Poll: Bush support holds despite Iraq, 9 /11 hearin

“Nyuck, Nyuck, Nyuck!”

“President Bush's approval rating has plunged to the lowest level of any president since World War II at this point in his second term, the Gallup Organization reported today.

All other presidents who served a second term had approval ratings well above 50% in the March following their election, Gallup reported.

Presidents Truman and Johnson had finished out the terms of their predecessors, and then won election on their own for a second term.

Bush's current rating is 45%. The next lowest was Reagan with 56% in March 1985.

More bad signs for the president: Gallup's survey now finds only 38% expressing satisfaction with the "state of the country" while 59% are "dissatisfied." One in three Americans feel the economy is excellent or good, while the rest find it "only fair" or poor.

Gallup noted that more challenges lie ahead for Bush, including public doubts about his Social Security plan and Iraq policies.

Here are the approval ratings for presidents as recorded by Gallup (all for March):

Truman, 1949: 57%.

Eisenhower, 1957: 65%.

Johnson, 1965: 69%.

Nixon, 1973: 57%.

Reagan, 1985: 56%.

Clinton, 1997: 59% .

Bush, 2005: 45% .


http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000866232”

“Seems like an interesting, but awfully artificial Stat (popularity in March after re-election). What's really strange to me is that the support is that high. After all, they stopped having press conferences on Al-Qeda right after the election.”

“Geez-O-Flip!!!!!

Dumbya looks like a televangelist!!


Wait a minute.................he is a televangelist!!!”

“Maybe you guys should vote for somebody else next election.”

“Maybe we voted for somebody else last election.”

“Maybe my ass!!!”

“Yeah, what happened with that? I seem to remember how low his numbers were then too. I think he was down by about 10 in the polls. How'd that work out for ya?
last edited: 5/16/05 3:27:14 PM”

“There are a number of theories going around. Which one would you like to hear?”

“Sarge - the polls I read prior to the election had, on average, Bush winning by a small margin. I'd like to see a significant poll within 5 days of the elecetion that had him down by more than 3%
last edited: 5/16/05 3:49:10 PM”

“This article ahs a good summary of the major polls shortly before the election. They ran from Bush +6% over Kerry to Kerry up 2%. The average poll according to this list had Bush up by 1 1/2% vs. his 3% margin of victory.

http://people-press.org/commentary/display.php3?AnalysisID=102”

“Yeah Sarge, only the exit polls in a few states turned out to be wrong.”

“WASHINGTON - Less than half of Americans now say they think President Bush is honest, according to an AP-Ipsos poll taken at a time of increasing concerns about Iraq, a potential problem for a president who won re-election declaring that "people know where I stand."

The percentage of people who say they consider Bush honest has dropped slightly from the start of the year. In January, 53 percent described him that way in the AP-Ipsos poll, while 45 percent said they did not believe he was honest. Now, people are just about evenly split — 48 percent saying he's honest and 50 percent saying he's not.

"Whether you agree or disagree with him, the president has taken a pounding on perceptions of his honesty," said Karlyn Bowman, a public opinion analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. She cited as one example the administration's claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, but none have been found.
[...]
Bush's overall job approval was at 42 percent, with 55 percent disapproving. That's about where his approval rating has been all summer but slightly lower than it was when the year began. His approval on handling Iraq was at 38 percent.
[...]
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050806/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_ap_ipsos_poll;_ylt=AqYJs8KS_qLpcx9Q9dBJGHOyFz4D;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl”

“America Hates America”

“President Bush's approval rating remains among the lowest of his presidency, with some Americans growing increasingly dissatisfied with the Iraq war, according to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday.

Forty-five percent of those polled said they approve of Bush's handling of his job, compared with 51 percent who said they are dissatisfied.
[...]
57 percent said the war has made the United States less safe from terrorism -- a number that has risen dramatically in just two months when 39 percent said the U.S. homeland was less safe.

On the other, 54 percent said they believe it was a mistake to send U.S. troops to Iraq; 44 percent said it was not a mistake.

Those numbers have nearly reversed since last month, when 46 percent said it was a mistake to send troops and 53 percent said it was not.
[...]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/08/08/bush.poll/”

“Man ol' man.
The Vile Man can screw up a post without even trying too. ;-)”

“Overall, 36% of Americans say that they approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president, 58% disapprove, and 6% are undecided.

http://americanresearchgroup.com/economy/

Lower than Nixon during Watergate: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/08/08/opinion/09opart.1.ready.html”

“Fortunately, Mr. Bush doesn't use polls to make all his decisions, like the previous president.”

