Despite a summer that saw the Supreme Court upholding Obamacare and traction on the Iran deal, President Barack Obama’s disapproval rating has inched up in August, according to a CNN/ORC poll released Friday.
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Forty-seven percent approve of how Mr. Obama is handling his job as president and 51 percent approve, down from a positive 49 percent/47 percent rating in a survey taken last month. Almost as many, 60% say they disapprove of his management of the U.S. relationship with Iran. Fifty-eight percent of independents disapprove of Obama now, a number that has not changed since July.
The current poll also showed that a majority disapproves of how the president handles the economy and foreign affairs, with 52 percent saying his plans would move the United States in the wrong direction.
Democratic strategist, Angela Rye tells Lynn Smith how candidates like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders may not need to tweak their campaigns in light of these new numbers.
And overall, 52 percent of the poll’s respondents say things are going badly in the country, compared to 48 percent who think matters are going well. In July, 82% of Republicans disapproved, that rose to 89% in the new poll, while among Democrats and independents, his approval rating has held steady (85% of Democrats approve now, 84% in July, while 42% of independents approved in both polls).
On closing the prison at Guantánamo Bay: 53 percent say it should remain open and 44 percent say close it and move prisoners to other facilities.
Respondents rated Obama’s strategy for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) the most harshly, the CNN/ORC survey said. The share of Republicans in favor of sending ground troops into combat operations has grown from 56% in May to 68% now, while a steady majority of Democrats (68%) and independents (51%) oppose it.
The Republican Party got a 54 percent unfavorable rating, up from 49 percent in May. Among that group, his approval rating has climbed 14 points since May to 69%.
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It sampled 1,001 adults with a 3 percent margin of error.
