Obama's approval rating hits all-time low

According to a new NBC / Wall Street Journal poll, just 42 percent approve of the job he's doing as president — down 10 points from when he began his second term in office earlier this year. (Via CNN)

The poll also shows that for the first time during his presidency, there are more negative feelings about the president than positive ones. (Via Fox News, MSNBC)

The news comes after a difficult past few months for the administration, which includes the botched roll-out of the HealthCare.gov website, the government shutdown, perceived mishandlings on issues surrounding Syria, revelations about NSA spying, and IRS targeting of political groups. (Via Al Jazeera)

But the president is not alone.

The GOP is also seeing its lowest positive / negative rating of all-time, with just 22% giving the party a positive review. (Via MSNBC)

And the poll shows both the GOP and the tea party are taking a larger percentage of the blame for the government shutdown than the president or the Democrats. (Via CBS)

The results appear to have erased any advantages the president and Democrats may have gained during the shutdown, while revealing growing public pessimism with the current direction of the country.

"Only 22 percent [believe] the nation is headed in the right direction … " While "Seventy-four percent believe Congress is contributing to problems in Washington rather than solving them … Sixty-three percent of voters want to replace their own member of Congress … the highest percentage ever recorded … And half of respondents … think it's likely that there will be another government shutdown." (Via NBC)

There is a silver-lining to the poll though, as Time puts it: "Finally, the President and the GOP have something in common."

- See more at newsy.com.