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New numbers out this morning bring bad news for Barack Obama but worse news for every single one of the GOP candidates. According to a poll by ABC News/Washington Post out today, only 43 percent of Republicans say they're satisfied with the potential candidates for president and a further 17 percent have no opinion about the field. These two numbers are dramatically low compared to this stage in the 2008 elections, and analysts suggest that the GOP candidates' reticence to formally enter the race might have something to do with the lack of enthusiasm.
Apathetic Republicans notwithstanding, things aren't going that well for the president. Though he's still clutching the lead in polls, Obama's job approval rating has dropped seven points since January, and his personal popularity hit a career low at 47 percent as economic pessimism continues. Fifty-seven percent of Americans disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy--a tie with his career low on that issue--and nearly half of those polled think the economy is getting worse. Were Sarah Palin to win a nomination Obama would crush her according to the numbers; Palin trails Obama by 17 points in the polls. But if it were Mitt, Obama's lead shrinks to a just 4 percent. Moderates have also cooled on Obama at the same time that they've warmed up to Romney.