A week after an NBC News poll showed that the American people had lost faith in Obama’s competence and ability to lead, a new CBS News/New York Times poll has even worse news for a president embattled by his own incompetence, arrogance, and failed policies.
In just one month, the president’s job approval rating has shifted a full 9 points against him. Though Obama was still upside on approval by 5 points (43-48%) back in May, he now faces a 14 point deficit of 40-54%.
In just one month, disapproval of Obama’s foreign policy has skyrocketed a full 10 points to a record high of 58%. With only 36% approving, that ties this poll’s record low in this category.
In the run up to his re-election, when the president was triumphantly declaring the Iraq issue settled and Al Qaeda decimated, foreign policy was one of the president’s strengths. At the time, the president’s approval ratings on this front hovered at or near 50%.
Now that both of those boasts have been proven a lie; the infamous Russian “reset” has resulted in Putin seizing Crimea, and Obama’s infamous “red line” resulted in the use of chemical weapons against civilians becoming acceptable again as a full-blown human rights disaster unfurls in Syria, the Emperor is buck naked.
On the question of the president’s handling of Iraq, Obama’s standing has flipped entirely. Back in October of 2011, the last time the Times asked about Iraq, Obama stood at a healthy 60% approval, 30% disapprove.
Today, with an al Qaeda affiliated terrorist group creating its own country by seizing large parts of Iraq (and Syria), only 37% approve of the president’s handling of Iraq while 52% disapprove.
This has to be especially frustrating for the White House. Though they did so prematurely and based only on wishful thinking, the Administration had deluded themselves into believing Iraq could be checked off as Mission Accomplished.
On the larger question of whether his policies have made the country more or less safe, Obama has earned his worst numbers yet. Currently 36% believe we are “less safe.” The previous high in this poll was 28%. Only 29% believe we are safer under Obama, while 31%believe his policies have had “no effect.”
Though time and again we have been assured by his fans in the media that Obama is the greatest orator of his time, the American people are overwhelmingly unhappy with the president’s ability to communicate his goals in Iraq. Despite repeated statements made by the White House and even by the president himself, only 23% believe Obama has “clearly explained” our goals. A whopping 67% disagree.
On his handling of the economy, Obama remains in the same trouble he has been in since late last year. Currently, the president is 13 points underwater at 41 – 54%.
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