Report Card: Obama gets C+, Biden C, Clinton B-

By Arun Kumar, IANS,

Washington : Americans think Barack Obama’s overall performance as president deserves a grade of C+ or just about average, according to a new national poll. He was graded C+ on foreign affairs too.


Support TwoCircles

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey, released Thursday as the president approaches 200 days in the White House, asked respondents to use a grading scale of A, B, C, D, and F, where A is excellent and F is very poor.

Twenty-two percent of those questioned gave Obama an A, 32 percent a B, 20 percent a C, 14 percent a D and 14 percent an F. The president’s grade averaged out to a C+.

The president received a grade of B minus in a CNN poll taken earlier this year as he approached 100 days in office.

On foreign affairs 22 percent of those questioned gave Obama an A, 25 percent a B, 24 percent a C, 11 percent a D and 16 percent an F. The president’s grade averaged out to a C+, the same that he received in a CNN poll taken as he approached 100 days in office.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted July 31-Aug 3, with 1,136 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey’s sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Vice President Joe Biden received a grade of C, a notch down from C+ he got as the Obama administration approached 100 days in office.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fared a little better with a grade of B-, the same as she received after 100 days.

According to the poll Americans think the job Congress (the house of representatives) has been doing deserves a grade of C- while US senators deserve a grade of C+, same as they did after 100 days in office. Republican Congressional leaders too were given a grade of C-.

According to the poll, Americans think the media deserves a grade of C for its performance in reporting and covering Congress and Obama so far this year. The media was given the same grade after 100 days.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])

SUPPORT TWOCIRCLES HELP SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND NON-PROFIT MEDIA. DONATE HERE