Obama gives himself 'incomplete' grade on economy

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A campaign trail debate growing today over the president's appraisal.

Of how he has handled the economy here's what he told the Colorado TV station last night.

Your party says you inherited a bad situation.

You've had three and a half years to fix it what grade would you give yourself so far for doing.

You know I would -- -- complete.

We want to bring you Ed Rollins is a Fox News contributor and he was campaign director for the 1984 Reagan bush ticket he said major roles on nine other national campaigns.

And Joseph Trippi who is the former campaign manager for Howard Dean and a Fox News contributor to the president gives himself an incomplete.

I be wrong I don't remember I remember I gotta be honest never got an improved incomplete analysis or he's right I thought the reason not to get was because of -- -- got factored in your GPA is -- -- -- yeah but -- -- to decide to.

-- -- -- It was a decent answer because if you said a he would -- out of touch if he had said anything less today -- hurt Republicans would have pounced on it what was he supposed to say.

Well not thinking it's Friday it's you're making your right it does turn into his hero if you don't complete the job it look I mean when you look it but from the point of view if the you're exactly right about what would have happened to be answered with an eighty everybody with -- with -- recklessly out of touch and -- -- Bailed himself.

That that's -- -- but look.

800000 jobs where it lost when he came in now.

We've got 49 months.

Private sector job creation.

He got us out of Iraq he still needs to get us out of Afghanistan -- drawing down on that Osama bin Laden's dead.

And the meaning -- factory sector is growing at a faster pace of stronger pace than the 1990 salty but bite.

Still all -- needs to be done to complete the job create more jobs so I think it's the right answer forum I don't think there was a better way.

You know -- is just I mean it does this matter -- -- trivial nonsense you know like what -- would you give yourself I think you're a treaty to cut a tree would you.

I mean if it -- it like that is this tries elections.

It's -- -- -- voters nuts but let me just say this I think the president was correct I think -- I think he has an incomplete -- -- point time is not accomplished.

What he set out to accomplish but he may not set out to accomplish from the truth the matter is there's no guarantee is going to be changed policy if he got reelected -- it's gonna happen.

And I think at the end of the day as a guy that does teach at a college.

If you don't if you commending you haven't completed your.

Your papers and you haven't basically showed up for class he's not doing golf thing and 150 fundraisers and all the rest of it and say give me more time give me another semester to complete this one.

-- actually get a passing grade for me and I'm sure -- in a passing grade.

The American public.

But I think it is silly to basically trying to get trapped as is better to say listen here's what I think I've accomplished.

-- them off and then basically is Joseph did and then be challenged on those when those issues as to test.

You know -- we we play these games of the politicians we the media and to some extent the voting public.

It -- of these sort of got you -- incomplete and then you know mayor O'Malley and governor O'Malley was mayor of Baltimore and ice -- governor of Maryland.

With no we're not better off than we were four years ago and they know yes we are better off than we were for years ago but really.

As it to see that may be just assertive CDs politicians do that broke the dope.

Does that stuff matter because -- the the hill came out with polling today that tells us how Americans actually feel are right irrespective of what these politicians tell us when the cameras are rolling.

And at that poll says that 52% believe that the country is in worse condition than it was four years ago.

54%.

Do not believe that President Obama deserves to be erected -- reelected they seem -- be telling us show that.

The -- They don't feel that good about the way things have been going these past few years.

No look I don't think anybody.

I mean look it's a sour mood yet that the biggest one is right track wrong track -- Americans.

By a large margin believes it -- the country's on the wrong track.

But the polling also says that says that -- -- largely -- -- about both these candidates that's why it's a dead heat they believed it that this.

Obama's got.

Got a better chance of turning around the economy.

Even though they say that they don't approve of his record on the economy mean there.

-- in -- you know what they have questions about Romney.

It in the end is like the bill they don't they don't like him very much in terms -- -- -- according to latest Fox News poll.

That I know relative to Obama they still like put up what I'm trying to say -- we can get different numbers different polls with.

The fact is voters are really conflicted about these two guys otherwise Romney would be ahead of Obama.

Well here's here's the difference.

Certainly I had and I decide planted years and Harry Reid the senate majority leader taken to the states now make remarks tonight he's somebody who's.

-- some mud in this campaign suggesting based on nothing that that he ever put forward that sources told them that Mitt Romney -- paid taxes in ten years and that never backed it up.

Nonetheless the attempts to knock down Romney's favorability numbers -- seemed to have faded a bit perhaps in the wake of the Republican national command -- After hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent trying to distort his record on as governor and -- -- capital and all the resident.

What we -- dead even race I think and that they proved not to be successful the American public to see him last week got to see him perform.

Very -- got to see a lot of people talk in terms of where he's gonna go.

But here's the difference.

Four years ago people have -- was a bush fatigue is no question as the bush fatigue even Republicans.

We're tired of eight years of bush John McCain was not a great candidate he's a tired candidate a great American hero.

At this particular point the president -- Promised he was going to be different he's gonna do all kinds of great things.

We now know he can't do those things he doesn't have the skill -- he doesn't have the people around.

So basically say give me another term and I'll finish the job I promise to do for years ago is absurd and I think that's why the American -- -- book my office.

And Joseph is its case now is that the case now that the that the president be as to avoid his being a referendum on him given these numbers and -- we talked about.

But he does need to stay on offense going after Mitt Romney making him an unacceptable choice.

And what are the risks of that to politically you know in making him look.

Small.

In a way that he definitely did not back in 2008.

-- I think what's income of look of the thing that's out there we saw this in polls right before the Republican Convention people made up their minds about Barack Obama I agree with -- on that they've decided they like and they don't like him there.

Have favorable opinion all of them or they -- that they have a job approval rating they wanna give them.

But in the end they don't know enough about Mitt Romney that's the big opening both for Mitt Romney and that I think he.

Achieve some of defining himself in a better more proactive positive light at his convention.

But the thing here at this convention for Democrats is to continue this contrast.

Obama and Romney in a way it does not favor Romney and they're gonna do that.

They're gonna go back to it you know the Republicans have taken to saying the president was handed a bad hand inferring that it was -- life.

They're gonna say no it was bad policies and Romney and Ryan -- to go back to those bad policies that got us in this mess the president hasn't finished the job.

Give them another term.

To create more jobs manufacturing sector turned around we got -- some of them ought to be to keep doing that kind of backwards forwards message that's where.

The catered is for the Obama campaign that's what I think they'll do -- this convention for the next three days.

Joseph Trippi Ed Rollins thank you both thank you.

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Obama gives himself 'incomplete' grade on economy

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