President Obama will paint a happy face on a number of challenges facing the country when he delivers his last State of the Union address tonight, claiming that his policies have succeeded—albeit with more work to do. The problem is that most Americans simply don’t believe him, and with good reason.
Polling 2,173 registered voters, a new Morning Consult poll found that 68 percent believe the country is moving in the wrong direction. Only 32 percent think it’s on the right track.
When respondents were asked if they approve or disapprove of the job Obama is doing as president, 55 percent disapprove. Only 42 percent approve.
But then we get to the “top set of issues on your mind when you cast your vote for federal offices such as U.S. Senate or Congress.”
The winner was economic issues, 32 percent, but not by much. Security issues came in a close second at 27 percent. Health care was third with 12 percent, followed by seniors issues at 10 percent. The other issues—women’s issues, education, energy and other—all were in the single-digit range.
Let’s look at them individually.
Obama will claim that by almost every measure the economy is doing much better than when he took office. But everyone knows that’s not true. Many higher-income Americans are doing better, while working Americans are struggling. And some think we might be heading into another recession.
Moving to security, if there are more San Bernardino-like terrorist attacks in the next six or seven months, the 2016 presidential election may be the first in years where security trumps (no pun intended) the economy.
Obama’s performance on security is seen as a disaster, even by members of his own party, who are encouraging him to get more aggressive, especially with Iran and other threats to the U.S.
And then there’s his signature health care law. The majority of the public still opposes it, and the millions of Americans who have had their policies cancelled and their premiums increased—in many cases doubling or more—are eager to reflect their dissatisfaction in the voting booth.
A president’s last State of the Union Address is often about defending his legacy. And Obama will have to because no one else will.