Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll: Obama Increases Support

Take that Rush Limbaugh…Take that Sean Hannity: a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds President Elect Barack Obama is gaining support — but the incoming President might well remember the old saying “the bigger they are, the harder they fall”:

President-elect Barack Obama is entering the White House with an enormous reservoir of goodwill from an American public that is rooting for his success in the face of bad economic times, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds.

The mood presents opportunities as well as perils for Mr. Obama, who confronts a series of challenges amid expectations he will handle them well.

Overall, a majority of Americans are confident in Mr. Obama’s ability to govern and unify the country, with many who didn’t vote for him now seeing him in a positive light. The poll found that 73% of adults approve of the way he is handling the transition and his preparations for becoming president.

…Polling indicates that the nation is more unified around Mr. Obama than it was for either Bill Clinton in 1992 or George W. Bush in 2000. Americans say the challenges, too, are greater, with 77% of those surveyed predicting Mr. Obama will face bigger problems than most recent presidents have.

So far, Americans are buoyed. Mr. Obama is viewed favorably by more Americans than ever, and three of four say they can relate to him as their president.

Similarly, three of four say he has struck the right balance over how involved he should be in making policy before taking office. Two-thirds say they are generally pleased with the people he has appointed.

Those are good signs but also underscore exceedingly high expectations for Obama. If he veers too much away from the centrist path (too much to the left or too much to the right) he’ll likely lose support. And if he gets mired in a controversy that indicates he is just one more polarizing politician whose words need to be vetted by lawyers before Americans can discern what he really means, he will likely lose support.

The poll was also taken before the scandal breaking around Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s Senate Seat For Sale affair. Obama has called on the Governor to resign.

Here’s NBC’s Chuck Todd’s take on the poll and Obama’s prolonged Honeymoon: