How is President Barack Obama handling his job as president? More than half of Americans –including Democrats- say his tenure has been a failure. This doesn’t bode well for one of our nation’s most historic presidents. The glow of promise from an agenda of hope and change promised by the first black president has worn off. ISIS, Russia, the economy, and several scandals exposed a lack of leadership.
A new Washington Post/ABC Poll finds that Americans 52-42 say Obama has been more of a failure than a success. Of that 52 percent, the degree of how strongly they think he failed is 39-13 strongly to somewhat strongly.
Mirroring overall numbers, 52 percent of Independents consider him a failure while only 40 percent consider him a success. Not surprisingly, almost a full majority of Republicans (92 percent) and three out of four conservatives consider him a failure. The biggest surprises come among the liberal base. One in four Democrats (25 percent) and nearly one in three liberals (29 percent) call him a failure.
What’s driving this failing grade? Nearly two in three Americans feel things in this country have gotten seriously off track. Across the board, majorities of Americans disapprove of his handling of national and international issues: the economy (54 percent), international affairs (56 percent), immigration (59 percent), and implementation of his own signature healthcare reform plan (56 percent).
And remember all of his talk of being a uniter? Fifty-five percent of Americans think he has done more to divide the country rather than unite (8 percent).
The Washington Post analyses some of these results:
Now, we shouldn't read too much into these numbers. The question is a binary one, in which people are asked to choose between "success" or "failure," with no third option offered (though people were allowed to volunteer one). If the question was "failure or not" rather than "failure or success," you'd likely see fewer people choosing the f-word.
The numbers also track very closely with Obama's overall approval ratings, which stood at 51-42 disapproval among all Americans and 54-42 disapproval among registered voters. But it's not a perfect correlation, as 12 percent of Americans who approve of Obama say he is a failure, and 8 percent who disapprove of him still say he's been a success.
Regardless, the numbers demonstrate that opposition to Obama's presidency isn't shallow. The fact that people are willing to use the f-word as much as they are — regardless of the alternative — suggests it's not just about the man and what he's done; it's also about the results he's gotten.
The Post’s analysis says it all.
The president touts tepid numbers to demonstrate successes under his presidency but Americans know what they experience on a day-to-day basis. Life under President Obama hasn’t delivered what many Americans expected, especially young Americans. That’s probably the reason they would be willing to recall him today if they could.
An economy that’s hobbling along with workers consistently dropping out the job market is not a signal of success. Neither are the beheadings of American citizens overseas met by a response from the White House many find tepid. As Ferguson, Mo., erupted in violence, the President took days to leave the golf course for a quick press conference before going right back to vacation.
Is it any wonder why the majority of Americans give him a failing grade?