Obama Job Approval Low At Yearend.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 24% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-two percent (42%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -18

Twenty-nine percent (29%) now say the country is heading in the right direction.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of those with health insurance say it’s at least somewhat likely that passage of health care reform could force them to change their insurance coverage. That figure is essentially unchanged since June when the public debate over the legislation began. Seventy-eight percent (78%) say it’s at least somewhat likely that the proposed health care reform legislation will cost more than projected.

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, 62% of American adults said they’d be awake to welcome in the new year. Half expect to kiss someone at midnight and more people will pray than drink.

The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve.

Overall, 46% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President’s performance. At the time of his Inauguration, the President’s approval rating was at 61%.

Fifty-three percent (53%) now disapprove.

Confidence in the War on Terror has fallen following the Christmas Day airline attack. For the first time since October 2007, the number who believe the terrorists are winning has reached 30%. Just 36% believe the U.S. and its allies are winning. Confidence about the situation in Afghanistan is down as well.

In Nebraska, just 17% approve of the Medicaid deal cut by Senator Ben Nelson to secure his vote on health care reform. Nelson is now down by 30 points in an early look at his 2012 Reelection Bid. Republicans now lead by five points on the Generic Congressional Ballot. That’s a big change from the seven-point lead enjoyed by Democrats when President Obama was inaugurated.