OBAMA SLIPS MORE IN RASMUSSEN POLL – AT 10:07 A.M. ET:  President Obama, in the last few months, made some gains in the Rasmussen survey, and appeared to be consolidating those gains.  But slippage has begun again:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 26% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-two percent (42%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -16...

...Overall, 45% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. Fifty-three percent (53%) disapprove Those figures also reflect the weakest ratings for the president since the health care bill became law.

COMMENT:  Passion is the issue again.  The fact that 42% of likely voters strongly disapprove of the president's performance is just stunning.  Only 26% strongly approve, which is not very much above Obama's ethnic base. 

Of course, the president isn't on the ballot this November, and presidents have been far down before and snapped back for second-term victories.  But these numbers may, at least in part, explain why Mr. Obama seems to have so little impact on Democratic fortunes in voting held so far this year.

May 20, 2010