CNN/ORC Poll: Majority declares Obama a Failure as President

(Newsmax) President Barack Obama's disapproval rating is past the 50 percent mark, according to a new CNN/ORC poll, with his worst ratings coming on how he's handling the Islamic State (ISIS) and Iran.

The poll shows that 51 percent of the 1,001 adults surveyed between Aug. 13-17 disapprove of how Obama handles the presidency overall, with 47 percent approving, reports CNN. The president's show is a flip from those in a similar poll in late July, in which respondents gave him a 49 percent approval rating and 47 percent disapproval rating. 

The current poll also showed that a majority disapproves of how the president handles the economy and foreign affairs, with 52 percent saying his plans would move the United States in the wrong direction.

And overall, 52 percent of the poll's respondents say things are going badly in the country, compared to 48 percent who think matters are going well.

But the worst marks came in how Obama handles ISIS, with 62 percent saying they disapprove of his approach to the insurgent jihadist group. Further, another 60 percent disapprove of how he's handling Iran.

And while Obama generally has high ratings among Democrats, 35 percent said they disapprove of how he handles ISIS and 30 percent Iran, and overall, 23 percent of Democrats say they do not approve on how he's handling foreign affairs.

Obama's approval ratings are mainly going down because Republicans increasingly disapprove of him, the poll revealed:

82 percent of Republicans disapproved in June, rising to 89 percent in the new poll.
85 percent of Democrats approve of the president now, compared to 84 percent in July.
42 percent of independents approved in both polls.
Some of Obama's other policies are meeting with partisan divisions:

On closing the prison at Guantánamo Bay: 53 percent say it should remain open and 44 percent say close it and move prisoners to other facilities. Sixty percent of Democrats say it should be closed, while 76 percent of Republicans and 53 percent of independents disagree.

On ISIS: 47 percent want ground troops sent in, and 51 percent oppose doing so. Seventy-five percent, though, said troops will likely go in. Of those, 68 percent of Republicans favor sending in troops, while 68 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of independents oppose.

On climate change: Obama's numbers are up here, with 47 percent approving, compared to 41 percent in May. Those numbers were driven by Democrats, with 76 percent approving his approach to climate change, compared to Republicans at 22 percent and independents at 43 percent.

Overall favorability ratings for the two parties, though, showed a divide:

The Republican Party got a 54 percent unfavorable rating, up from 49 percent in May. Also, 55 percent said GOP congressional leaders' policies are taking the country in the wrong direction, up from 49 percent in May.

The Democratic Party met with split ratings of 47 percent favorable and 48 percent unfavorable.

The Democratic Party fares somewhat better, with the public about evenly split on whether they view the president's party favorably (47 percent) or unfavorably (48 percent).


Let's have your opinion? Is Obama a failure?