What’s Up?

For reasons that are not obvious to me, President Obama’s stature with the American people seems to be undergoing a resurgence. Check out the uptick in Rasmussen’s approval index over the last few days:

More broadly, Obama’s approval/disapproval ratio among likely voters has climbed to 49/50, his best showing in a long time.
What’s driving the improvement? Presumably the State of the Union and Obama’s newfound focus on the deficit. It’s sobering that a few gestures in the direction of moderation can have so much impact; it suggests, too that, Obama still enjoys a reservoir of good will among many voters, despite his performance over the last 12 months.