Americans Down on Economy, Blame Bush

Americans' views on the economy have dimmed this summer. But so far, the growing pessimism doesn't seem to be taking a toll on President Obama's re-election prospects. More people now believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, a new AP-GfK poll shows, and confidence in Obama's handling of the economy has slipped from just a few months ago, notably among fellow Democrats. The survey found that 86% of adults see the economy as "poor," up from 80% in June. About half said it worsened just in the past month, compared to 27% in the June survey.

Yet there are several hopeful signs for Obama: More Americans still blame George W. Bush over Obama for the dismal economy, with 31% blaming Obama compared with 51% for his Republican predecessor. Despite the perception of a weakening recovery, there has been no significant change in the number of people who say he deserves re-election: 47% as opposed to 48% two months ago. The not-so-good news for Obama: That's a statistical dead heat with those who favor a change in the White House. Click through for the full article. (More President Obama stories.)