(Image source: White House Flickr)
 

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

President Obama’s approval ratings could be on the upswing.

That’s according to the latest from Gallup -- which has more Americans approving than disapproving of the presidents job approval for the first time since July.

47 percent approval. In terms of presidential polling -- it’s a far cry from this -- just over two months ago:

CNN: “A new Quinnipiac poll out this evening shows record low job approval rating for the president. 41% approve, 55% disapprove of how he’s handling his job.”

But numbers are just numbers until meaning is assigned. Cue Politico’s Byron Tau, who calls the uptick a “surge.”

“It's too soon to draw sweeping conclusions, but it seems that the standoff with House Republicans over the payroll tax cut did no damage at all to the president — and a further climb in the polls could mean that the White House won a significant public relations victory during the payroll tax cut debate.”

...Referring, of course to the weeks-long staring contest between Congressional Democrats and Republicans over one of the president’s year-end legislative priorities: extending jobless benefits and the payroll tax cut.

Townhall’s Kate Hicks notes... “The Republicans in the House did themselves no political favors by appearing obstinate... President Obama capitalized on the House GOP’s initial refusal, branding himself a tax-cutting champion of the middle class...”

So is Mr. Obama getting his groove back? MSNBC’s Kristen Welker says -- not necessarily.
 

“But as you know, Richard, these types of bounces can be short lived. I think they're encouraged by what they've seen, but they know this is not going to last into the long term.”

Count The Washington Post’s Jonathan Bernstein among the skeptics. He writes...

“It could easily be a meaningless blip, and he’ll be back in the low 40s in the next set of soundings. ... Of course, it could also be the first evidence of a real public opinion surge by the president. … I’m paying a lot more attention to economic indicators as hints to Obama’s fate than I am to either his approval ratings or, certainly, the goings on in Iowa and New Hampshire.”

The Obamas are currently on vacation in Hawaii.