let’s call it the ‘sullivan approval index paradox’
It’s a strange quirk, it seems to me. As Romney is clearly gaining in the campaign, and as it becomes clear that the second debate simply halted Obama’s collapse but didn’t reverse Romney’s momentum, Obama’s job approval numbers are among his consistently highest since his honeymoon, excepting the period after the killing of Osama bin Laden.
When Obama was kicking Romney’s ass in July and August, he was in negative approval territory (red). Since September, he has made a comeback in approval even as he has lost the edge to Romney nationwide. I don’t know quite what to make of this. It used to be the case that Obama’s edge was in personal favorability, not approval ratings. But Romney’s net favorables are now the same as or slightly ahead of Obama’s.
One more factoid: on this day eight years ago, George W. Bush’s approval number was 49.4; Obama’s is now 49.3. But Bush’s disapproval was a mite lower. And it all came down to Ohio …