The Note: Obama's Latest Numbers
— -- NOTABLES
A FLATTENED APPROVAL RATING IS SOFTENED BY SOME UNDERLYING GAINS for Barack Obama in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll -- with no sign of tailwinds for the Republicans in Congress. After a 9-point jump in overall approval in January, Obama's landed at an even split: Forty-seven percent of Americans approve of his work in office, while 47 percent disapprove. Partisan and ideological divisions are profound, including a record low in approval from Republicans, according to ABC's GARY LANGER. http://abcn.ws/1xTftGw
BUT CONGRESS OVERALL, AND THE REPUBLICANS WHO NOW CONTROL IT, REMAIN IN CONSIDERABLY WORSE SHAPE, with 22 and 27 percent approval, respectively, LANGER notes. The latter shows no renaissance in GOP ratings after the party's big gains in last fall's midterm elections. Instead, perhaps given the fractious nature of the Republican caucus, the public by a 7-point margin says it's Obama who's taking a stronger leadership role in the government these days. That compares with a scant 2-point gap between them in January. Further, among people who see Obama as taking the leading role in Washington, 73 percent say that's a good thing. Among those who see the Republicans as taking the lead, fewer call it a good thing, 58 percent. http://abcn.ws/1xTftGw
THE DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS HAVE REBOUNDED FROM 30 PERCENT APPROVAL LAST OCTOBER, advancing by 8 points to come within a single point of their best since 2009. While hardly popular, they may be benefitting simply from not being at the helm. Congressional Republicans' approval rating, by contrast, is a non-significant +2 points from its level in mid-October. http://abcn.ws/1xTftGw
ANALYSIS
ABC's RICK KLEIN: The culture wars are raging again, bringing the predictable splits. Democrats say one thing; Republicans -- including all of the potential 2016ers -- say another, reflecting real divisions among voters. But there's something missing on the GOP side: some of the biggest voices in the business community. Leading the way in criticizing the new Indiana law and its cousins in other states are titans of the corporate world: Apple, Walmart, Marriott, Eli Lilly, even Indiana's Chamber of Commerce. There are few signs that corporate leaders' splits with the political right will last permanently, or matter for things like campaign contributions. But it's instructive to see how things are lining up in this fight. It's as if big slices of corporate America are glimpsing a demographic and ideological future ahead of their political counterparts.
THE BUZZ
with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
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