Obama won America’s approval
WASHINGTON More Americans feel Barack Obama’s presidency divided the country than feel it brought people together, a new poll shows. Yet he leaves office held in high esteem by canada goose outlet store new york a solid majority. as more united as a result of his presidency, according to an Associated Press canada goose outlet official NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted after the 2016 election. Far more 44 per cent say it’s more divided.
Canada Goose Online Those figures underscore one of the key contradictions of Obama’s presidency. By and large, Americans like him. Yet, aside from the big “Obamacare” health care overhaul, he has been unable to translate that approval into congressional majorities to fulfil many of his goals. Canada Goose Online
“It’s one of the few regrets of my presidency that the rancour and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better,” Obama said last January in his final State of the Union address.
canada goose coats on sale Still, 57 per cent say they view Obama favourably, putting him way ahead of https://www.buy-canadagoose.net his predecessor, George W. Bush, and on par with Bill Clinton at the end of their two terms. Clinton canada goose outlet online store had the same 57 per cent but Bush just 40, according to Gallup polling at the time. Bush’s father fared better, with 62 per cent viewing him favourably at the end of his time in office, despite his failure to win a second term. canada goose coats on sale
Just over half say Obama’s presidency has been great or good. Thirty seven per cent view him unfavourably.
Canada Goose Parka Did he keep his promises? He did not, in the minds of 2 of 3 Americans, though 44 per cent say he tried. Canada Goose Parka
There’s frustration even among many longtime Obama supporters about the lack of movement on major priorities such as overhauling the nation’s immigration laws, enacting gun control measures and canada goose outlet london uk shutting the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
canada goose uk black friday “He acted very presidential, but he just couldn’t get things done,” said Dale Plath, a retired canada goose outlet in uk sales manager from Mason City, Iowa. He said he voted for Obama the first time, voted against him the second, and this year, Plath said: “I canada goose clothing uk voted for change, frankly” in the form ofDonald Trump. canada goose uk black friday
“Yes, I understand the Republicans were cheap canada goose against Obama,” Plath said. “But there have been other presidents in the same situation, and they were able to pull through.”
Canada Goose Coats On Sale Obama leaves office more popular than he was just a few years ago. In December 2014, the month after Democrats lost control of the Senate, just 41 per cent said they viewed him favourably in an AP GfK poll. Canada Goose Coats On Sale
His complicated legacy comes into sharper focus when it comes to race. Nearly 8 in 10 African Americans view the nation’s first black president favourably, but far fewer see his presidency as having yielded the type of profound changes for black Americans that many had hoped.
Just 43 per cent of African Americans say Obama made things better for black people, while roughly half say they see no difference. Six per cent say Obama has made things worse.
canada goose uk outlet For Ronald Thornton, a 62 year old African American from Obama’s hometown of Chicago, change has come only around the margins. Thornton said he views Obama very favourably, but he added that even Obama’s biggest achievement the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare” had come with downsides for people like him. canada goose uk outlet
“The first year that it went into effect, I didn’t have insurance,” said Thornton, who later purchased care through the Obamacare marketplaces. “I was canada goose outlet jackets penalized for it that year, and I really don’t have money to pay for canada goose outlet 2015 that penalty.”
canada goose clearance By and large, Americans’ views of Obama break along partisan lines. Nearly 9 in 10 Democrats and people who lean Democratic view him favourably, while 3 in 4 Republicans and GOP leaning Americans have a negative view. Independents are roughly divided. canada goose clearance
When he took office, the nation was in dire economic straits, with jobs evaporating and a financial crisis deepening by the day. Near the end of Obama’s first year in office, the jobless rate hit a quarter century high of 10 per cent. He leaves the White House with unemployment at just 4.7 per cent after 75 straight months of job growth, though it’s come with sluggish rises in wages and many older Americans simply giving up on finding work.
It may be those persistent challenges that have fueled the perception that despite the economic recovery, things haven’t canada goose outlet paypal improved enough. Just 4 in 10 Americans said they and their families are better off than when Obama took office, while about a quarter say they’re worse off. About a third say they haven’t seen much change.
canada goose uk shop Irene Purcell says she felt the difference. The former paralegal from Austin, Texas, was struggling to find work as a nanny in an economy where too few had the money to hire help. canada goose uk shop
uk canada goose “Just by virtue of him putting a large percentage of Americans back into the labour force, that made it possible for me,” Purcell said, as the 3 year old she now watches squealed in the background. “That was a real good thing.” uk canada goose.