by Kayla Hamilton

In his first few months of office, President Barrack Obama had approval ratings somewhere along the average of seventy percent of the American people, with disapproval of a mere thirty percent. The tables have seemed to turn with recent events for his approval has dropped to a miniscule amount of fifty-two percent, twenty points since his start in the presidential office.

Some presidents just have a rough time in office during tough economic and war times. However, Gallup.com reports that if the President’s approval keeps decreasing and hits below fifty percent before November, it would be the third most drastic approval drop in history since WWII. This decrease would be third only to former presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton.

In recent weeks, Obama has been facing much criticism from late-night TV show programs such as Saturday Night Live and the Jay Leno Show, which may start to wear and tear his popularity. The famous SNL skit depicts actor Fred Armisen (playing Obama) giving a presidential address from the White House on just what he ‘has’ and ‘has not’ accomplished.

The skit starts off with Obama addressing the American public. “There are those on the right who are angry. They think that I’m turning this great country into something that resembles the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany, but that’s just not the case. Because when you look at my record it’s very clear what I’ve done so far and that is nothing. Nada. Almost one year and nothing to show for it.”

The skit went on to give the public a checklist on all of the Presidents ‘accomplishments.’ On the list are issues such as global warming, torture prosecutions, and withdrawing from Iraq. What is the one thing in common among all the things on this list? All are not done.

There are some places you can go and find all of the things Obama has done. PolitiFact.com is a non-party affiliated organization devoted on giving straight up facts both ways in the political system. Promises kept include expand funding for small businesses, the National Endowment for the Arts, and funding another space shuttle to NASA’s agenda.

While these are important things to focus on, it seems to a majority people that the President’s biggest accomplishment is spending money. Mark Knoller, in an article for CBS, reports that with the current rate of spending, it is projected that the U.S. will have a national debt from ten trillion to fourteen trillion by next year. He continues to estimate that by 2013 the debt will find itself at $17.1 trillion dollars. While former president George W. Bush had the highest national debt ever recorded (a record increase from six to ten trillion over an eight-year span,) it appears that Obama could blow everyone else out of the water with his budget plans.

In the last week however, his approval ratings have increased six percent. What is the reason for a jump on the Obama-meter? Winning the Nobel Peace Prize. As it has said before though, with power comes great responsibility for there has been much skepticism on whether or not this was an earned and worthy achievement.

The committee that chooses its delegates comments that they picked Obama because of his ‘extraordinary efforts’ and his ‘vision of a world without nuclear weapons.’ Much scrutiny comes from the fact that nominations for the prize were due only twelve days after Obama took office.

If some of these doubts are not enough to turn the public opinion, Jay Leno as SNL says it best. “That’s pretty amazing, winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Ironically, his biggest accomplishment as president so far? Winning the Nobel Peace Prize.”