Big Partisan Gap in Approval Ratings Marks Obama's First Year

Whether it is due to the change in the tone of U.S. politics in the last 60 years or the policies of the new administration, President Obama has been the most polarizing of any modern chief executive in his first year, with even Bill Clinton taking second place, according to Gallup's analysis of its 2009 surveys.

Gallup puts the gap between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to Obama's job approval rating at 65 points, compared to 52 points for Clinton and 45 points each for Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. Next highest was Richard Nixon at 34 percent and all other past presidents were below that number. The Gallup data goes back to the Eisenhower administration

"The extraordinary level of polarization in Obama's first year in office is a combination of declining support from Republicans coupled with high and sustained approval from Democrats," Gallup said.

The pollster added: "The way Americans view presidents has clearly changed in recent decades, perhaps owing to the growth in variety, sources, and even politicization of news on cable television and the Internet, and the continuing popularity of politically oriented talk radio. The outcome is that Americans evaluate their presidents and other political leaders through increasingly thick partisan lenses."

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