The second thing to remember is that job approval is only one measure of how well a president connects with the electorate.

At the conclusion of his Wednesday appearance on Fox News, insolent interviewer Bret Baier interrupted the president for the umpteenth time to ask him if he thought that the health care bill would pass. Obama responded with a familiar line: “I do. I’m confident it will pass. And the reason I’m confident that it’s going to pass is because it’s the right thing to do.”

This idea that he wants reform “because it’s the right thing to do” resonates with people. Whether they agree with him or not, they seem to genuinely believe that he has good intentions and that he is, at his base, a good man. This view of him has so penetrated the public that it often goes unspoken.

But, it shows up in the polls, albeit in indirect ways.

For instance, a Pew Research Center poll released on Thursday found that despite Obama’s 46 percent approval rating, 61 percent of Americans still say that he is inspiring. Furthermore, 57 percent describe him as decisive, 54 percent say that he still makes them feel hopeful and 49 percent said that he still makes them feel proud. Only about a third would describe him in negative terms like arrogant and detached, or would say that he makes them feel angry.