I couldn't agree more. I think he really botched this, don't you?

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is getting poor marks from likely Arizona voters for his handling of the housing mortgage crisis, according to a new poll set for release today.

The statewide automated telephone survey of 600 likely voters found 54 percent disapproving of Obama's response to the mortgage meltdown. Another 30 percent approved of the job he has done while 16 percent are not sure.

The poll, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, was conducted from April 30 to May 2 by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling for Campaign for a Fair Settlement, a progressive coalition putting pressure on Obama to crack down on the banks that had roles in the housing mess.

Among independents, 54 percent disapproved of Obama performance on the housing issue while 21 percent approved and 25 percent weren't sure.

Arizona was among the top five states with the highest foreclosure rates between 2007 and 2010, and many homeowners remain mired in underwater mortgages.

Another poll question asked whether Arizona voters agreed that Obama has not done enough to hold banks responsible for the financial institutions' role in the housing crisis. The poll showed 40 percent strongly agreeing and another 25 percent somewhat agreeing. Another 17 percent somewhat disagreed and 9 percent strongly disagreed while 9 percent were not sure.

In response to a third question, 50 percent strongly agreed that the criminal actions by Wall Street executives contributed to the nation's economic troubles. Another 21 percent strongly agreed while 15 percent somewhat disagreed and 7 percent strongly disagreed. The other 7 percent was unsure.

In an interview that aired Tuesday on ABC's "The View," Obama touched on Wall Street reform in relation to the stunning $2 billion trading loss reported by banking giant JPMorgan Chase & Co.

"This is the best, or one of the best, managed banks," Obama said. "You could have a bank that isn't as strong, isn't as profitable, making those same bets and we might have had to step in. And that's exactly why Wall Street reform is so important."

Nowicki is The Republic's national political reporter. He is reporting this week from Washington, D.C.


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