Economy, National Security, ISIS - Americans Are Unhappy with Everything Obama Does

Americans have a bleak view of the economy and of their own financial situations, according to a new study from the Public Religion Research Institute. The Great Recession officially ended in June 2009, but only 21% of Americans believe it's really over, while 72% say the Great Recession continues. While 7% of Americans report they are in excellent shape financially, only 34% say they're in good shape, 37% say they're in fair shape, and 20% say they're in poor shape. Just 30% feel the economy has improved during the past two years, while 35% say it has worsened, and 33% say it is about the same. And difficult as it may be to accept, 36% of Americans say that someone in their household had to cut back on food to save money during the last year. “It looks a little gloomy,” said Robert Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, which conducted the survey in conjunction with the Brookings Institution. “There's been a wavering belief in the concept of the American Dream. About half said it once existed but no longer. One in 10 said it never was true,” Jones told the Houston Chronicle. “Despite the fact that there has been improvement in the economy since the Great Recession, there are still four in ten Americans who live in households experiencing high or moderate levels of economic insecurity,” Jones said. “Economic insecurity remains highly stratified by race, with nearly six in ten black Americans living in households with high or moderate levels of economic insecurity.” PBS Newshour reported that the most common economic fear "reveals a human suffering more visceral, and perhaps less publicized, than layoffs or unemployment rolls : food insecurity," with 36% of respondents saying they’d experienced it. "It’s possible that’s the budgetary item Americans feel they have the most control over (compared to whether they pay a monthly bill or not, for example), and thus find it easiest to cut. It’s not specified whether “cutting back to save money” means going hungry or forgoing an $8 bag of almonds," PBS Newshour reported. But, almonds aside,Wall Street Journal columnist William Galston says life has been tough for many Americans for quite a while : "The American economy hasn't worked for average families since the end of the Clinton administration. A recovery that leaves them out is no recovery at all, and they know it. This simple fact goes a long way toward explaining the tone of our current politics and the temper of our society." Median household income totaled $51,939 in 2013, down 8% from more than $56,000 in 2007. "The median earnings for Americans working full-time year round haven't changed much since 2007," Galston says. "But more than five years into the recovery, there are fewer full-time workers than before the recession." ~~~~~ And, to add to the economy, which is the main concern of Americans, at close to 40%, Karl Rove reports that voters are now worried about national security. As the midterm election campaign enters its last six weeks, new factors have appeared that will help determine which party controls the Senate next year, according to Rove. The concern about national security began with the conflict in Ukraine, and it has grown as ISIS cut a swath across Iraq and beheaded two American journalists. Rove cites an August 4 CBS News poll that asked what was the most important problem facing the country. Terrorism wasn't even on the list. In a September 15 CBS News/New York Times survey, voters ranked terrorism as No. 2 at 17% (behind the economy at 38%) as the most important factor in their decision about who to vote for in the congressional election. A foreign-policy crisis normally boosts the party in power, says Rove, but not this time. Obama's abysmal approval numbers are likely to improve only a little before the election. The GOP's advantage as the party better able to handle national security has been building for more than a year and was at 23% in the September 7 Gallup poll. And voters don't believe the President's claims that the economy is thriving. Even people with jobs feel apprehensive because : paychecks are flat, growth is anemic, and people are worried about their children's prospects. President Obama had a 38% approval on handling the economy in the September 9 Fox News poll. In the September 7 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 67% believe America is on the wrong track. But to win, Rove says, Republican candidates must show they are in touch with voter concerns about growth, jobs, paychecks, government spending and debt -- by offering specific, persuasive ideas. For example, Obama's threat to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants by fiat has turned immigration into an issue involving the President's abuse of power, not just an issue of national security and the economy. For Karl Rove : "It is not enough for Republicans to remind them of Mr. Obama's many failings; voters want to know how the GOP would move the country forward. Republicans must keep three plates spinning at once: encouraging voters to send Mr. Obama a message, defending themselves against brutal Democratic attacks, and laying out a governing vision." ~~~~~ The economic and national security issues are eating into President Obama's own poll numbers. For the first time since Obama took office, more Americans disapprove than approve of his handling of terror threats, as shown in the New York Times latest poll reported on September 25. The slide in the President's approval ratings on terrorism comes as the White House pushes its fight against ISIS, the brutal group that uses beheading as a publicity and recruiting tactic, and as a means of terrorizing entrapped communities into meek submission. The New York Times-CBS poll found that 50% of Anericans hold a negative view of how Obama is generally dealing with terrorism, while only 41% approve. The poll also found that 55% do not believe Obama has a clear plan for dealing with ISIS militants and 57% say he is not being tough enough on the group. Forty-eight percent disapprove of how Obama is handling the ISIS situation compared to 39% who approve. A whopping 69% are in favor of anti-ISIS US airstrikes in Syria, but 55% oppose sending ground troops to that country or to neighboring Iraq to target ISIS. The survey results were released as Obama ratcheted up the pressure on Wednesday, with the President declaring there was no hiding place for the jihadists. "Our reach is long," he warned. According to the Times, the finding that 50% disapprove of how Obama is handling terrorism represents a 12-point increase from March. "The findings represent the first time since he became President that more Americans rate Mr. Obama negatively on terrorism than they do positively," the Times reported. Overall, 58% of Americans now hold a negative view of Obama's overall handling of foreign policy, compared to 34% who view it positively. According to the poll, 33% think the Obama administration's policies have made the country less safe. ~~~~~ Dear readers, it is clear that Americans are not happy with President Obama's performance -- whether we measure the economy or jobs or personal financial security or national security or the war on ISIS, Obama is given low marks in every poll. This should make a Republican sweep of the House and Senate elections inevitable. The trap for the GOP is not to become complacent. Every voter counts. Every local organization and contact count. Every opportunity to speak out about the mess created by Obama and the Democratic Party must be seized. And above all, every public commentary and speech must include details about the GOP's own agenda -- job creation, lower taxes so that business can invest in jobs and technology, bringing the national debt under control, repealing and replacing Obamacare, securing US borders, and returning to constitutional government. The GOP can lead the way out of the Obama morass, but it must be vigilant and pro-active to succeed.