By Bob Morgan, Jr.

As the recession wears on, there are clear signs that the public is becoming a bit more demanding of the Obama administration.

President Obama remains popular overall. According to the daily Gallup tracking poll, Mr. Obama's current job performance rating among adults is 57 percent, a low point since he took office, but still highly respectable; his unfavorable rating is 35 percent. The Rasmussen tracking survey, which polls likely voters, a group generally less favorable to the President than adults as a whole, has the favorable rating at 55 percent with 44 percent opposed. (An equal number of Rasmussen likely voters (33%) "strongly approve" as "strongly disapprove" Mr. Obama's performance.) Other surveys of adults give Mr. Obama ratings even higher than Gallup, as high as 65 percent.

But while the public generally likes the President, his policies are coming under more scrutiny. For example, while the Administration has not exactly been shy about blaming George W. Bush for the bad economic signs, this approach may have its limitations. In the Rasmussen poll, 39% of respondents think that the country's economic problems are caused more by Mr. Obama's programs, a 12 point increase over the previous month, while the percentage blaming Mr. Bush, while still at 54%, was down from 62% in early June. In a Washington Post/ABC poll, 52% of respondents thought the stimulus was helping, down from 59% in April.

The President also faces tough sledding on two related issues, the deficit and health care. The deficit has become a major worry, with 58 percent of respondents in an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll believing that the President and Congress should focus on reducing the deficit even if it delays the economic recovery. When the NBC survey asked about the greatest problem facing the country, 24 percent said the deficit while 11 percent said health care. On the health front, while there is broad agreement that improvements in the system are needed, most Americans like their own coverage. The jury is definitely out on Mr. Obama's health plan, with 33 percent of NBC respondents in favor and 32 percent opposed.

Mr. Obama also is showing some weakness among independent voters, a group he carried by 52% to 44 % in the 2008 election. An article by The Wall Street Journal 's Gerald Seib notes that the president's approval rating among this group, which Mr. Seib calls the "canaries in the coal mine", dropped in the NBC poll from 60 percent in April to 45 percent. Apparently, a key problem is that these voters increasingly regard Mr. Obama as a liberal, while most independents (78% according to NBC) think of themselves as moderates or conservatives.

In addition to overall popularity, Mr. Obama does have one key advantage. At least at present, the Republican party stands in poor repute in a number of polls, with clear majorities of respondents having an unfavorable view of the party. Indeed, only 18% of independent voters in the NBC poll had a favorable opinion of the Republicans.

Nevertheless, there are some initial signs of unease with the directions that Mr. Obama is taking the country, unease that will surely strengthen if economic good times do not return soon.