56 percent believe Obama has negatively transformed the nation

[zorkpolitics]

Two-thirds of likely voters say President Obama has kept his 2008 campaign promise to change America.  Unfortunately only 35 percent believe the country has changed for the better while 56 percent of likely voters believe Obama’s first term has transformed the nation in a negative way.

Regardless of Obama's approval rating, when 56% think he has made the country worse it makes his re-election problematic.

http://thehill.com/polls/236627-hill-poll-majority-feel-obama-has-changed-country-for-worse

[True Federalist]

Only if they think Romney can do better and his approval ratings are lower than Obama's right now.

[King]

This says more about the sorry state of our sensationalist news media that even 1 percent on either side think our nation has been transformed by Obama.

[Zioneer]

This says more about the sorry state of our sensationalist news media that even 1 percent on either side think our nation has been transformed by Obama.

[Vosem]

This says more about the sorry state of our sensationalist news media that even 1 percent on either side think our nation has been transformed by Obama.

Really? We're exactly the same as we were in January 2009? The health care bill, Don't Ask Don't Tell, two new Justices...and Obama apparently hasn't changed anything? I find it difficult to agree with the statement that Obama's changed nothing at all.

[King]

None of those things have radically transformed my country. I don't have any new services I previously didn't use or new laws that really transform my personal life. In fact, Obama touts how little he's done in this regard. "If you have insurance, everything is the same.  Your tax rights are the same."

He's done things, but he has not transformed this nation.

[Vosem]

None of those things have radically transformed my country. I don't have any new services I previously didn't use or new laws that really transform my personal life. In fact, Obama touts how little he's done in this regard. "If you have insurance, everything is the same.  Your tax rights are the same."

He's done things, but he has not transformed this nation.

I'll agree the nation isn't radically different, but it certainly is a little different because of what he's done, no? Because saying it's 'exactly the same' strikes me as severe oversimplifying.

[Cobbler]

In King's defense, he never said its exactly the same. He was just saying that the changes Obama has made wouldn't qualify as "transforming" the country.

[hopper]

None of those things have radically transformed my country. I don't have any new services I previously didn't use or new laws that really transform my personal life. In fact, Obama touts how little he's done in this regard. "If you have insurance, everything is the same.  Your tax rights are the same."

He's done things, but he has not transformed this nation.

I am going to lose my insurance I have in a month and starting last year I had to pay 100% for my health insurance. I had my hours cut by the employer I was with for 12 years up to that point. Had to find another part-time job to pay for the insurance because my part-time hours weren't enough to pay for the health insurance.  So things are different for me but not for you.

Yes tax rights I agree are the same.

Has Obama dramatically transformed the US? I would say from an environmental perspective he has. From a health insurance perspective: he has made the market like the auto insurance market (a consumer driven market)albiet with the US government playing middle man with exchanges. He has interfered in state governments by giving them to money to hire teachers and government workers back following when he first got into office in January 2009. Everything else is the same except for those 3 things.

[Likely Voter]

The question they didn't ask is, do you think Romney would change America for the better or worse. I bet a majority (or at least plurality) would say for the worse.  Otherwise how  could you explain why Obama continues to lead Romney?

I think a majority of voters are in a pessimistic mood.

[WhyteRain]

This says more about the sorry state of our sensationalist news media that even 1 percent on either side think our nation has been transformed by Obama.

I guess it depends on your definition of "transformed", doesn't it?

I think it's best at such times to be comparative.

I'd say Obama's first two years -- when his party controlled Congress -- was at least as transformative as Reagan's first two years.  Of course, Reagan didn't get shellacked in his first midterm the way Obama did, so it's been a bit of slow-going since then.

[Chareth Cutestory]

What's the argument that he hasn't? That he hasn't really changed anything and thus it's not worse?

[Beet]

What's the argument that he hasn't? That he hasn't really changed anything and thus it's not worse?

Seriously? That depends on what you think of his policies, doesn't it? I could answer you, but it would just be a list of Obama's talking points and legislative accomplishments. This is such a central question, so I'm really uneasy about this poll. Obama better be able to make the argument that he's changed things for the better more strongly.

