American Pessimism Hits 2-Year High

It's springtime—and despair is in the air, according to the latest New York Times/CBS poll. Americans are more pessimistic about the economy and the direction the nation is headed than at any time since the start of the Obama administration, when the country was deep in recession, the poll found. The number of people who think the economy is getting worse saw a 13-percentage-point boost in just one month, and 57% now disapprove of Obama's handling of it.

Some 70% of poll respondents feel America is heading in the wrong direction, and 75% disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job. President Obama fared somewhat better, with 46% saying they approve of his overall performance in office. House Speaker John Boehner, after 100 days in the job, had the approval of 32% of poll respondents, while 41% disapproved of his job performance and 27% had no opinion. (More unemployment stories.)