Politics | President Obama In a First, More Americans Disapprove of Obama Gulf spill pulls down his ratings By John Johnson Posted Jun 23, 2010 6:10 PM CDT Copied President Obama pauses in the Rose Garden today. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Rough news for President Obama (and others) in a new poll from the Wall Street Journal and NBC. Highlights: In a first, more people disapprove of Obama's job performance (48%) than approve of it (45%). Half disapprove of his handling of the oil spill, vs. 42% who approve. 62% say the country is on the wrong track, the highest level since his election. One bright spot: 64% say he's likeable. (“On the personal level, the public still stays with him," says a Democratic pollster.) BP gets a favorable rating of 6%. Only Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, and Yasser Arafat have scored lower in the poll's history. Only one-third think the US economy will improve in a year, down 7 points from just last month. 57% want a new representative in Congress, the highest percentage in 18 years. Full results in PDF form here. Read These Next White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Supreme Court ruling is a big blow to Planned Parenthood. New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. Report an error