In a new poll conducted by CNN/ORC, it would seem that President Barack Obama is having trouble bringing up his numbers. Despite some considering the economy on an upswing, Obama cannot find himself in better public standing:
Image Source: CNN/ORC
In the midst of the rise of ISIS and continuing conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine, the President’s foreign policy approval numbers have been on the decline. According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, President Obama sits at a 38.5% approval rating:
Image Source: RCP
Even with recent news regarding the economy ‘boost,’ the data doesn’t reflect a positive response:
Image Source: RCP
1. The official U.S. unemployment rate this month has clocked in at 5.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. To some, however, the job market feels less secure. Instead of having one full time job, many are forced to piece together several part time jobs, or struggle with only one.
2. According to Forbes, if underemployment were factored into the unemployment rate, the real number would be closer to 12.6%:
Despite the significant decrease in the official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics(BLS) unemployment rate, the real unemployment rate is over double that at 12.6%. This number reflects the government’s “U-6” report, which accounts for the full unemployment picture including those “marginally attached to the labor force” plus those,”employed part time for economic reasons”:
Image Source: Forbes/BLS/Wikimedia Commons
3. The Federal Reserve announced that a staggering 44% of college graduates were underemployed, despite paying ever inflated tuition costs for their degrees.
4. These rates of underemployment, as well as a combination of stagnant wages and rising prices, are a difficult combination, according to The Federalist:
Image Source: The Federalist/BLS
5. In addition, the President is suffering public disapproval of his handling of the situation in Iraq and the rise of the terror group ISIL. CNN reported that 57% of Americans disapprove of how Obama is handling this terrorist threat.
While there are lower gas prices, there is little evidence that the President is receiving credit for them – this is conceivably due to an inability to point at any initiative that has eased the situation at the pump for working Americans. If anything, the Obama administration has been outright hostile to fossil fuels.
Historically, presidents who lifted the country from an economic recession saw boosts in their approval ratings. President Ronald Reagan inherited a recession, along with rapid inflation, from his predecessor Jimmy Carter. He was able to shape the U.S. economy into an era popularly referred to as ‘The Reagan Boom.’
Recently polling would suggest that a similar, public opinion sea change is not happening for President Obama.
The post CNN is Baffled Why Obama’s Approval Ratings Continue to Plummet. Here are 5 Reasons Why. appeared first on Independent Journal.