Poll: Improved economic outlook boosts approval for Obama

Buoyed by some good economic news and a surge of goodwill from his base of supporters, President Barack Obama is seeing his approval rating rise.

The survey found the apparent uptick in approval extended across issues, including foreign affairs, immigration and, most notably the economy, where people said they felt slightly better about their own prospects and Obama's stewardship.

Asked about their opinion of Obama more generally, those surveyed were more likely to give him a positive rating than any of the candidates for president, Republican or Democrat.

Compared with his predecessors, he's well above Republican George W. Bush, who had about a 30 percent approval rating at this point in his presidency, but below Democrat Bill Clinton's roughly 60 percent, according to polls conducted by Gallup.

While the poll found an increase in approval among Democrats and with people under 50, there's no evidence that Republican opposition is thawing or that the president has become a less polarizing figure.

Obama has been quick to take aim at GOP candidates.

[...] he probably will be a force in the campaign, working to fire up his core coalition of young, African-American and Hispanic voters, and backers in Rust Belt states, where he has continued to show strength.