After South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson shouted, "You lie!" as President Obama pitched health care to a joint session of Congress, even Republicans ran from their rude colleague. Two months later, however, most Americans are reaching a similar conclusion about Obama, and not just on health care. They now believe Obama was not honest about how he would govern. His campaign promises, they say, bear little resemblance to the president he is. They believed him when he said he was a moderate who would lead from the center. But a clear majority, 54 percent, now says the president is "mostly liberal" and his policies tilt left. Barack Obama They're not happy, because that's not what they expected or wanted. That's the finding of a USA Today/Gallup survey that could be the most important of Obama's rocky tenure. It goes a long way to explaining why he could not rescue fellow Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races and why his signature policies, from the stimulus to health care to cap-and-trade, are unpopular. Quite simply, the president is squandering the trust the American people vested in him. It could not be otherwise when so many suspect he pulled the wool over their eyes to get elected. Analyzing the poll, Gallup editor Lydia Saad writes that only 48 percent of the 1,521 adults surveyed in mid-October say Obama has kept his campaign promises, a sharp decline from the 65 percent who felt that way in April. She calls this a "re-evaluation of Obama's ideological orientation" and says it is a "fundamental indicator" of his falling approval ratings. The poll, which didn't track specific policies, leaves little room for doubt, with 48 percent also saying Obama "has not" kept his promises. Only 4 percent were undecided. Although the poll's 55 percent personal approval rating is higher than other firms', most of which are closer to 50 percent, it marks a major decline from Gallup's 78 percent when Obama took office. One telling fact is that Obama has lost ground with every group except those who self-identify as liberal Democrats. Moderate and conservative Dems, along with independents and Republicans, are registering complaints. In that sense, it is unanimous he has turned left. That corresponds with Tuesday's election results, where independents in New Jersey and Virginia backed Republicans by more than 2 to 1. The same group backed Obama last year. Earlier Gallup surveys showed most people don't believe Obama can end political polarization or curb federal spending. Source: New York Post