[Chareth Cutestory]

What's the argument that he hasn't? That he hasn't really changed anything and thus it's not worse?

Seriously? That depends on what you think of his policies, doesn't it? I could answer you, but it would just be a list of Obama's talking points and legislative accomplishments. This is such a central question, so I'm really uneasy about this poll. Obama better be able to make the argument that he's changed things for the better more strongly.

Go for it, I'm honestly asking. I really don't see how we're at a net positive since he's come into office. We may be declining at a far less rapid pace, but we're still running the same marathon to destruction we were been on before. All I've seen is a few paper cups of water for some along the way.

[Beet]

What's the argument that he hasn't? That he hasn't really changed anything and thus it's not worse?

Seriously? That depends on what you think of his policies, doesn't it? I could answer you, but it would just be a list of Obama's talking points and legislative accomplishments. This is such a central question, so I'm really uneasy about this poll. Obama better be able to make the argument that he's changed things for the better more strongly.

Go for it, I'm honestly asking. I really don't see how we're at a net positive since he's come into office. We may be declining at a far less rapid pace, but we're still running the same marathon to destruction we were been on before. All I've seen is a few paper cups of water for some along the way.

I'll try to keep it to things that aren't super-controversial, off the top of my head.

One, obviously when he came into office the economy was shrinking at a rapid pace, whereas now it is growing. Jobs were being lost at an epic pace, whereas now at least they are being created. The housing market was in utter collapse, whereas now it is starting to turn around. For the first time in decades, GDP is growing faster than debt (public and private). In other words, we're not there yet, and may not be for awhile, but we're headed in the right direction.

Financial regulation is tighter than it was when he came into office, with the Dodd-Frank Act, and the CARD Act. The latter has really reduced the most egregious forms of credit card abuse. Obama's crackdown on for-profit colleges and universities has raised the standards they must meet to receive government-backed loans and squelched an incipient student debt bubble.

In foreign policy, we are out of Iraq, bin Laden is dead, we've won a war to topple Gadhafi, and new have a new START treaty with Russia. The Egyptian revolution was handled pretty well- Obama basically sat back and allowed it to happen, while saying the right things so as not to inflame anti-Americanism. We've reestablished our presence in Asia and positioned ourselves well against a rising China. The drone strike program has been pretty effective, although I personally don't approve of it.

On social issues, we've repealed DADT, we've set higher emissions standards for cars, and we're no longer deporting kids who are basically American and only came here because they were brought by their parents.

There are also some trends that will be good for America that Obama can't exactly take credit for, but will help us in the long run. In light of all the gloom and doom, I'd point out that (a) crime has continued to decline significantly, after leveling out in the mid-2000s. In a recession you would have expected the opposite. (b) new methods of extracting natural gas and shale oil has lowered the cost of energy and made America more energy self-sufficient. Eventually these technologies will make the US the world's most energy-rich country (c) Illegal immigration has basically stopped, as a result of both better enforcement and fewer people trying to cross from Mexico, as Mexico's economy gets better.

There are reasons to be optimistic for the future.

[cope1989]

This is the problem with the argument against Obama. His opponents seem to be talking out of both sides of their mouths.

In one breath they say Obama's sweeping changes have drastically changed the foundation of our country, while in the next breath they say he didn't accomplish any of his campaign promises.

So what is he - a tyrant or a do-nothing president?

[WhyteRain]

This is the problem with the argument against Obama. His opponents seem to be talking out of both sides of their mouths.

In one breath they say Obama's sweeping changes have drastically changed the foundation of our country, while in the next breath they say he didn't accomplish any of his campaign promises.

So what is he - a tyrant or a do-nothing president?

Wait, where's the contradiction?

1.  "Obama's sweeping changes have drastically changed the foundation of our country."
2.  "He didn't accomplish any of his campaign promises (except the one he made to drastically change the foundation of our country)."

He said he would "fundamentally transform this country".  He did.
He said he would make lots of good things happen.  He didn't.

No contradiction at all.