A little more than a year after Barack Obama took office, one UF student is less than impressed with the president’s performance.
“He was a hero created by the media, and the fact that he didn’t have that much experience is starting to show,” said Rob Foss, a UF English senior.
Foss is part of an increasing majority dissatisfied with President Obama.
A CNN/Opinion Research poll conducted between Friday and Monday showed that 52 percent of Americans said Obama does not deserve re-election while 44 percent said he does.
The poll also showed that Obama’s job approval rating has waned from 76 percent in February 2009 to 49 percent this month. The disapproval rating has more than doubled, going from 23 percent in 2009 to 50 percent this month.
Stafford Jones, chairman of the Alachua County Republican Party, said part of the issue stems from failed campaign promises.
He said the country has yet to see Guantanamo Bay close, a drastically improved economy or the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy repealed.
“He just made a whole bunch of promises he could not possibly keep,” Jones said.
But Jon Reiskind, the chairman of the Alachua County Democrats, said it is too early to judge Obama’s presidency.
He said several factors have contributed to the general discontent found in the polls, but the major factor is the staggering economy.
While he understands the frustration, he said Americans cannot expect instant gratification.
“The economy is like an enormous ship,” Reiskind said. “It takes a while to turn it around.”
Reiskind also said Americans tend to blame the president when things aren’t going well, and Congress, though also criticized, is harder to hold accountable because it is comprised of many people.
Although he understands the dissatisfaction, Reiskind said Americans need to be patient with both Congress and the president.
“We don’t just need to give him a chance,” he said. “We have to communicate with him and with our Congress.”
