Special to the AmNews
As if we needed another poll about the approval of President Barack Obama, Newsmax, an independent website, so it claims, is in the process of compiling impressions, and thus far it isn’t looking good for our graying leader.
It’s not necessary to see the results of the several questions they asked to see where it all leads. Overall, do you approve or disapprove of Obama’s job performance? Seventy-two percent (410,161 votes) disapprove and 27 percent (153,249 votes) approve.
Let’s try one more question just to assure you of the respondents’ reaction to the president. Compared to other presidents, how would you rate Obama? Four percent found him average (25,308 votes); 23 percent rated him better than most (134,446 votes); and 71 percent ranked him among the worst with (404,584 votes).
The results here are very similar to several other recent polls that have not been favorable for Obama. Remember the one conducted a few months ago that said Obama was the worst president since World War II? It seems like every media outlet has a poll, and it may be time for us, here at the Amsterdam News, to conduct one of our own. Chances are, Obama would do much better among our readers. So it’s always wise to consider the source and the people being polled.
Of course, the president has not made his situation any better with a rash of poorly considered comments, such as not “doing stupid stuff” and “I have no strategy for ISIS in Syria.” Some of these ill-advised remarks may be remedied on Wednesday, when he promises to lay out a plan to defeat the militants in the Middle East. In preparation for the speech, he will be meeting with congressional leaders at the White House to discuss the terrorists, particularly as the nation approaches 9/11 and the 13th anniversary of one of the most horrendous days in our history.
Last Sunday on “Meet the Press,” now hosted by Chuck Todd, who replaced David Gregory, the president said of his strategy for the insurgents, “There’s going to be a military element to it. And what I want people to understand, though, is that over the course of months, we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum of ISIL [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which is the same as ISIS]. We are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. We’re going to shrink the territory that they control. And, ultimately, we’re going to defeat them.”
He continues to oppose any notion of ground troops in the region to fight ISIS, though airstrikes and surveillance will continue as the current military option.
There were also indications that he will address a few other pressing issues, including the widening spread of Ebola and the deployment of military and financial resources to curb the epidemic. Obama may even say a word or two about his reneging on immigration reform, which has caused a certain amount of pushback from his Latino base. He had promised to exercise his executive authority if Congress refused to act on this measure, but fearing an unfavorable reaction from the GOP and the impact such a move would have on the upcoming midterm elections, he decided to put that action on hold.
With that promise having been put on ice, maybe we can allow one more question from the Newsmax poll. Do you trust Obama? Yes, said 27 percent (152, 847 votes). No, said 72 percent (408,629 votes).
And so it goes, as one great commentator used to say at the end of his newscast.
