Obama’s approval rating reaches 50%, says poll

The latest New York Times/CBS News poll shows that tentative optimism over economic improvement has given President Barack Obama’s ratings a boost, with his overall approval rating finally hitting 50 percent.

According to the poll, conducted between Feb. 8 and 13, around 34 percent of Americans see economic improvement, up from 28 percent who thought so the previous month. CBS News said, “While more than four in 10 think the economy is stuck in place, the percentage that says it is improving is the highest it has been in nearly two years.”

The New York Times noted that economic improvements such as job growth, the bullish stock market and improving consumer demand have contributed to the more optimistic view on the economy, with Obama likely getting some of the credit for the improvement.

Obama’s approval rating is the highest it has been since May 2011, when Navy SEALs killed Osama Bin Laden.

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The Times analysis of the numbers said, “Polls can capture only a specific moment in time. To the extent that Mr. Obama’s improved standing is tied to the economy, it is tenuous.”

TIME noted that a recent survey by Pew Research Center for People & the Press had Obama going from neck-and-neck with Mitt Romney last fall to holding an eight-point lead this week.

Gallup polls about the economy and the future have been steadily climbing in recent months, and though Obama’s approval ratings have also seen an increase, they still hover below the 50 percent mark, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Meanwhile, Obama revealed his $3.8 trillion budget plan and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said, "The president’s budget is a gloomy reflection of his failed policies of the past, not a bold plan for America’s future," according to the Associated Press.

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