In a new poll from the Pew Research Center, people were asked about the job the federal government is doing in 13 different areas. Seventy-two percent in the poll, taken before the shootings in San Bernardino, California, said the federal government was doing a very or somewhat good job of “keeping the country safe from terrorism.” This was the second most positive response to the question, right behind Washington’s efforts to respond to national disasters.
People hold candles during a vigil for San Bernardino County employees after last week’s shooting in San Bernardino, California on December 7, 2015. Reuters
The next question in the survey asked what role the federal government should play in the same 13 areas. More people (94 percent) said the federal government should play a major role in keeping the country safe from terrorism than gave that response about any other area of possible federal government involvement.
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Americans have been worried about the possibility of another terrorist attack on US soil. In a late September 2001 Gallup/CNN poll, two-thirds said it was very or somewhat likely that there would be terrorist attacks in the US in the next several weeks. In December 2001, that response was 62 percent, about where it is today (61 percent). Although levels of concern have risen and fallen since 9/11, no more than 26 percent have ever said it is not at all likely. The issue for most people is when, not if, another attack on our soil will occur. In a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll taken after the San Bernardino terrorist attack, an even higher 81 percent said they believed there are terrorists associated with ISIS in the country who could launch a major terrorist attack here. Clearly, Americans are worried.
While the federal government gets solid marks in this area, doubts about President Obama’s stewardship of foreign affairs, in general, and of addressing terrorism, specifically, have been growing. In the new CNN/ORC poll, 57 percent disapproved of his handling of foreign policy, up from 28 percent at the beginning of his presidency in March 2009. Sixty percent said they disapproved of his handling terrorism, up from 51 percent just a few months ago in May. In another question, 64 percent disapproved of the way he is dealing with ISIS. Slightly more than two-thirds, 68 percent, said the US military’s response to ISIS has not been aggressive enough, while 26 percent said it has been about right, and 4 percent too aggressive. Americans want an assertive president in foreign affairs. They want a Commander in Chief, but not one who seems bellicose or weak. Clearly in the minds of many Americans, President Obama is weak.
The evidence has been building. In an October 2014 CBS News/New York Times poll, 29 percent said Obama’s policies had made the US safer while 36 percent said they had made the US less safe. At the equivalent point in his presidency, around half said the policies of George W. Bush had made the nation safer.
Although Americans say in several new polls that boots on the ground will eventually be needed, they are not spoiling for a fight. They remain reluctant for the US to take the lead role in trying to solve international problems, though more people than a year ago seem to believe we should (45 percent now, 39 percent in the fall of 2014). Many Americans were attracted initially to President Obama’s strategy of leading from behind, but they do not appear to like the results.
Why do Americans look more favorably upon Washington’s handling of the terrorist threat than President Obama’s? Americans may think about airport security and government warnings when thinking about government’s role and feel that at least some action has been taken to keep them safe. The November 2015 CBS News poll shows 63 percent have a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in “the ability of the US government to protect its citizens from future terrorist attacks.” From the Commander in Chief, they want indications of clearly defined goals and a strategy to execute them, neither of which Americans feel they see right now. In the same CBS poll, 66 percent said they did not think Obama “has a clear plan for dealing with ISIS militants.” When Americans didn’t feel George W. Bush was prosecuting the War in Iraq successfully, his popularity tanked. In the new CNN/ORC poll, people still blame him more than Obama, 42 to 39 percent, for the problems the US is currently facing in Iraq.
President Obama noted in his address to the nation Sunday night that the terrorist threat has evolved since 9/11. But as the polls show, some things haven’t changed. Americans remain concerned about the terrorist threat and still look to the federal government and the president to keep them safe.
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