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Ratings for Bush, Congress sink lower

nonothing

Well-known member
By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press Writer
24 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Like twin Jacques Cousteaus of the political world, President Bush and Congress are probing the depths of public opinion polling as voters exasperated over Iraq, immigration and other issues give them strikingly low grades.

In a remarkable span, the approval that people voice for the job Bush is doing has sunk to record lows for his presidency in the AP-Ipsos and other polls in recent weeks, dipping within sight of President Nixon's levels during Watergate. Ominously for Republicans hoping to hold the White House and recapture Congress next year, Bush's support has plunged among core GOP groups like evangelicals, and pivotal independent swing voters.

Congress is doing about the same. Like Bush, lawmakers are winning approval by roughly three in 10. Such levels are significantly low for a president, and poor but less unusual for Congress.

"The big thing would be the war," said independent Richard MacDonald, 56, a retired printer from Redding, Calif. "I don't think he knew what he got into when he got into it." As for Congress, MacDonald said, "It's just the same old same old with me. A lot of promises they don't keep."

Bush was risking more unpopularity by commuting I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison term in the CIA leak case, and his refusal to rule out a full pardon. Polls in March after the former White House aide's conviction showed two in three opposed to a pardon.

The public's dissatisfaction may be more serious for Republicans because even though Bush cannot run again, he is the face of the GOP. He will remain that until his party picks its 2008 presidential nominee — and through the campaign if Democrats can keep him front and center.

"Everything about this race will be about George Bush and the mess he left," Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., a member of the House Democratic leadership, said about 2008. "He'll be on the ballot."

Congress' numbers could signal danger for majority Democrats, since they echo the low ratings just before the GOP 1994 takeover of the House and Senate, and the Democratic capture of both chambers last November.

But unlike the president, Congress usually has low approval ratings no matter which party is in control, and poor poll numbers have not always meant the majority party suffered on Election Day. Voters usually show more disdain for Congress as an institution than for their own representative — whom they pick.

A majority in a CNN-Opinion Research Corp. survey in late June said Democratic control of Congress was good for the country. Yet only 42 percent approved of what Democratic leaders have done this year — when Democrats failed to force Bush to change policy on Iraq.

Republican strategists hope the dim mood will help the GOP in congressional elections.

"The voters voted for change and they expected change, and they see an institution still incapable of getting anything done," said GOP pollster Linda DiVall.

The abysmal numbers are already affecting how Bush and Congress are governing and candidates' positioning for 2008.

Last Thursday's Senate collapse of Bush's immigration bill showed anew how lawmakers feel free to ignore his agenda. Republican senators like Richard Lugar of Indiana and George Voinovich of Ohio have joined increasingly bipartisan calls for an Iraq troop withdrawal.

This year's GOP presidential debates have seen former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Sen. John McCain and others criticize Bush or his administration for mishandling the war and other issues. Some Republican congressional candidates have not hesitated to distance themselves from Bush.

"President Bush is my friend, and I don't always agree with my friends," said Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., facing a tough re-election fight next year. "And on the issues of Iraq and immigration, I simply disagree with his approach."

Bush's doleful numbers speak for themselves.

In an early June AP-Ipsos poll, 32 percent approved of his work, tying his low in that survey. Other June polls in which he set or tied his personal worst included 27 percent by CBS News, 31 percent by Fox News-Opinion Dynamics, 32 percent by CNN-Opinion Research Corp. and 26 percent by Newsweek.

The Gallup poll's lowest presidential approval rating was President Truman's 23 percent in 1951 and 1952 during the Korean war, compared with Nixon's 24 percent days before he resigned in August 1974. Bush notched the best ever, 90 percent days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The AP's June survey showed that compared with an AP exit poll of voters in November 2004, Bush's approval was down among swing voters. His support dropped from about half of independents to a fifth; from half to a third of Catholics; and from nearly half to a fifth of moderates.

Among usually loyal GOP voters, his approval was down from about eight in 10 to roughly half of both conservatives and white evangelicals.

Congress had a 35 percent approval rating in a May AP-Ipsos survey. Polls in June found 27 percent approval by CBS News, 25 percent by Newsweek and 24 percent by Gallup-USA Today.

Congress' all-time Gallup low was 18 percent during a 1992 scandal over House post office transactions; its high was 84 percent just after Sept. 11.

In the AP poll, lawmakers won approval from only about three in 10 midwesterners, independents and married people with children — pivotal groups both parties court aggressively.

