NBC晚间新闻 奥巴马支持率降到历史最低点

Obama’s approval rating drops to all-time low

奥巴马支持率降到历史最低点

Results from the latest NBC/WSJ poll indicate President Obama, who has been battling various problems for months, is now confronted with a public that is increasingly losing confidence in his leadership. The President’s approval rating has plunged¹ since January, something David Axelrod attributes to Obama’s appearance of detachment on healthcare and the NSA. NBC’s Chuck Todd reports.

从最新的NBC/华尔街日报联合民调来看，最近被各种问题缠身的奥巴马总统正面临对他的领导越来越没有信心的民众。自1月以来，总统的支持率一路下跌，David Axelrod将这归咎于奥巴马的医保与国家安全局的表现。NBC的Chuck Todd报道。

The problems with the rollout of the president's health care plan, as you might expect, are having a real political impact for this White House. We are seeing it now in our brand new NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll. Our political director, chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd at the White House with more on that tonight. Chuck, good evening.

reporter: Good evening, Brian. You know the expression -- a pox on both your houses. During the shutdown the public pointed² the finger at just one proverbial house when it comes to Washington and government dysfunction the Republicans. But the pox spread thanks to health care to the White House. President Obama has been battling various problems for months from Syria to the budget, NSA and health care. It all adds up to the public that is increasing losing confidence in his leadership. The last thing the president thought he would be doing this far into his second term.

Hello, Boston!

reporter: Using Boston as a backdrop to do something he struggled to do for years -- sell the public on health care reform.

All of this is in place right now. It is working right now.

reporter: But the health care rollout debacle is the latest in a growing List of leadership struggles that have dogged the president. The public had high hopes for his second term. His 52% job approval rating in the January poll was near an all-time high for him. But it didn't take long for things to go south. It began with the IRS Benghazi investigations³ on Capitol Hill. Then the still ongoing⁴ embrassing Edward Snowden leaks raising questions about how much the president may or may not have known. In September, more of a slide because of the president's indecision on whether to attack Syria. Now between the government shutdown and the bungled⁵ health care rollout the president hit an all time low, 42%, getting close to George W. Bush territory. He went from an 75% in 2002 to 39% at this same point in his second term. Obama biography David Mariness sees a pattern.

With president Obama he works at a different timetable than everybody else. Sometimes he's ahead of the curve. Sometimes behind the curve. He's right at the curve. He's behind the curve right now. The question is if he can get back up.

reporter: In the past even when the president experienced a drop in job rating his personal likability never took a hit. This time more folks view him negatively 45%, than positively⁶ 41%. The president's longtime confidant David Axelrod believes that drop is due to the appearance of detachment on issues like health care and NSA.

He needs to step up his visibility. On this question I have no doubt he's doing it internally. Because I know how he operates. But the public needs to see it. I think that's what's driving some of the personal ratings down.

They keep saying he's unaware⁷ of certain things. The one that strikes me most though is health care. Because people would ask me during his first term what's he doing in the second term. They say health care is it. It's his whole thing.

reporter: You know, all of this Washington mess, Brian, has created a crisis in confidence in the country. 70% believe we are off on the wrong track. Those are numbers usually seen during an economic downturn. Instead this signals a political depression and congress has grown more unpopular -- 74% believe congress contributes to problems. Only 17% believe congress works to solve problems. The old idea that people like their own congressman⁸ better than all of congress, not in this poll, Brian. 63% would prefer to give a new person a chance to represent them over their own member.

Chuck Todd with where things stand tonight from the White House. Chuck thanks.

1 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

2 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

3 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 bungled   

v.搞糟，完不成( bungle的过去式和过去分词 )；笨手笨脚地做；失败；完不成

参考例句：

• They bungled the job. 他们把活儿搞糟了。
• John bungled the job. 约翰把事情搞糟了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

7 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

8 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。