President Obama's approval rating of the American
public has fallen to an all-time low, according to a
new Gallup survey of White House residents and
employees.
Fewer than one in 10 Americans earned the president's
favor, according to the president. That is down
sharply from six in 10—the percentage of Americans
Obama approved of shortly after his election in
November 2008, and the lowest level yet for his
administration.
"They're not doing a very good job, frankly," said
the president. "Most of them, I mean. Some are. But
not many."
Obama's job approval for how Americans are performing
has fallen in every category, from the economy to
health care and the environment.
Americans get their highest marks for their handling
of national security and emergency preparedness. The
killing of Osama bin Laden marked a rare bright spot
for the public, and their support for the conflicts in
Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya showed most people have a
strong grasp of foreign policy, the survey of Oval
Officeholders showed.
Americans also have handled the recent earthquake on
the East Coast and Hurricane Irene well, with more
than two-thirds of them taking the disasters in
stride, according to officials inside the White House.
But otherwise, the government feels the public is
falling down on the job. The administration strongly
approves of only 9 percent of Americans, while 47
percent are strongly disapproved of. Another 28
percent are somewhat disapproved of, and the White
House somewhat approves of the remaining 16 percent.
"What these numbers show, I think, is that the
president has become increasingly disillusioned with
the American public," said Trevor Gopnik, a professor
of political science at Georgetown University.
"He's completely disgusted," said White House press
secretary Jay Carney. "Which shouldn't be all that
surprising, given the state of the economy, the high
unemployment rate, and the fact that most Americans
are, let's face it, fat lazy slobs. Go to a mall and
look around if you don't believe me," said Carney.
The summer's debt-ceiling stalemate has contributed
to the president's sour mood, observers say, as did
the decision to cut short his vacation a day early
even though many Americans are still enjoying theirs.
The survey of the West Wing also found:
- Officials are still deeply concerned about high
levels of household debt. While delinquency and
foreclosure rates have fallen in recent months,
per-capita debt load remains too high, holding back
the recovery and stoking fears of a double-dip
recession that would be blamed on Obama.
- Americans eat too much and don't get enough
exercise, says First Lady Michelle Obama — a view
echoed by her husband's administration. "Today, we
outline a vision for the nation that requires
parents, neighborhoods, the medical community,
employers, schools and individuals to take a
coordinated and comprehensive approach to combating
overweight and obesity," said Health and Human
Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius last year.
- The public doesn't pay enough taxes. There are
"things we need to pay for as a country," the
president stressed.
- Americans also are lousy consumers, according a
cross-tabulation of responses by Energy Secretary
Steven Chu, who said recent regulation of light
bulbs was a good thing because "we are taking away a
choice that continues to let people waste their own
money."
Other results from the poll indicate that Americans
are incapable of providing for their own medical care,
insist on buying cars that are safe and comfortable
instead of cars that get the highest gasoline mileage,
smoke too much, harbor too many of the wrong
attitudes, fail to volunteer at sufficient rates, are
too greedy, do not separate their recyclables enough,
and continue to cling to guns and religion despite
being lectured to by their betters about the
importance of doing otherwise.
Some analysts tried to find a silver lining in all
those clouds.
Republican pollster Mark Nofziger noted that the U.S.
is still 14 months away from the next presidential
election. The critical period for the American people
will not begin until after Labor Day, he said, when
politicians begin competing in earnest to determine
who will oversee them.
But Lyman Worrel, a historian of American politics at
Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, warned against
too much optimism. "There's always a honeymoon period
after any election," he cautioned. "But honeymoons
don't last forever. I expect that the next
president—whoever he or she is—will be disappointed by
the American people, just like Obama has."
A. Barton Hinkle is a columnist at the Richmond
Times-Dispatch. This article originally
appeared at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
