The decline in Obama's popularity during the first 2 years of his administration is really quite typical of what happens with a great many American presidents, and it's very similar to what happened with Reagan's popularity in his first 2 years. (see charts in Wesley's post above)

Reagan's popularity was boosted shortly before the midterm elections in '83 by 2 events:

"1983 began for Reagan with a 35% job approval rating -- the worst of his administration -- (but then) things started to look better.

His ratings moved back above 50% by November 1983 -- not only because the economy was picking up, but also in part as a result of rally effects associated with the U.S. invasion of Grenada and the terrorist explosion that killed 241 American Marines in Beirut, Lebanon."

So, it is just as I said in my post above. To get low popularity ratings moving back up, an American president needs one of two things to happen: either some kind of attack by foreigners on Americans...or a noticeable improvement in the economy. Either of those two things can sometimes be adroitly arranged by an administration and strategically timed to affect a midterm election...or a presidential election...and they sometimes have been so arranged. It's much harder, though, to arrange an economic recovery than it is to arrange a military "crisis" involving some Third World nation...or a group of multi-national terrorists. The CIA and other covert agencies are in the business of arranging things like that when they are deemed expedient.

And that's not something new that America invented. Hell, no. ;-) Great military powers have been doing that sort of thing for thousands of years. It does wonders for promoting loyalty and patriotism.