POLL SPLIT ON OBAMA'S LEGACY – AT 8:58 A.M. ET:  A new CNN/ORC poll does not bring particularly welcome news for the man who came to office pledging to sweep his hand over this country and cure its ills.  From CNN:

(CNN) Heading into the final year of Barack Obama's presidency, the American public is divided on whether he's brought positive or negative change to the United States, and expresses broad dissatisfaction with government and anger about the way things are going in the nation generally.

Americans are divided in their views of Obama generally: 48% have a favorable opinion of him, 50% an unfavorable one. According to CNN/ORC Poll results from the same survey that were released on Monday, his overall job approval rating tilts negative, 52% disapprove while 47% approve. But on the issue that dominated the 2008 election campaign which brought Obama to the White House -- the economy -- the president scores his highest marks and the public remains optimistic.

A narrow majority -- 52% -- approve of Obama's handling of the economy, an uptick since last month. Obama last reached majority approval on the economy in June of this year.

COMMENT:  Part of the economic approval is due to low gas prices, even though Obama has opposed the very practices that have brought those prices down, namely the vastly increased petroleum production in the United States.  It's not the first time Obama has taken credit for something he opposed.  He opposed increased sanctions on Iran.  But, when they began to bite and have an impact, he suddenly found himself a sanctions fan, at least for a time.

Obama will not leave office with the lowest approval ratings of modern times.  Bush 43's were far lower.  So were Harry Truman's.  Truman is now seen as a great or near-great president.  I don't think Obama can even dream of that.  Left-wing historians in the universities will help him out of course.  But there's not much success to look at, and his greatest domestic "achievement," Obamacare, is running into grim economic facts.

December 29,  2015