Sequester Cutting Obama Approval Ratings

44 percent trust him on the economy; 40 percent trust Republicans, the other 16 percent are presumably rational

The afterglow of President Obama's reelection and inauguration appears to have vanished as increasingly negative views among Americans about his stewardship of the economy have forced his public approval rating back down to the 50 percent mark, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

In December, just after he won a second term, Obama held an 18-percentage-point advantage over congressional Republicans on the question of whom the public trusted more to deal with the economy. Now, it's a far more even split — 44 percent to 40 percent, with a slight edge for the president — but the share of those saying they have confidence in "neither" has ticked up into double digits.