Obama Is Incompetent, Untrustworthy, Most Americans Say
A majority of Americans no longer trust President Barack Obama nor believe he is competent to lead the federal government, according to a new CNN/ORC poll.
Only 46 percent of Americans believe Obama is "honest and trustworthy," 40 percent believe he can "manage the government effectively," 46 percent believe he "is a strong and decisive leader," and 44 percent believe he "inspires confidence."
These are the lowest numbers the CNN/ORC poll has seen during Obama's presidency. In the first two years of his presidency, his numbers were sometimes in the 70's to 80's percentile range on those questions.
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The telephone poll of 843 adult Americans was conducted Nov. 18-20 and included both cell phones and landlines. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points for the full sample.
Strong majorities of Americans still believe Obama is likeable (71 percent) and "has a vision for the country's future" (60 percent). Fewer, though, answered that he "is a person you admire (44 percent), and "generally agrees with you on issues you care about" (44 percent).
Democrats and liberals were, naturally, more supportive than Republicans and conservatives. Independents and moderates were tougher on Obama on the competency issue than the honesty issue.
Fifty percent of moderates and 38 percent of independents said that he is honest and trustworthy. When asked if Obama can manage the government effectively, only 31 percent of independents and 40 percent of moderates agreed.
A CBS News poll reported last week that Obama's approval rating is at 37 percent, a new low for that poll.
