I have watched commentators on the left and right declare his presidency dead. What I have not noticed is a critique of those taking the poll. A richly deserved critique
Obama's marks are so bad in the Gallup/NBC poll, political "pundits" like NBC political analyst Chuck Todd said, that it's "as if the public is saying, 'Hey, buddy, your presidency is over.'"
According to the poll, 41 percent of respondents approve of Obama’s performance as president, tied for the lowest point in his presidency. His approval rating on foreign policy sits at 37 percent, setting a new low.
A majority of voters — 54 percent — also said that they don’t believe Obama “is able to lead the country and get the job done,” compared with 42 percent who said they think he can. (Read more: http://www.politico.com/....)
I wrote about this yesterday at http://www.dailykos.com/... laying out my belief that what the poll most accurately reflects is how deplorably unaware most Americans are of political realities, history and current events.
The facts are that Obama has faced unprecedented, highly organized, well financed opposition from the GOP and its backers since the first day of his first term. In spite of this, he has an impressive list of accomplishments as outlined in my 6/18 diary.
I suspect he will continue to act using the same tools he has utilized with increasing effectiveness: Executive Orders, Target Public and Organization Pressure, Alliances with Interest Groups, and Day to Day Administration of the Executive Branch to Favor his Agenda. Congress cannot act so he does and will continue to do so. Obama's initiatives regularly gets just under the 60 vote super majority needed in the Senate for most actions and the Democratic minority' overwhelming majority stands with him, but it does not matter. All that the GOP need do is obstruct and they do.
MUCH OF THE CRITICISM OF MY DIARY FROM YESTERDAY CAN BE CAPTURED IN COMMENTS LIKE THESE:
- Blaming people for pols' lack of popularity is a moral and practical failing.
- People remain unhappy and disturbed so it is natural for them to blame the President.
- My position is unacceptable: People who cannot see the awesomeness of President Obama are clearly too dumb to have their opinions count... even if those people represent 60% of the population.
MY RESPONSE: Ignorance is not bliss. It is a blight.
The unhappy public is moaning in the wrong direction, about the wrong person and playing into the hands of those who will hurt them a lot more if they get the chance (by winning the Senate for example).
When the people do not do due diligence, do not take their citizenship seriously, do not regard their vote as the ultimate clout....then the liars win and win easily.
And in turn, polling supports those lies and many, who know better, do not challenge the underlying disengagement, distraction and indolence of the public in service to the fear, anger and anxiety that motivates so much of their political lives giving propaganda its power.
Studies of how much Americans understand the workings of the government at all levels show that most have only the vaguest idea of how bills become laws.
Studies show that most Americans have only a rudimentary grasp of American History, of the role of leaders, of movements in political thought and social policy, or even of those they regularly vote for.
Oddly, nationwide surveys find that the coaxial and digital revolutions and attendant changes in news audience behaviors have had little impact on how much Americans know about national and international affairs. In fact, as compared to 25 years ago, the knowledge base has shrunk in no small part to the amount of misinformation absorbed by many for whom very simple formulas with a visceral edge are far more appealing than the nuanced approach that serious study requires.
A Case in Point: Medicaid Expansion in Missouri
I live in Missouri. a place where misery does indeed love company. Our GOP legislature has blocked ACA Medicaid expansion AND managed to engage in an effective disinformation campaign that continues to convince the working poor (those most affected) that Obama is keeping them from getting good medical care because he will not let the states design their own "state-based common sense, competitive inter-state system."
I belong to a group, backed by a former veteran GOP Senator and the Chamber of Commerce, that is working to get our Assembly and Senate to reconsider but we are making very little headway against the most transparent of lies and the tissue thin explanations offered by the GOP.
But folks do not want to believe....they do not want to think otherwise...so they embrace the absurd...and they are hurting. When asked why- a majority say: "That Damn Obama!"
John Adams wrote that the most important duty of a citizen is to stay informed. Being knowledgeable of how government works and participating in the Republic's life are essential tests of a democracy. Our public fails those tests regularly.