President Obama arrives to speak in Edgartown, Mass., on Aug. 20, about the killing of American journalist James Foley by militants with the Islamic State extremist group. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
A majority of Americans and even many Democrats consider President Obama's tenure to be a "failure," according to a new poll from the Washington Post and ABC News.
The poll shows Americans say 52-42 that Obama has been more of a failure than a success. Among registered voters, the gap is even bigger -- at 55-39 -- with four in 10 (41 percent) saying they "strongly" believe Obama has been a failure.
Those saying Obama has been a failure include one in four Democrats (25 percent), nearly three in 10 liberals (29 percent) and the vast, vast majority of conservative Republicans (92 percent). Nearly one in five liberals (18 percent) say they feel "strongly" that Obama has been a failure.
Interestingly, there is also some crossover on the other side. About one in five conservatives (22 percent) say Obama has been a success (note: this is a different group from "conservative Republicans"), as do 48 percent of moderates. In fact, self-described moderates are more likely to rate Obama a success (48 percent) than as a failure (44 percent).
Now, we shouldn't read too much into these numbers. The question is a binary one, in which people are asked to choose between "success" or "failure," with no third option offered (though people were allowed to volunteer one). If the question was "failure or not" rather than "failure or success," you'd likely see fewer people choosing the f-word.
The numbers also track very closely with Obama's overall approval ratings, which stood at 51-42 disapproval among all Americans and 54-42 disapproval among registered voters. But it's not a perfect correlation, as 12 percent of Americans who approve of Obama say he is a failure, and 8 percent who disapprove of him still say he's been a success.
Regardless, the numbers demonstrate that opposition to Obama's presidency isn't shallow. The fact that people are willing to use the f-word as much as they are -- regardless of the alternative -- suggests it's not just about the man and what he's done; it's also about the results he's gotten.
And on the whole, Americans give it a failing grade.
