A new Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll is out. As is to be expected at this juncture, Obama’s approval is languishing at 47 percent; only on Afghanistan and terrorism do his ratings on individual issues hit the 50 percent mark. But the most eye-opening number is on the question of whether Obama is better at campaigning or governing. An astounding 62 percent of voters say “campaigning,” while only 38 percent pick “governing.” Independents pick “campaigning” by an even wider margin (67 to 11 percent — yes, 11 percent). Even Democrats say he is a better campaigner — by a narrower 38 to 32 percent margin.
This strikes me as a serious problem for Obama, given that so much of his narrative is structured around his own presumed superiority. In his view, it is always George W. Bush’s fault, his opponents are his intellectual inferiors, Congress is broken, the public is ill-informed, and the country is dysfunctional. The voters are saying in response: you don’t know how to do your job. And they have good reason to think so, of course.
Obama’s foreign policy is strewn with the wreckage of failed, bad ideas — an Israeli settlement freeze, a reset with Russia, and engagement with Iran. His domestic-policy “achievements” consist of one ineffective stimulus plan, one mediocre Supreme Court justice, and a sea of red ink. Voters expect the president to do things, yet this president has done precious little. The voters conclude that he is simply not good at his job. They don’t accept that he’s wonderful but powerless in the face of the Bush legacy or Republican opposition or public opinion. In their own lives, they are held responsible for the results they achieve, and they hold the president to the same standard. So they conclude: he’s just not very good at his job.
Americans love a comeback story and would, I think, welcome signs of competency. But until they see some evidence that Obama can produce positive results, they will continue to reach what is now a painfully obvious conclusion: his prowess as a candidate has not translated into effectiveness as president.
