President Obama's base is standing by him, concludes a Pew Research Center poll conducted Dec. 9-13.
The survey of 1,504 adults found an overall approval rating of 49 percent, and no sign of disenchantment among Obama's Democratic Party base.
Of those who identified themselves as liberal Democrats, 67 percent were unable to think of anything that has disappointed them about Obama's performance so far.
The wide-ranging poll also asked questions about the Republican Party, and found wide-open opportunities for a GOP star to break out: among all adults surveyed, 77 percent told pollsters they don't know who leads the party, or said that nobody does. That also was the answer from 72 percent of Republicans.
The name identified most often as the leader of the GOP was Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the party's 2008 presidential nominee. His name was mentioned by 9 percent of Republicans and 9 percent of the total survey sample. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was the runner-up among Republicans, named by 5 percent of those surveyed. Looking at the wider sample, the runner-up name was Rush Limbaugh, selected by 3 percent of those surveyed.