’s down from the same poll in January, when 55 percent said they approved and 41 said they disapproved.

The slip is largely due to Obama’s standing among independent voters, who went from approving of the president by a 13 percentage point margin in January down to only 6 percentage points in the latest poll.

The president has also lost ground to Republicans on who is better equipped to handle the economy. The latest poll shows Obama still holds the advantage – 44 to 40 – but that’s down from his 54 to 36 lead from last December.

However, Obama still fares far better than his GOP counterparts in general. Only 24 percent said they approve of the job Congressional Republicans are doing, compared to 72 who disapprove. Congressional Democrats are at 34 percent approval and 62 percent disapproval.

In addition, the poll found 47 percent believed Republicans were responsible for the sequester, against 33 who blamed Democrats.

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