Last month I noted that while President Obama’s poll numbers remained grim, the national conversation had shifted significantly away from deficit reduction and toward jobs in the month or two since the end of the budget shutdown. That shift now seems much more clear and durable than it was then. And we’re now seeing the first signs — though still very marginal — that President Obama’s political and electoral fortunes are shifting too.
Tonight NBC/Wall Street Journal released a major presidential poll showing the President has improved his margin against his probable opponent, Mitt Romney. This comes after a string of other polls showing improving numbers for the president, as well as another group of polls showing that most voters believe congressional Republicans are focused on stymying the economic recovery to better their party’s chances against the president next November.
You can get a visual sense of this possible rebound here.
So the changes to date are limited. But the trend does appear to be favoring the president. And do you remember when the Super Committee is supposed to report? I barely do. We were supposed to be heading into a month or so of non-stop Super Committee drama. But it’s clearly fallen several rungs down the ladder of public attention.
Any president who goes into a reelection with durable, perhaps even chronic 9% unemployment is in a thread the needle situation at best. But I don’t think there’s any question that the President’s never-ending jobs roadshow is working.
