Politics / President Obama Obama Hits 51% Disapproval as Speech Looms Just 44% approve of his job in office By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff Posted Sep 6, 2011 8:28 AM CDT Copied President Barack Obama walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington as he returns from a trip to Detroit where he addressed a Labor Day rally, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) With a major speech approaching, President Obama's disapproval ratings have once again climbed above 50%, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds. While 44% of Americans approve of Obama's work in office, the new poll finds that 51% disapprove. Some 44% say they're likely to vote Republican over Obama in the next election, while 40% say they prefer the president, in a reversal from June's numbers. Meanwhile, 73% see the country headed in the wrong direction—the highest such figure since 2008, the Journal notes. More than 70% say things will get worse before the economy bottoms out. (More President Obama stories.) Report an error