He's a big disappointment, said Brandi Nixon, 34, an African-American nurse assistant who voted for

That was the message from a focus group of 11 Cincinnati-area voters, who issued a scathing and impassioned indictment Wednesday of Washington, D.C., and everyone in it -- from lawmakers to the president and, most strikingly, a political system that makes them feel powerless to change it.
They're indicting the president, they're indicting Congress, said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducted the two-hour colorado travel session exclusively for the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, in conjunction with NBC News and The Wall Street Journal.
These voters -- who described themselves as independents who tend to lean one way or another -- assailed the distrust, gridlock, weak leadership and callousness from a government they said seemed indifferent to solving problems. And, they added, they felt helpless to punish the lawmakers responsible.
We have a political class now, said Jerry Laub, a 54-year-old casino card dealer who voted for Mitt Romney in 2012. They're above us.   Aude Guerrucci / Pool / EPA "The president took it right on the chin," said pollster Peter Hart of the results of the Cincinnati colorado travel focus group. Obama is seen here in a Dec. 4 file photo.
None of the eight voters who supported Obama in 2012, nor the three who voted for Mitt Romney, described themselves as proud or satisfied colorado travel with the president, opting instead for mixed or disappointed.
He's a big disappointment, said Brandi Nixon, 34, an African-American nurse assistant who voted for Obama in the last election. He just lost focus. He lost focus on his goals. ... He stopped focusing on creating more jobs and fixing the economy.
As it stands right now, it's not going to work, said Terry Hartley, 63, a retired Romney voter who said Obama had botched the rollout of the law. But with changes in the law and adjustments, I think there's a possibility.
For all the disappointment and frustration directed toward the president by the focus group, lawmakers in Congress received even more unvarnished anger, particularly regarding the government shutdown in October.
The funding showdown wasn't just problematic because of the closure of national parks and the missed paychecks to federal workers, participants added. Simply put, it made America look like a laughingstock around the world, said Leesa Carr, a 57-year-old special education assistant, who added that the Affordable Care Act rollout and the public education system were also embarrassing colorado travel problems for the nation’s stature worldwide.
When Hart proposed a hypothetical situation in which a Broom Coalition from both parties ran on a platform of sweeping colorado travel out all incumbents, all but two said they wouldn't support such candidates, fearing that the newcomers would be too inexperienced for policy-making. A proposal to support a third party also received a mixed response.
While the participants struck a sour note on the health care rollout, the job market, colorado travel and the gridlock in Washington, they also exhibited a spark of hope that the economy -- and, in fact, Obama's presidency -- could take a positive turn.
Just two participants -- one Obama voter and one Romney supporter colorado travel -- said that the current difficulties for Obama were a decisive fork in the road toward a permanent decline in his popularity, rather than just a bump that he may overcome.
Most said the housing market and the job situation in Cincinnati had markedly colorado travel improved in past years, and several cited robust gains on Wall Street as an indication that the economy is on the upswing.
Despite recent high-profile news coverage of U.S. concerns about Syria, Iran and elsewhere, foreign policy colorado travel was barely mentioned by members of this focus group, who said international relations have rightfully taken a back seat to domestic problems. A majority gave him high marks on his handling of the Syria issue.
In this crucial presidential swing state, one pol who may campaign here in 2016 was perceived by the group as strong and purposeful -- the very qualities that seem to be eluding Obama now. Joe Raymond / AP "Chris Christie was a non-personality," said pollster colorado travel Peter Hart of the Cincinnati focus group. The New Jersey governor is seen in this Nov. 23 file photo.
Receiving a surprisingly lukewarm response was Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. colorado travel The focus group, while far from politically disengaged, had few strong opinions about the famously outspoken Republican who is frequently cited as a possible White House contender.
colorado travel That was the message from a focus group of 11 Cincinnati-area voters, who issued a scathing and impassioned indictment Wednesday of Washington, D.C., and everyone in it -- from lawmakers to the president and, most strikingly, a political system that makes them feel powerless to change it.
They're indicting the president, they're indicting Congress, colorado travel said Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who conducted the two-hour session exclusively for the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, in conjunction with NBC News and The Wall Street Journal.
These voters -- who described themselves as independents who tend to lean one way or another -- assailed the distrust, gridlock, weak leadership and callousness from a government they said seemed indifferent to solving problems. And, they added, they felt helpless to punish the lawmakers colorado travel responsible.
We have a political class now, said Jerry Laub, a 54-year-old casino card dealer who voted for Mitt Romney in 2012. They're above us.   Aude Guerrucci / Pool / EPA "The president took it right on the chin," said pollster Peter Hart of the results of the Cincinnati focus group. Obama is seen here in a Dec. 4 file photo.
None of the eight voters who supported Obama in 2012, nor the three who voted for Mitt Romney, described themselves as proud or satisfied with the president, opting instead for mixed or disappointed.
He's a big disappointment, said Brandi Nixon, 34, an African-American nurse assistant who voted for Obama in the last election. He just lost focus. He lost focus on his goals. ... He stopped focusing on creating more jobs and fixing the economy.
As it stands right now, it's not going to work, said Terry Hartley, 63, a retired Romney voter who said Obama had botched the rollout of the law. But with changes in the law and adjustments, I think there's a possibility.
For all the disappointment colorado travel and frustration directed toward the president by the focus group, lawmakers in Congress received even more unvarnished anger, particularly regarding the government shutdown in October.
The funding showdown wasn't just problematic because of the closure of national parks and the missed paychecks to federal workers, participants added. Simply put, it made America look like a laughingstock around the world, said Leesa Carr, a 57-year-old special education assistant, who added that the Affordable Care Act rollout and the public education system were also embarrassing problems for the nation’s stature worldwide.
When Hart proposed a hypothetical situation in which a Broom Coalition from both parties ran on a platform of sweeping out all incumbents, all but two said they wouldn't support such candidates, fearing colorado travel that the newcomers would be too inexperienced for policy-making. A proposal to support colorado travel a third party also received a mixed response.
While the participants struck a sour note on the health care rollout, the job market, and the gridlock in Washington, they also exhibited a spark of hope that the economy -- and, in fact, Obama's presidency -- could take a positive turn.
Just two participants -- one Obama voter and one Romney supporter -- said that the current difficulties for Obama were a decisive fork in the road toward a permanent decline in his popularity, rather than just a bump that he may overcome.
Most said the housing market and the job situation in Cincinnati had markedly improved in past years, and several cited robust gains on Wall Street as an indication that the economy is on the upswing.
Despite recent high-profile news coverage of U.S. concerns about Syria, Iran and elsewhere, foreign policy was barely mentioned by members of this focus group, who said international relations have rightfully taken a back seat to domestic problems. A majority gave him high marks on his handling of the Syria issue.
In this crucial colorado travel presidential swing state, one pol who may campaign here in 2016 was perceived by the group as strong and purposeful -- the very qualities that seem to be eluding Obama now. Joe Raymond / AP "Chris colorado travel Christie was a non-personality," said pollster Peter Hart of the Cincinnati focus group. The New Jersey governor is seen in this Nov. 23 file photo.
Receiving a surprisingly lukewarm response was Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. The focus group, while far from politically disengaged, had few strong opinions about the famously outspoken Republican colorado travel who is frequently cited as a possible White House contender.