In a CNN poll released today, 43% of Americans said things in the country were going either "very" or "fairly" well, the highest level of confidence CNN has measured since April 2007. That result also represents a 14-point increase from just one month ago, when only 29% of Americans said the country was in good shape.

Despite the surge in optimism, the majority of Americans are still generally pessimistic about the state of the nation. Fifty-six percent of respondents said the country was faring "very" or "pretty" badly. Still, that's down from 71% one month ago, and significantly lower than the record high of 83% that CNN measured in November 2008.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/...007.php?ref=fpa

In 2008, President Obama became the first Democratic presidential nominee to carry North Carolina in 32 years. A new PPP poll now shows him gaining momentum toward taking that state again in 2012, with the President posting a positive approval rating there for the first time in a year and for the first time leading in hypothetical matchups with all four of the frontrunners for the GOP nomination.

In the poll, 49% of respondents said they approved of Obama's job performance, while 47% said they disapproved of the job he was doing. That's a five-point swing from last month, when North Carolinians disapproved of Obama by a 46% to 49% split, and it's the first time since December 2009 that Obama has held a net positive approval rating in the state.

In head-to-head matchups, Obama led four GOP candidates by margins of three to nine points. Mitt Romney polled closest to Obama, trailing the President 47% to 44%. Mike Huckabee--who led Obama by four points in November, and by one point in December--saw his lead erode entirely so that he now trails Obama by four points, 49% to 45%. Obama also led Newt Gingrich 50% to 44%, and topped Sarah Palin 50% to 41%.

In 2008, Obama barely slipped past McCain to win North Carolina by about 14,000 votes, or 0.4%.

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