The Democrat Party, and like-minded liberal organizations like American Bridge, as well as their media wing, the national press corps, are out doing what they do best, and that is attacking top Republicans who stand to do them damage at the ballot box.
This week’s attack-a-Republican campaign is aimed squarely at Republican presidential candidate, Senator Marco Rubio.A recent Forbes article questions Rubio hawkish stance on foreign policy, stating that the ” Rubio Doctrineā€¯ seems to be a bit out-of-touch with the views of most Americans.”
The article posts these little nifty images and ratings from opinions polls taken of Americans over the past several months. While these ratings maybe accurate, the story does not offer an cross-tab information, nor those it offer the samplings of the poll.
Do you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?(2)
Before you read the Forbes article’s poll results, let’s see what the most recent Real Clear Politics average polls say about Ā President Obama’s job approval rating when it comes to foreign policy.
Polling Data
Poll | Date | Sample | Approve | Disapprove | Spread |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
RCP Average | 3/1 – 5/3 | — | 39.4 | 51.1 | -11.7 |
CBS News/NY Times | 4/30 – 5/3 | 1027 A | 41 | 45 | -4 |
NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl | 4/26 – 4/30 | 1000 A | 40 | 53 | -13 |
The Economist/YouGov | 4/25 – 4/27 | 1000 A | 40 | 46 | -6 |
Quinnipiac | 4/16 – 4/21 | 1353 RV | 39 | 53 | -14 |
Bloomberg | 4/6 – 4/8 | 1008 A | 42 | 50 | -8 |
FOX News | 3/29 – 3/31 | 1025 RV | 36 | 55 | -19 |
McClatchy/Marist | 3/1 – 3/4 | 521 RV | 38 | 56 | -18 |
All President Obama Job Approval – Foreign Policy Polling Data
Big ouch!
Now here are the Forbes Ā images:ā€‹
On every single issue, Mr. Rubioā€™s stance is the more unpopular option: obviously most Americans are still very weary of foreign intervention and increased military involvement abroad. This raises an interesting paradox, however: given that most Americanā€™s agree with President Obamaā€™s specific foreign policy actionsā€”and thus disagree with Mr. Rubioā€™s doctrine why is the Presidentā€™s net approval for foreign policy so low? The simplest explanation would probably be that most Americanā€™s likely agree with President Obamaā€™sstrategy but are not happy with the execution. A more interesting justification is provided by Tufts Professor Daniel Drezner in a blog post:
When Americans are asked about specific foreign policies, they tend to support the administration, because theyā€™re assessing concrete policy outputs.Ā When asked a more general question about foreign policyā€¦theyā€™re likely assessing the policy outcomes. And while Americans are reluctant to intervene overseas, theyā€™re also not keen on Iraq falling apart, ISIS acquiring a statelet, Russia annexing parts of Ukraine, or China bullying its neighbors in the South China Sea, etc.Ā Americans want the free pony ā€” they want the U.S. to not expend blood and treasure overseas, but they also want the liberal order not to fray. Ā Ā
Either way, Mr. Rubio would be well-served to criticizeā€”and distance himself fromā€”the results of President Obamaā€™s foreign policy, by specifically emphasizing outcomes over methods. Given the crucial nature foreign policy may play in the election, it will be interesting to see how effectively Mr. Rubio and other Republican contenders can navigate this topic.-Forbes
Foreign policy is a winning issue for Rubio and others.Ā There is no question that President Obama’s weak and ineffectual foreign policy has made Americans less safe around the world by emboldening radical Islamic terrorists and those not-so-friendly governments Ā like Russia and China, as well as projecting even more weakness by negotiating Ā with a named state sponsor of terrorism, Ā Iran.
With the rise of ISIS, and other world threats, foreign policy is front and center, and will be the focal point issue that dictates the 2016 general election.
Of all the announced, and soon-to-be announced 2016’Republican presidential candidates, Rubio, who has the Ā most foreign policy experience, and can speak on the issue at nauseam, has positioned himself to Ā take the reigns as the go-to person on foreign policy.
“Share” this story on Facebook, and “Tweet” below.