As noted below, the right track/wrong direction question in the AP-CNBC poll is at an all-time low. Looking at the RCP average, I see it’s been pretty consistently lousy since summer of last year.

For independents, the election of Obama was a leap of faith. He clearly didn’t have a great record of solving thorny problems, but he seemed confident and made his case in an inspiring way, so a lot of politically ambivalent Americans jumped on the bandwagon and hoped for the best. They felt like they knew what they would get with McCain and Palin.

Here we are, nearly two years later, and the morning headlines are a cavalcade of bad news: Hundreds of thousands of cables sent from our embassies to Foggy Bottom are now on the Internet; North Korea remains uncontrollable and dangerous; would-be Islamist terrorists are trying to plant bombs at Portland Christmas-tree lighting ceremonies; Afghan troops whom we’re trying to train turn their guns on our own soldiers; the Senate resists giving up its earmarks; Charlie Rangel whines that a censure is too much punishment for his wrongdoing; and unemployment remains stubbornly close to 10 percent. There has been no hope, no change, no sudden Era of Good Feelings either here or abroad. The problems that Democrats insisted were the fault of Bush are in fact pervasive in the system of government. Obama pledged a government that was more efficient, more effective, more bang for the buck, and more responsive to Americans. He has delivered none of this.