Matt Stiles // The Daily Viz

Better news for the president? Perhaps, according to USA Today: 

Obama’s approval ratings are higher than his disapproval ratings for the first time since July, according to the latest Gallup Poll. About 47% of Americans approve of the way he is doing his job, while 45% disapprove of his performance. The three-day tracking poll was conducted Dec. 21-23.

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More bad news for President Obama, via CBS News: 

As concerns about the struggling U.S. economy grow, a new CBS News/New York poll finds that President Obama’s overall approval rating has dropped to 43 percent, the lowest so far of his presidency in CBS News polling. In addition, his disapproval rating has reached an all-time high of 50 percent.

Gallup now has a approval rating tracker that allows you to compare presidents. Here’s how George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, fared at this point in their respective presidencies. The elder Bush dropped into Obama’s range and ultimately lost his re-election. Obama’s predecessor in the White House never sunk this low in the polls during his first term: 

Here’s the younger Bush’s full term compared to Obama thus far:

Here’s a comparison with Bill Clinton. This must offer the White House some hope: 

This one, too, perhaps. It’s Ronald Reagan’s approval: 

And, finally, Harry Truman: 

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The New York Times has a nifty interactive map that visualizes responses to Gallup’s polling about Americans’ quality of life. Very cool: 

Via Flowing Data