As he winds through his second term in Washington, President Barack Obama does not appear to be overly concerned with how history will judge him.
In an interview with The New York Times published Saturday, Obama was asked whether he was worried about being cast as a "standing pat" president, thanks to Congressional gridlock that has affected his agenda.
"But do you worry, Mr. President, that that description of that sort of standing pat, what happens if you stand pat and the sort of slower than expected -- do you worry that that could end up being your legacy simply because of the obstruction that -- and the gridlock that doesn’t seem to end?," the newspaper asked.
Obama appeared to argue that if the results were spurred by Congressional inaction, that would not stand as a lasting impression on the presidency.
"Well, let’s separate it from me for a second, because I think if I’m arguing for entirely different policies and Congress ends up pursuing policies that I think don’t make sense and we get a bad result, it’s hard to argue that’d be my legacy," Obama replied. "And so I’ll worry about my legacy later or I’ll let historians worry about my legacy."
According to HuffPost Pollster's compilation of data, Obama's second-term numbers have dipped in terms approval rating. Right after securing reelection in November 2012, Obama job approval stood at 50.2 percent. As of July 25, 2013, that number had dipped to 44.8 percent.
The Times' piece marked the publication's first interview with the president in three years, and a rare sit-down for Obama with a newspaper. For a full transcript of their discussion with the president, click here.
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