Obama's electioneering on 'taxing the rich' and tough talk on the deficit appears to be having an effect on public opinion regarding how liberal he is percieved.

According to the most recent Rasmussen survey, fewer voters believe that Obama is more liberal than they are:

As they have consistently, voters continue to believe that President Obama is more liberal than they are, though that number has reached a new low.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters think President Obama is more liberal than they are. In early June, 54% felt the president was more liberal than they are. Prior to the latest survey, the number of voters who feel this way has ranged from 54% to 61%. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Just 15% feel the president is politically more conservative than they are, the highest level measured to date. Twenty-six percent (26%) believe the president's ideology is about the same as their own.

Eighty-three percent (83%) of Republicans think the president is more liberal than they are. Among Democrats, a plurality (49%) say they share a similar ideology to the president, 26% say he is more conservative than they are, and 20% say he is more liberal. A majority (55%) of voters not affiliated with either major political party believe the president is more liberal than they are.

The GOP has not been reminding voters who is responsible for this fiscal mess in the first place. Obama is coming off like a born-again budget cutter after spending record amounts of money the first three years of his presidency. He also continues to talk like a moderate at times, while taking extreme liberal actions. This political sleight of hand has to be exposed as well.

It will be interesting to see if those numbers start climbing again once campaign commercials start being played in earnest.