Obama enjoys a 50 percent approval rating ahead of the State of the Union

A rising economy and increased optimism about the overall direction of the country have boosted Obama's approval ratings to levels he hasn't seen since the spring of 2013, according to a Post-ABC poll. Lower gas prices are also helping Americans' economic outlook, and consumer confidence is at its highest level since the recession began in 2008.

President Obama will, for the first time in his presidency, address a Republican Congress in his State of the Union address Tuesday. He is expected to call for reshaping the tax code by raising rates and fees for high income-earners and big financial firms while cutting taxes for the middle class.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.