'Another five years': Is Obama getting cocky?

The president tells Hispanic voters that he'll keep trying to deliver on his promise of immigration reform — in his second term

"My presidency is not over," a confident President Obama said Thursday. "I've got another five years coming up."
(Image credit: CC BY: The White House)

Just a few months ago, even many of President Obama's supporters calculated that his odds of re-election were uncomfortably low. But now, with the economy improving and the messy GOP nomination fight dragging on, Obama leads in a poll of 12 swing states "that will decide whether [he] is elected to a second term." And the president himself certainly sounds upbeat. In an interview with Spanish-language Univision on Thursday, Obama responded to a question about his failure to deliver on promised immigration reform by saying, "My presidency is not over. I've got another five years coming up." Of course, "another five years" assumes that Obama will win a second term. Is the president growing overconfident?

Obama is over-estimating himself: "Did the election already take place without anyone knowing?" asks Joe Newby at Examiner. Clearly, the president is getting a "bit cocky." But his confidence is largely unwarranted. While plenty of things are looking up for the Democrat, a national Gallup survey released Thursday put him four points behind Mitt Romney — and only one ahead of Rick Santorum.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up