As the debate continues over how best to handle the nation’s “fiscal cliff” mess, President Obama’s negotiation skills sure aren’t helping his approval rating — down 5 points since Christmas:

In Gallup’s three-day tracking period that ended on Dec. 23, the poll’s last day before Christmas, 37 percent said they disapproved of the job Obama was doing as president and 57 percent said they approved. That was the lowest disapproval Obama had enjoyed since Gallup’s three-day tracking period that ended on Aug. 1, 2009.

Over the four days that Gallup polled after Christmas, however, Obama’s approval dropped 4 points to 53 percent and his disapproval climbed five points to 42 percent. That is where it stood on Dec. 29, the most recent day of polling Gallup has reported in its presidential approval survey.