Obama's Approval Rating Sinks to 37 Percent

The latest AP-GfK poll finds President Obama's approval rating has declined to 37 percent, while 53 percent disapprove of the president's job performance. This is the president's lowest approval rating since GfK began tracking in May 2011; it's also the lowest since Reason-Rupe started asking the question also in May 2011. Obama's approval has been on a fairly steady decline since his reelection "honeymoon" high. (Honeymoon periods are a time when the president enjoys the greatest support, as those who did not vote for him still express their best wishes.) Nate Silver notes that presidents' second term honeymoon periods have gotten shorter over time. In the wake of this year's revelations about the IRS political targeting scandal, the Dept. of Justice seizing AP journalists' phone records, the NSA surveillance program, Syria, and now the government shutdown and possible default, perhaps it's little surprise the President's favorability ratings have plummeted.

While polls find the GOP bears more of the blame for the government shutdown, the latest CNN poll finds the public is also angry at Democrats (58 percent) and President Obama (53 percent), as well as Republicans (63 percent). Interestingly, political independents equally blame all three parties (58% Obama, 59% Democrats, 60% Republicans).

The perceived intransigence from both sides has hurt not just the Republicans this time, but also the Democrats and the President's second term.