CNN political analyst and former Clinton administration official David Gergen said President Obama needs to "pick up his game" in the fourth quarter of his presidency.
"He's 20 points back and he's acting like he's ahead and he just has to communicate better," Gergen said.
Gergen said Obama's decision to threaten executive action on immigration reform was a "hand grenade" in the middle of conversations between his administration and the new Republican-controlled Congress.
"He says, I want to change, I want to reach out to the Republicans, I want to change, but by the way i'm going to sign this executive order, period, end of sentence," Gergen said. "Most people in Washington think that is going to throw a hand grenade in the middle of the conversations."
Washington Post editor Bob Woodward said Obama's 'style' was simply "not working."
"It's a disengaged style in terms of Congress that just is not working," Woodward said. "He looks isolated."