Poll:  Most See Obama As A Failure.  No shit.  Excerpt:

A clear majority of Americans describe President Obama’s tenure as a “failure” according to a new poll released Monday.

The survey from IBD/TIPP indicates that 53 percent of adults in the United States now characterize Obama’s presidency as a “failure,” while 41 percent chalk it up as a success. Half of the people who live in states won by Obama see his tenure negatively, as do 59 percent of those aged 25-44 years old.

Some of the key groups remain solid in their support of the president, though. More than three-quarters of voters aged 18-24 see Obama’s presidency as a success, as do 54 percent of single women.

By contrast, only 32 percent of married women describe Obama as a success while 58 percent of independents see him as a failure.

What’s significant about this?

Note that the poll did not state a plurality; it’s not that 22% find Obama as a “complete failure” and 33% find him a “partial failure.”  There seems to be no such hedging here; taken as a whole, a clear majority, 53% of Americans, view the Obama Presidency as a failure.

A failure, True Believers.

Why would most Americans view this administration as a failure?

Bear in mind that not all of the Obama administration’s critics come from the right, although a clear majority probably does; but the President also has critics on the left.  His actions in the Middle East have led to a certain amount of criticism from the left, although much of that criticism seems strangely muted.  Those actions, by the way, were taken without the approval of Congress, and have been strangely unnoticed by the major media outlets who almost certainly would have let out howls of outrage had a President Romney taken those same actions.

But a large part of the President’s unpopularity probably comes from his disengagement.  Of late the President seems to be phoning it in.  He’s not listening to his advisors.  He’s vacillating.  He’s disengaged.

Part of the reason may be the increasing likelihood of a GOP takeover of the Senate next month.  If that happens, the President will no longer have the luxury of being disengaged, as there will be a blizzard of GOP-passed bills arriving on his desk, which he will have to veto or sign.  The GOP will not have the votes to overturn a veto, of course, but they will be forcing the President, and by proxy the Democrats in Congress, to take some stands they may be uncomfortable taking.

Were the parties reversed, a Democrat Congress would be doing the same thing to a Republican President.  That’s the way this game is played.  But that won’t help a lame-duck Obama over the next two years.  And it sure as hell won’t help whatever may be left of his “legacy.”

 

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