So Obama wants 2012 to be a referendum on his stewardship? Careful what you wish for...

Barack Obama, yesterday:

President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he'll be re-elected for a second term if voters feel like he's been on their side, working as hard as he can and getting things done.

"If they don't," the president said, "then I'll lose."

The blunt political assessment from Obama cast next year's presidential contest as a referendum on his leadership rather than a choice between him and whoever his GOP opponent will be.

"That's not to say that the other candidate is irrelevant," Obama said, "but it does mean that I'm probably going to win or lose depending on their assessment of my stewardship."

Let's skip the fact that Obama is claiming, once again, that all else is irrelevant save himself. Let's get to the "assessment of my stewardship" part. So how's that working out? According to the latest FOX News Poll...not so well:

Voters are more than twice as likely to say the economy is getting worse than to say it is getting better. The new poll found 58 percent of voters think the economy is getting worse. That’s up from 52 percent who felt that way last year and 42 percent in 2009.

Likewise, by a 15 percentage-point margin, more voters say the Obama administration has made the economy worse (49 percent) rather than better (34 percent).

While over half of Democrats think the Obama administration is helping, about one in six says it is making things worse (17 percent). Independents are 20 points more likely to think the White House is doing damage to the economy.

Meanwhile, a 58-percent majority thinks it is unfair for President Obama to continue to blame former President George W. Bush for the country’s economic problems..A majority of independents (61 percent) and 28 percent of Democrats think it is unfair for Obama to keep blaming Bush.

Ouch. And before you whine about this being a FOX News poll - which has steadfastly proven to be more spot-on than most of it's media competitors - check out PPP's polling.  And that, my friends, is a for-hire Democratic polling firm...

The whole "referendum on his stewardship" is just another Obama lie at worst, wishful thinking at best.  With absolutely no accomplishments to run on (ask yourself how well Obama will come off, shouting in a mike to roaring union thugs "We got our health care reform"!), by the time the presidential campaign kicks off, all the Democrats will have left to throw is large buckets of mud.  The media will help them, of course, but it won't help much.

Even a starving man will puke on a diet of sludge.  And he won't feed it to his family, either...