American public dissatisfied with Obama leadership

The U.S. public shows growing discontent with the way the Obama administration and the U.S. lawmakers are governing the country, an opinion poll conducted by an independent U.S. think tank said. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted August 17-21 among 1,509 adults, has found that for the first time in Barack Obama's presidency significantly more Americans disapprove of the way he is handling his job (49 percent vs 43 percent). "Fully 79 percent are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country," the report on the results of the survey said. "Favorable ratings for both political parties are in negative territory and have declined since the beginning of the year." According to the poll, the Republican Party's favorable rating has declined from 43 percent in early February to 34 percent currently. The Democrats are viewed slightly more favorably, but their approval margin also fell since the beginning of the year from 47 percent to 43 percent. Experts believe that the image of the U.S. political elite took a major hit after an "endless and fruitless" debate over the federal budget ceiling that almost led the country to a technical default. Many Americans criticize both the Democrats and the Republicans for playing "childish games" and pursuing their own political ambitions rather than caring about the situation in the country.