Job fears grip U.S. voters, Obama ratings crumble

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – More Americans now  disapprove of President Barack Obama than approve of him as  high unemployment and government spending scare voters ahead of  November’s congressional elections, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed  yesterday.

In the latest grim news for Obama’s Democrats, 72 percent  of people said they were very worried about joblessness and 67  percent were very concerned about government spending.

The unemployment rate of 9.5 percent and the huge budget  deficit are dragging down the Democrats and eating away at  Obama’s popularity only 20 months after he took office on a  wave of hope that he could turn around the economy.

Another bit of bad economic data arrived yesterday when    the National Association of Realtors reported sales of existing  homes plummeted in July to their slowest pace in 15 years.

Piling the pressure on Obama, the top Republican in the  House of Representatives called on the administration’s  economic team to quit.