Following President Obama’s State of the Union address (on which I posted a short piece yesterday), it makes for interesting reading to consider his approval rating against the background of the historical pattern. According to Casey’s Daily Dispatch, a study by political scientist Paul Brace shows that the general trend for presidents in their first year is down. However, President Obama’s descent is notably worse than the average, as seen on the chart below.
Source: Casey’s Daily Dispatch, January 28, 2010.