___
 

aplusmnt

Well-known member
Kind of interesting he had the highest approval rating ever with 90% days after 911 and now one of the lowest ever.

I wonder how much of that 60% swing comes from the fact that most people have such a live in the moment attitude. When the threat of terrorist was real to them they supported a president that went after them.

Now that they feel all warm and fuzzy inside since there has been no attacks in 6 years they no longer see the urgent need to go kill the bad guy. They are back to worrying about who is going to win the next American Idol, or what Paris Hilton is doing this day.

Bush's 60,70 or 80 percent approval rating is just a suitcase nuke and attack on Iran away from happening.
 

Texan

Well-known member
aplusmnt said:
I wonder how much of that 60% swing comes from the fact that most people have such a live in the moment attitude. When the threat of terrorist was real to them they supported a president that went after them.

Now that they feel all warm and fuzzy inside since there has been no attacks in 6 years they no longer see the urgent need to go kill the bad guy. They are back to worrying about who is going to win the next American Idol, or what Paris Hilton is doing this day.
That explains it all, aplus. All that Americans seem to want is good times and don't let anybody rock the boat. Give them some room on their Master Card and somebody else to blame for the price of gas and they don't have a care in the world. Good post.
 

Steve

Well-known member
Give them some room on their Master Card and somebody else to blame for the price of gas and they don't have a care in the world.

I think you hit it on the head...most would rather blame others for the world's problems,.....or ignore them at least....

I want a world at peace...

Radical Islamic terrorists want a war...

if I ignore them....and continue thinking everything is peaceful...eventually they will at least succeed in starting their war....
unfortunately that has already happened.

blaming Bush will not stop them...
 

aplusmnt

Well-known member
nonothing said:
You fella's do not give your fellow US citizens very much credit in thier thought process...

Actually I doubt it is any different in Canada either. People are spoiled and selfish, that is just the way it is. Most people probably do not even know the name of our VP. You know way more about American politics than the average American.

It is Human nature to be self absorbed. And when it comes to politics most people invest probably an hour a year to information gathering. And that just slips into their minds from the Liberal media.

I bet Canadians are no different.
 

kolanuraven

Well-known member
Pray tell me....what channels have the CONSERVATIVE media views?

Surely there's got to be one other than FOX?

You keep referring to the liberal media.....all media do whatever it takes to draw ratings .......PERIOD...call it liberal or not!
 

aplusmnt

Well-known member
kolanuraven said:
Pray tell me....what channels have the CONSERVATIVE media views?

Surely there's got to be one other than FOX?

You keep referring to the liberal media.....all media do whatever it takes to draw ratings .......PERIOD...call it liberal or not!

There is not very many, surely you can name another. And to me Fox is pretty moderate with a little lean to the right. Most other networks lean WAY to the left.

And we are also talking newspapers also. I believe it was the New York Times or one New York paper that ran the foiled terrorist plot to blow up the Gas line to JFK Airport on like page 26. Most likely because they do not want Rudy Giuliani to get elected and he has strong numbers in regards his views on fighting terrorist. This should have been one of the biggest news stories of the year and it got less coverage than Paris Hilton does. It was way bigger news that Scooter Libby getting commuted sentence, but no one touched it with half the coverage as Scooter is getting.

Liberal media knows how to create a story out of virtually nothing, example look Anna Nicole Smith and Paris Hilton. They bury Dem's shortcomings and exploit the smallest of the Republicans.

And the reality watching Sheep in society eat it up like the good little sheep they are.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
kolanuraven said:
Pray tell me....what channels have the CONSERVATIVE media views?

Surely there's got to be one other than FOX?

You keep referring to the liberal media.....all media do whatever it takes to draw ratings .......PERIOD...call it liberal or not!

I follow a lot of FOX News-- O'Reilly and Hannity as much as I can-- and I can't think of many positive things they've had to say for GW lately-- they also agree that the Bush immigration bill was a JOKE- and that the Iraq war was mishandled and has turned into near chaos because of the mishandling.....
Then you add in the questions they bring up about false leaks and falsehoods coming out of the Administration- along with some top members of the Administration putting out they are above any oversight (Congressional or Judicial as laid out in the Constitution as a check and balance) - its not hard to see why the poll ratings are where they are....

Even Rush/Reagan/Coulter have been extremely critical of the breakdown and farce thats been happening in the White House lately.....
 
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