As his term winds down, President Obama's approval soars

An important nugget in the new ABC/Washington Post poll: President Obama’s approval rating now stands at a whopping 58 percent, the highest rating since his first year in office.

Let’s put that in perspective. Obama’s approval rating as of September 2016 is almost double the approval rating of George W. Bush in September 2008, which was a dismal 31 percent. It’s higher than Ronald Reagan’s average approval rating in 1988, which was hovering around 53 percent. In fact, the only president in the last 40 years who was enjoying numbers this good towards the end of his final year was Bill Clinton, who achieved 60 percent approval in September 2000.

Bottom line: this is what the end of a successful presidency looks like. Barack Obama has delivered the longest uninterrupted stretch of private-sector job creation in U.S. history. Despite massive obstruction from Republicans at every level of government, Obamacare has reduced the uninsured rate to the lowest ever recorded.

As his presidency draws to a close, the American people feel the benefits of his leadership. It’s important to elect a president who will build on his legacy.