Poll: Obama Overreached But Shouldn't Be Impeached

Most voters believe President Barack Obama has overstepped his authority with his use of executive power, but they still don't think he should be impeached for that or any other reason, a new Fox News poll reveals.

Fifty-eight percent of the 1,057 voters polled said they think the president's executive order to change Obamacare exceed his authority under the constitution, Fox News reported, with 37 percent disagreeing.

Similarly, 58 percent of the voters disapprove of Obama's refusing to enforce the laws with which he disagrees, while 37 percent approve.

But even so, the voters polled don't agree with calls from 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to impeach the president. Sixty-one percent of the voters said they oppose impeaching Obama for changing laws or failing to enforce them, or for any other reason. Thirty-six percent favor impeachment proceedings.

Many voters wonder if Obama wants to be president. Of those polled, 41 percent said Obama does not want to be in office, while 52 percent think he does. And the numbers came in rather evenly divided, with 47 percent of independents, 44 percent of Republicans and 37 percent of Democrats saying they think Obama is tired of being in office.

There is still a wide partisan divide in opinion over Obama's use of executive power. A 64-percent majority of Democrats approve of the president's action, while 91 percent of Republicans disapprove.

Just four out of 10 Democrats think the president committed executive overreach when changing Obamacare, while one in five favor impeaching him.

Among Republicans, 83 percent said Obama violated the Constitution with his actions on
Obamacare, and 56 percent said they favor impeaching him over it.

With independents polled, 55 percent believe Obama violated the Constitution and 37 percent favor impeachment.

The majority of people who want to impeach Obama identify themselves as being part of the tea party movement, coming in at 68 percent. And 81 percent of those who favor impeachment believe the president went beyond his Constitutional authority.

The poll also showed that more than 54 percent of voters disapprove on how Obama handles health care.

Obama received low marks for how he handles the economy, at 40 percent to 57 percent; foreign policy, at 36 percent to 56 percent, and immigration, at 34 percent-58 percent.

The poll was conducted by Anderson Robbins Research and Shaw & Co. Research between July 20 and 22, and has a margin of 3 percentage points.

Related Stories:

• Report: Calls for Obama Impeachment Help Democrats Raise Cash
• Obama's Overreach Pits Him Against Supreme Court