President Obama prepares to deliver his jobs speech to Congress last month (Jason Reed/Reuters)



President Obama prepares to deliver his jobs speech to Congress last month (Jason Reed/Reuters)



Barack Obama has jumped to a 15-point lead over the Republicans in Congress in trust to handle job creation, a sign the beleaguered president’s $450 billion jobs package has hit its mark in public opinion. Fifty-two percent support the plan – and most say it just might work. Overall approval of the U.S. Congress, meanwhile, has dropped to its lowest in polls dating back to the mid-1970s. And of the eight in 10 Americans who are dissatisfied with the way the country’s political system is working, more blame the Republicans in Washington than the president.

From the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll:

Before proposing the American Jobs Act, Obama and Republicans were trusted equally on job creation—an even split of 40% each. Now the numbers are 49%-34%, so not only has Obama gained, but Republicans have lost.

In addition to majority support for his jobs plan (52% to 36%), the poll showed nearly three-fifths of Americans think Obama's jobs plan will create jobs (58% to 39%).

These numbers aren't exactly a shock; after all, Obama has been pushing congressional Republicans to take action on job creation ... and congressional Republicans have refused to budge. So this is the kind of shift that you'd expect to see given the dynamic of how things are playing out, and you can bet your last dollar that Obama will continue to make his case for a jobs bill.

The political implications for Obama himself are obvious, but these kinds of numbers can increase the chances of actually getting something done on the jobs bill. For starters, the fact that the public is responding to Obama's leadership should give wavering congressional Democrats the confidence they need to stay united behind the jobs bill. And as for Republicans, the one thing they hate more than President Obama is the idea of losing their own jobs in Congress. And these numbers are a wakeup call to them: if they don't get on board, they are going to pay a price.