A new Field Poll, which is the gold standard in California polling, has found an unprecedented 9 percentage point drop in Pres. Obama’s approval ratings among Californians. Poll director Mark DiCamillo attributes the drop — from 61 percent approval in February to revelations that the government is spying on Americans by tracking phone and Internet use:
The falloff was largest among blocs that historically have given him high marks: registered Democrats’ approval dropped by 14 points, nonpartisan voters’ by 12 points, women’s by 15 points and voters under age 40 by 14 points…
Obama has faced harsh questions from many among his own base since details emerged last month of a clandestine mass electronic surveillance data-mining program.
Even so, the Golden State still generally likes him: 57 percent of Californians say they have a favorable view of the president overall, while 35 percent hold an unfavorable view. That’s identical to how voters felt about him just before his re-election last year.
The difference is that 9 percent of all voters and 11
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percent of rank-and-file Democrats who view Obama favorably now disapprove or are undecided about his job performance.DiCamillo said this sudden drop-off in approval didn’t happen in other recent presidents’ second terms. President George W. Bush’s approval rating dropped seven points from early to mid-2005, but that was part of a years-long downward slide, he said, while Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan only lost a few points in their fifth years in office.
