Following on the heels of other political groups, President Obama's liberal base is abandoning him, giving him an even lower level of support from his base than George W. Bush had from conservatives five years into his presidency, according to a new Pew Research Center poll.

Just 54 percent of liberal Democrats strongly approve of Obama in their new poll. For Bush at this stage of his presidency, 65 percent of conservatives strongly supported the Republican.

Worse for Obama: Younger liberals have lost their thrill for Obama more than older liberals. Of those aged 18-49, just 46 percent strongly approve of the president, 39 percent “not so strongly,” said Pew.

Some 65 percent of older liberals approve of Obama “very strongly,” compared to 20 percent who chose “not so strongly.”

“Although 90 percent approval among liberal Democrats is historically a solid showing for Obama, the 54 percent share who strongly approve is tied for worst among the 13 times over his presidency that Pew Research has asked about approval strength. This June, the most recent time we had asked about approval strength, 73 percent of liberal Democrats strongly approved of Obama and 17 percent approved not so strongly of his job,” said Pew in its poll analysis.

Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com.