Economy To Be Discussed Tonight By President Obama

When President Obama discusses the economy in his State of the Union Address tonight, he will be dealing with an area in which the American public gives him relatively low performance ratings.

The same thing applies to immigration, energy policy, guns, and taxes. On all of those issues, more Americans disapprove than approve of the job Obama is doing, according to a new Gallup Poll.

Gallup found that President Obama is heading into his fourth State of the Union address Tuesday night with an overall job approval rating of around 50 percent. But in eight of the nine specific areas measured, more Americans disapprove than approve of the job he's doing.

In only one category -- national defense -- did Obama's approval rating (53 percent) exceed his disapproval rating (44 percent).

The Gallup poll shows that Obama's lowest approval rating is 31 percent, for his handling of the federal budget deficit. Only 39 percent approve of the way he's handling the economy. And the economy is expected to be a main topic of discussion Tuesday night.

Obama's Job Approval on 9 Issues:
National defense - 53% Approve, 44% Disapprove 
Foreign affairs - 46% Approve, 48% Disapprove
Immigration - 46% Approve, 48% Disapprove
Energy policy - 44% Approve, 46% Disapprove
Gun policy - 42% Approve, 54% Disapprove
Taxes - 41% Approve, 57% Disapprove
the economy - 39% Approve, 60% Disapprove
Middle East: Israelis/Palestinians - 36% Approve, 55% Disapprove
The federal budget deficit - 31% Approve, 65% Disapprove

Gallup noted that Obama finds himself in a situation similar to the one he was in one year ago, with a job approval rating at roughly the 50 percent level, and approval ratings on issues very similar to where they are now.

The Gallup Poll is based on telephone interviews conducted Feb. 7-10, 2013, with a random sample of 1,015 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. (From CNS News.com)