As has already been mentioned on this blog, polling three days after the death of Osama Bin Laden revealed a six-percent increase in President Obama's approval rating. But according to a recent Gallup article, increased approval of President Obama's job performance has not improved the President's chances at re-election in 2012. Among registered voters, 43% said they were more likely to vote for President Obama over an unnamed Republican, while 40% said they were more likely to choose the Republican over Obama. These results are essentially unchanged--the difference being statistically insignificant--from the 41% of registered voters who said in April that they were more likely to vote for Obama.Because Republicans--and to a lesser degree independents--provided most of the boost in Obama's approval rating following Bin Laden's death, more registered voters may approve more highly of Obama without lending him their support over a Republican in the 2012 election. According to Gallup, while Bin Laden's death improved many Republicans' views of the President, it "convinced few in this largely conservative voting bloc to switch sides in the 2012 general election."

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