America’s just not that into you, Mr. President.

There is still no sign at all of any kind of near or long-term recovery for President Obama after his midterm shellacking in early November. If anything, one month on from the Congressional elections which brought the Democratic Party to its knees, the outlook is getting even worse for the Obama presidency, and the notion of an Obama bounce is simply a pipe dream at the moment. The latest Bloomberg National Poll makes especially grim reading for the White House. More than half of all Americans (51 percent) believe they are worse off than they were two years ago when Barack Obama took office, with just 35 percent saying they are better off. A striking 66 percent of voters believe America is on the “wrong track”, with just 27 percent agreeing with the view that the United States is heading in the “right direction”. Among Democrats, 48 percent think the country is on the wrong track, as opposed to 44 percent who disagree. And even more worryingly for the president, who is now trying harder to appeal to the centre ground, 67 percent of Independents believe Obama’s America is going down the wrong path, with just 24 percent disagreeing. Fears over the economy are undoubtedly the biggest factor in the lack of confidence Americans have in their president. According to the Bloomberg survey, 50 percent of respondents listed unemployment and jobs as the most important issue facing the country, with 25 percent citing the federal deficit and government spending. Other issues, such as health care and immigration, are ranked as the most important by just 9 percent and 5 percent respectively. And consumer confidence remains stubbornly downbeat. When asked if they plan to spend more this Christmas season compared to 2009, just 12 percent said yes, with 46 percent declaring they plan to spend less. Bloomberg points out that Ronald Reagan’s numbers were even lower than Barack Obama’s at the end of his second year in office – with 61 percent of Americans saying they were worse off, according to aWashington Post/ABC poll in October 1982. Reagan however was a hugely experienced, highly principled politician, who advanced free market policies that ultimately led to an economic boom for America. He was also an extremely inspirational and charismatic leader, a conviction politician with an unshakeable belief in American greatness. In contrast, Barack Obama has relatively little leadership experience, fails to inspire the American people, does not even believe in American exceptionalism, and is implementing policies that are making America weaker, poorer and more indebted. He also heads a party that is deeply divided, with liberals engaged in an increasingly ugly civil war, with open talk of a challenge to Obama for the 2012 nomination. President Obama’s personal approval rating now stands at just 46 percent, one point behind George W. Bush, and a staggering 28 points behind Ronald Reagan at 74 percent. Political comebacks can never be ruled out, but there’s certainly no sign of one yet on the horizon for the current occupant of the White House.