Poll: Obama's voter approval dips to new low

WASHINGTON — President Obama's approval ratings have sunk to the lowest level of his presidency, so low that he'd lose the White House to Republican Mitt Romney if the election were held today, according to a new McClatchy Newspapers-Marist poll.

The biggest reason for Obama's fall: a sharp drop in approval among Democrats and liberals, apparently unhappy with his moves toward the center since he led the party to landslide losses in November's midterm elections. At the same time, he's gained nothing among independents.

"He's having the worst of both worlds right now," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion at Marist College in New York, which conducted the national survey.

The poll was taken from Dec. 2 through Wednesday, as the president proposed a two-year freeze on federal civilian workers' pay and cut a deal with congressional Republicans to extend expiring tax cuts, even those for the wealthy, which he'd opposed.

Overall, 42 percent of registered voters approve of how he's doing his job, while 50 percent disapprove.

Obama's standing among Democrats dropped from a month ago, with his approval rating falling to 74 percent from 83 percent, and his disapproval rating rising from 11 percent to 21 percent.

His position among independents remained virtually the same, with 39 percent approving and 52 percent disapproving. A month ago, it was 38-54.

The president's continued failure to rally independents could ruin his bid for re-election. A hypothetical 2012 matchup showed him getting the support of 44 percent of registered voters and Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, getting 46 percent.

Obama is running slightly ahead of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican, drawing 47 percent to Huckabee's 43 percent.

Both results were within the poll's margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

He would easily defeat former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a Republican, according to the poll. He'd get 52 percent of registered voters and she'd get 40 percent, if the election were held today.

The key in each matchup is independents.

Romney had the best advantage over the president among independents, preferred by 47-39 percent. Independents break for Obama over Huckabee by 42-40 percent. Palin fares much worse among independents. They favor the president over her by 52-35 percent.

"In head-to-head matchups, it's the independents who seem to be shaping the early discussion," Miringoff said.

The poll also found that voters are inclined to blame congressional Democrats and Republicans more than the president if the deal to extend tax reductions falls apart and taxes go up Jan. 1.

On issues, 47 percent of registered voters say the top priority for the new Congress should be to cut the federal budget deficit, and 22 percent say it should be to cut taxes. An additional 28 percent said that maintaining services and benefits should be the top priority.

Meanwhile, they believe by 59-31 percent that the people at WikiLeaks who revealed classified U.S. cables should be prosecuted, rather than protected by the First Amendment.