This week’s White House Report Card finds President Obama still polling well during a week when he was pushed out of the spotlight by the Republican National Convention which nominated Donald Trump as its presidential nominee.
John Zogby
Seven in ten voters say that things in the United States are headed in the wrong direction. Even though President Barack Obama is posting some of the best approval numbers of his presidency, there is a strong undertone of disaffection. I think it is attributed to a genuine sense of anxiety by a forgotten middle class that has felt betrayed and whose anger and frustration has truly boiled over this year.
Grade B
Jed Babbin
President Obama was, naturally, pushed out of the news this week by the Republican convention. The big news was created by Donald Trump, Mike Pence and – to the Texas senator’s chagrin – Ted Cruz.
Obama’s biggest accomplishment this week was to greet the Kansas City Royals and tell them that their nicknaming skills stank. He hosted a Thursday celebration of the Muslim holiday Eid al Fitr. The guest list reportedly included members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) despite the fact FBI policy, since 2008, has prohibited engagement with CAIR due to its terrorist connections.
The Wall Street Journal reported that last month Russian aircraft attacked a supposedly-secret US base in Syria in an effort to pressure the U.S. into sharing more intelligence information with Russia. Sure enough, Secretary of State John Kerry was in Russia, offering just that new concession to Putin. That offer was made despite the warning against it by Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper. As the Washington Post reported, in the days leading up to that meeting the Russians showed their gratitude by harassing U.S. diplomats and expelling the head of Voice of America from their country.
Obama finished the week by getting back on the campaign trail in a joint press conference with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Obama used the occasion to take issue with the way the state of the nation was characterized at the Republican convention. He said, “The one thing that I think is important to recognize is this idea that America is somehow on the verge of collapse. This vision of violence and chaos everywhere doesn’t really jibe with the experience of most people.” Perhaps. The CNN instant poll that showed that about 75 percent of Americans reacted positively to Trump’s acceptance speech may not show people’s direct experience with chaos and violence but it’s a good indication of how badly people believe the state of the nation really is.
Grade D-
Jed Babbin is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him @jedbabbin
John Zogby is the senior analyst for Zogby Analytics and author of “We Are Many, We Are One.” Follow him at @TheJohnZogby
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
