12/07/11: Obama’s job approval rating has ticked down to 41% in Gallup's latest daily tracking poll, with his disapproval at 51%

It's a drop from where Obama stood at the beginning of December 2011 and reflects the widest gap between his approval and disapproval numbers in Gallup's polling in recent weeks. Obama has tried to go on the offensive against congressional Republicans this fall, most recently during a speech in Kansas in which he channeled Teddy Roosevelt and his call for a square deal. Obama is portraying himself as a battler for the middle class, and Republicans as protectors of the rich. The more aggressive posture has been accompanied with a modicum of good economic news, most recently a drop in the unemployment figure, which has boosted Democratic hopes that Obama can win another term. But the Gallup polling suggests that Obama has his work cut out for him. While his approval numbers show about 40% of voters are with him steadily, he hasn't polled higher than 45% since late July 2011, when he managed a 46% approval rating.