Two new polls are providing a small boost to President Barack Obama after Democrats lost control of the Senate in last month's midterm elections.
Since taking executive action on immigration reform, which
will provide amnesty to about 5 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States, Obama's approval rating has soared among Hispanics — the demographic most affected by the new immigration law. The figure
now stands at 68 percent in a new Gallup poll, Obama's highest approval rating among Hispanics this year.
The previous weekly Gallup poll, the results of which were released early last week, showed that 58 percent of Hispanics held a favorable opinion of the president.
A CNN poll, meanwhile, shows that 52 percent of Americans think the new GOP-controlled Senate will lead to more gridlock on Capitol Hill. But 37 percent feel there will not be a change in the level of gridlock in Congress.
The CNN poll results demonstrate that Americans blame Republicans for Congress' lack of work output. Sixty-eight percent of Americans say members of the GOP are not cooperating well enough with Obama, compared to the 57 percent who feel the opposite is true.
The CNN poll also proves that 44 percent of Americans view the Democrat party favorably, while 41 percent feel the same about the Republican party.
Several experts and insiders have questioned the validity of Obama's immigration reform. Republican strategist Karl Rove said Monday the legality of Obama's actions
is "flimsy."
"[I]n my opinion and in the opinion of a lot of people I have talked to who are legal experts, the president's basis in law is flimsy, if not completely nonexistent," Rove said Monday.
"There is no authority, I believe, for a president to exempt an entire class of people from enforcement from the nation's immigration laws for a self-described period of time. There is no authority to do that. And, yet, that's exactly what he's done."