According to the latest Quinnipiac Poll after 199 days in office, President Barack Obama has a 50-42 percent job approval rating down 7 points in just the last month. (source) While there's no surprise in the way Democrats and Republicans judge Mr. Obama's performance (77% of Republicans disapprove while 85% of Democrats approve), it's the Independents who are really making the difference. This time they split 45-45, down from 52-37 on July 2.

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There are plenty of reasons for the dropping approval numbers: the failure of the massive stimulus bill, the deficit expansion, the cap & trade con, the health care reform con, the mishandling of the Gates/Crowley affair, the complete disrespect for dissenting opinion and the latest administration program - asking citizens to inform the government of "fishy" speech by other citizens.

But regardless of which reasons are dragging him down, he's taking the Democrats running for Governor in New Jersey and Virginia down with him. Those gubernatorial elections to be held in less than 90 days will be the first major indicators of how good or bad the Obama effect will be for his fellow Democrats.

Incumbent New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine has been flooding the television airwaves with commercials showing the president singing the governor's praises at a July rally while members of the audience enthusiastically wave their professionally printed Corzine/Obama signs. According to the latest poll the governor's Republican challenger Chris Christie is ahead by 15 points. (source) That's an astounding lead in a state as traditionally "blue" as New Jersey.

Meanwhile in Virginia, where Candidate Obama was the first Democrat to win Virginia's presidential vote in 40 years, hope and change didn't turn out quite the way they thought it would. A Public Policy Polling survey released Wednesday shows the president with only a 42 percent approval rating among likely voters in Virginia and a 6 point lead (53-47) for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell over his Democratic challenger Creigh Deeds. (source) President Obama is campaigning for Mr. Deeds Thursday night at an event in Northern Virginia. After looking at recent national polls and those in New Jersey, that might be the best thing the president can do for Mr. McDonnell.