Polling shows Obama has lost the support of independents with approval rating dropping to 38% vs. 52% in 2008 election. As we see here on DKOS and also reflected in Obama's overall approval rating of 46%, Obama has also lost a substantial portions number of Liberal Democrats.
The reasons are Obama failed to deliver on his liberal, reform agenda, not, as the right wing GOP claims that Obama "went too far".
Axelrod and Emanuel and others argue Obama went too far left but as we remember from the health care debate, the public by 70% margins SUPPORTED Obama's campaign promise of public option. Obama's demise began when he abandoned his campaign promise on public option which was the heart of health care reform.
The polling in Independents is here on Washington Post.
The Gallup organization reported this week that just 38 percent of independents now approve of the job Obama is doing, the lowest point in his presidency and down from 56 percent a year ago.
And here on the RealClearPolitics.com composite. Yes I know it includes Rasmussen but Rasmussen is likely the most accurate polling considering the facts of 2010 election results to date, Gallup and Pew polls to date on GOP voter enthusiasm and turnout.
How Obama did it, by making the secret deal with drug lobbyists to keep drug costs high breaking his reform pledge of transparency and no lobbyists influence made it even worse.
But now we have Axelrod agreeing with GOP that Obama went too far "left" so Obama is now doubling down on his original failure for reform, transparency, no lobbyists and is instead pursuing the GOP base.
Obama, Axelrod and Emanuel are just clueless on why they lost independents and liberals and are now embarked on a fruitless pursuit of GOP voters via "deficit reductions" and "Social Security cuts" and other trinkets reminiscent of Reaganomics and its attendant failures.
With the ""Mayberry Machiavellis"" leading him over the cliff of ReagnaomicObama would do well to DO THE RIGHT THING and stop worrying about re-election.
The only way Obama is going to get re-elected now is to devote his next two years to actual health care reform, push Grayson's Medicare Choice bill.
Go with Frank and Paul's 50% cut ($500B) defense budget.
Make SS tax cover ALL income and forgive the $3T debt, that would bushwhack the "deficit peacocks". OBAMA CUTS NATIONAL DEBT $3T. SAVES SOCIAL SECURITY.
Even if Obama doesn't get re-elected, at least he'll know he did the right thing. At the end of the day, that's what really counts.