Majority calls Obama a failure

A new poll from the Washington Post and ABC News released on Tuesday shows that a majority of Americans believe that Barack Obama is a failure as president. Fifty-two percent of registered voters say that the Obama Administration has been a failure while only 42 percent call it a success.

The poll also found that voters disapprove of Obama’s handling of a variety of issues by strong margins. Obama’s overall approval as president and his handling of the economy were both at 41 percent. Approval for international affairs and the handling of the health law was at 38 percent. Obama’s handling of immigration had the approval of only 31 percent.

Thirty-one percent also believe that the country is on the wrong track. Seventy-four percent are dissatisfied with the way the federal government works. Of these, 25 percent are angry at the federal government.

Most voters feel that Obama is not a strong leader (55 percent) and is too cautious in international affairs (53 percent). Fifty-five percent believe that he has done more to divide the country than unite it. On the other hand, even after numerous scandals, a slight majority (49 percent) believe that he is honest and trustworthy and understands the problems of people like them.

With respect to the upcoming election, 35 percent rate the economy and jobs as the most important issue. At the same time, 69 percent rate the economy as poor or not so good. Voters believe that Republicans can do a better job on the economy by a 45-40 margin.

On Obamacare, 52 percent of voters disapprove while 43 percent favor the law. Even though most voters dislike the law, 57 percent think that it should go ahead. Only 39 percent of voters favor a repeal of Obamacare.

The news is not all bad for Democrats, however. Only 15 percent approve of Congress, but congressional Democrats have a higher approval rating (33 percent) than Republicans (21 percent). Forty-five percent approve of the job that their own representative is doing. Democrat voters are also more enthusiastic about voting (71 percent) than Republicans (63 percent).

The most heartening item for the Democrats may be in an analysis of the demographics of the poll by the Washington Post’s Aaron Blake. Blake points out that while 25 percent of Democrats and 29 percent of liberals consider Obama a failure, there is one important demographic group that considers him a success. Moderate voters consider Obama a success by a slight margin (48-44 percent). This is the group that decides many elections.

 

Read the full article on National Elections Examiner