Obama’s bounce is gone, Republicans unhappy with candidates, according to new poll

A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll is the latest to show that the boost President Obama received following the death of Osama bin Laden was short-lived, and that both Democrats and Republicans have reason to be anxious about the 2012 campaign.

The survey, conducted from June 9 through Monday, shows that Obama’s approval rating now stands at 49%, down from 52% since last month and even with where he tested before Bin Laden was killed.

That rating is actually rather strong considering that only 29% of respondents feel that the nation is heading in the right direction, and 62% say it’s on the wrong track. Obama does get a poorer grade for his handling of the economy: Just 41% approve. That figure actually improved since May, but it’s still his second-lowest showing on that question.

Looking ahead to the 2012 campaign, the survey asked all respondents if they would vote for Obama or a Republican candidate. Forty-five percent said they’d probably vote for the president -- unchanged since May -- while 40% said they’d probably vote for the Republican, a 10-point jump.

For Republicans, there is still uncertainty about their field of candidates. Forty-five percent say they are satisfied with the announced candidates, with just as many dissatisfied. Four years ago nearly three in four Republicans were happy with the roster of candidates.

That sentiment is reflected in the national horse race of Republican candidates. Two of the top four Republicans -- Sarah Palin and Rick Perry -- have not taken any formal steps toward running.

Romney is the clear front-runner with 30% support among registered Republican voters, followed by Palin at 14% and Herman Cain at 12%. Ron Paul (7%), Newt Gingrich (6%), Tim Pawlenty (4%), Rick Santorum (4%) and Michele Bachmann (3%) round out the field.

With Palin, Perry and Cain removed from the list of choices, Romney’s lead jumps to 43%, followed by Paul and Bachmann at 11%.

In a hypothetical Obama-Romney matchup, Obama leads 49-43. Obama would lead Pawlenty 50-37.

Generally, an incumbent who is below 50% in either approval rating or in head-to-head matchups is considered vulnerable -- meaning Obama is just barely treading water at this point.

And the economy is a major reason why. Only 29% of voters think the economy will get better in the next year, while 30% say it will get worse and 39% say it will stay about the same. The number who feel the economy will get worse is the highest since April 2009, two months after Obama signed stimulus legislation.

Today, 45% of respondents say the stimulus will not help the economy. Sixty-two percent say Obama inherited the economic situation versus 25% who say Obama’s policies are responsible.

Congress gets very low marks, with only 18% approval. That’s the lowest rating since March 2010, at the climax of the health care debate.

The poll had a 3.1% margin of error for the full sample.