Politics | President Obama In a First, More Americans Disapprove of Obama Gulf spill pulls down his ratings By John Johnson Posted Jun 23, 2010 6:10 PM CDT Copied President Obama pauses in the Rose Garden today. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Rough news for President Obama (and others) in a new poll from the Wall Street Journal and NBC. Highlights: In a first, more people disapprove of Obama's job performance (48%) than approve of it (45%). Half disapprove of his handling of the oil spill, vs. 42% who approve. 62% say the country is on the wrong track, the highest level since his election. One bright spot: 64% say he's likeable. (“On the personal level, the public still stays with him," says a Democratic pollster.) BP gets a favorable rating of 6%. Only Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, and Yasser Arafat have scored lower in the poll's history. Only one-third think the US economy will improve in a year, down 7 points from just last month. 57% want a new representative in Congress, the highest percentage in 18 years. Full results in PDF form here. Read These Next "Admiral Piett" of the Star Wars universe died from COVID. Shooter opens fire on Texas Border Patrol Rescuer in floods gets a poignant question. Michael Douglas 'had to stop'—but he's not retired. Report an error