Most Americans would dump Obama in 2012, says poll

WASHINGTON - Most Americans don’t like the way President Barack Obama is running the country, and if voters could have their say today, only 38 percent would re-elect him, according to a new poll.

The majority of Americans would consider replacing the president in the next election, found the poll by Politico/George Washington University. The poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters who identified themselves as “likely” to cast ballots in 2012.

Forty-four percent said they already plan to vote for someone besides Obama, while an additional 13 percent of voters will consider casting their vote for another candidate.

Obama, who won 53 percent of the country’s votes in the 2008 election, seems to have lost much of the momentum that buoyed him into the presidency two years ago.

A whopping 63 percent of those surveyed believe the country is on the wrong track, and 51 percent disapprove of the job Obama is doing in office.

The poll did offer one bright spot for the President. Sixty-five percent said they still like Obama as a person, whether or not they are happy with his performance in the White House.

And if his 2012 opponent is former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Obama should be able to trounce the Tea Party darling.

In a hypothetical race between the two, 51 percent of those surveyed said they would choose Obama, while only 42 percent were likely to support Palin.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)