NEW POLL GRIM FOR OBAMA – AT 9:34 A.M. ET:  A new survey shows a darkening mood in the American public, based on economic reality.  Word of caution:  This is a poll from a GOP polling firm.  From The Politico:

RESURGENT REPUBLIC FINDS DARKENING MOOD – Independents, Hispanics and other swing voters may be running out of patience with President Barack Obama and the pace of economic recovery, according to a new set of data collected in focus groups by the GOP polling outfit Resurgent Republic. In four battleground focus groups held last month, Resurgent Republic found that voters “were unanimous in their overwhelmingly negative descriptions of the economy, and unlike our focus groups a year ago, these voters could not see an end to the nation’s economic decline,” according a memo from former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie and pollsters Whit Ayres and Leslie Sanchez. But voters differ on who to blame for the weak economy: Independents “did not hold President Obama primarily responsible,” the memo states, while “Hispanic voters were more likely to say President Obama made the economy worse, joining Republicans and Tea Party voters.”

And...

MORE – OBAMA’S WEAK POINTS – It’s not just the economy where the president has to contend with deep and growing skepticism from some important voting blocs. Participants in the Resurgent Republic study generally agreed that Obama “has made the national debt worse” and were unsympathetic to arguments for raising the debt ceiling. And while the “intensity” of voters’ focus on the health care law has lessened, the perception that the Affordable Care Act is “complicated and bureaucratic” remains. The Resurgent Republic data was gathered from focus groups in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida and Colorado.

COMMENT:  This pretty much confirms what we've seen elsewhere, although some of the language is clearly biased toward the GOP.  With today's dismal job figures, the impression of the economy is bound to get worse.

At the same time, we stress what we've stressed before – that companion surveys show that the GOP remains an unpopular party, and none of its potential candidates for president has caught fire.  Obama's misfortunes won't necessarily translate into Republican fortune unless the message is right, and appealing from right to center.  Ditto the candidate.

July 8, 2011