“No he doesn’t. He apparently consults with idiots and fools.”

“Nah, he doesn't care about polls!



That's why he is stepping away from Crawford for some "timely" stops to drum up support for his folly, er, I mean, legacy!”

“a legacy of folly”

“HE's been talking to a burning bush somewhere.”

“Boy that brought out the libs. Must have struck a nerve.”

“Yeah, Noprob. Can you believe the fire in these posts? Jeez, I haven't seen anything this lit up since Lepke got the chair!”

“Who duh hell is Lepke??”

“Lepke Burkhalter of Murder, Inc.

He was a nice guy...


...compared to some of the members of this board!! :)”

“Wasn't Bush's approval rating below 50% last November?

For better or for worse, it just goes to show how much polls mean. In other words, they don't work when people lie...”

“President Bush's job approval rating has fallen to his lowest rating ever. 37 percent now approve of the job he is doing as president, while 58 percent disapprove. Those in his own party are still overwhelmingly positive about his performance (nearly 80 percent approve), but the president receives little support from either Democrats or Independents. And while views of President Bush have lately not changed much among Republicans or Democrats, his approval rating among Independents has dropped 11 points since just last month, from 40 percent to 29 percent now.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/06/opinion/polls/main924485.shtml”

“Why is it when his poll numbers were high, the left wouldn't acknowledge them as important numbers, but when they're low they post them?

Interesting double standard.”

“Really?

Interesting delusion.”

“Sarge: who on the left wouldn't acknowledge the poll numbers?

I heard lefties talking about the poll numbers when they went through the roof after 9/11 - and seeing them as an important source of political strength.

Add to that: I certainly learned all about his numbers from the news soureces you call left wing (NPR, New York Times, Boston Globe, CBS).

I'm not a big one for poll numbers. Truth is not to be found by referendum. If I remember correctly polls showed that a more Americans believe the world was created within the last 10,000 years that believe it is billions of years old. Polls just show who is winning the PR battle - politically that matters, but it won't change my vote one way or the other.”

“when the numbers were high, we just thought there were a higher percentage of stupid people in our country. I guess about 33% were only temporarily stupid.”

“Yeah, I thought about the old saying:

"you can fool all of the people some of the time,
and you can fool some of the people all of the time,
but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."
last edited: 10/07/05 6:56:59 PM”

“If you wanna use the most accurate pollster, you gotsta go with Rasmussen Reports. He does numerous polls on a daily basis, not just now and then. Rasmussen was by far the closest to the actual numbers in the Presidential election and basically nailed the % for both Bush and Kerry.

Here's today's Rasmussen Report on Bush's approvals, which is at 47% approval.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/Bush_Job_Approval.htm


Friday October 07, 2005--Forty-seven percent (47%) of American adults now approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. This is the third time in four days, the Approval Rating has been at 47%, a slight improvement over the preceding month.

Fifty-two percent (52%) Disapprove.

The President's performance in office earns Approval from 81% of Republicans, 18% of Democrats, and 41% of those not affiliated with either major political party.”

“Interesting to note Rasmussen, if I understand correctly, asks people if they approve of the job Bush is doing )e.g. strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, strongly dissaprove) while Zogby asks if they think Bush is doing an excellent, good, fair, or poor job.

Zogby ends up giving Bush a 43% favorable rating and a softening trend of Bush support and hardening of the critics (biggest drop is in the "excellent" rating with a slight increase in "good" and big increase in "poor" with "fair" up and down.)

I think part of the difference in results is the question. Saying someone's performance is "fair" is different that saying you "somewhat disapprove."”

“I actually think that there is still hope for this president.

Remember after the national health care fiasco during the Clinton presidency? Clinton looked like he was dead in the water, so he just picked the best ideas from the other side and went for it - welfare reform, free trade...

He could count on support from the other side and enough Democrats stuck with him to make it work.

Bush needs an issue or two that he can triangulate with. One might be health care reform. Another might be reapprochment with Iran.

But the poll numbers are irrelevant right now because the president has zero agenda. What does he actually want to do with the next three years? He doesn't seem to know.”

“Bush needs an issue or two that he can triangulate with. One might be health care reform. Another might be reapprochment with Iran.


...or a none ultra-right supreme court nominee.”

“:) That's right, Birch. It's the same principle. Only the most hard core Republican Senators will vote against this nomination. And I'll bet that most Democrats vote for her.

There are many ways to get to 50.

But, seriously, Bush is very constrained right now. He has only governed from his base so far. He has reached the limit of that base. So, he can just sit there and do nothing, or spend the next three years looking for broad coalition issues.

Presidents don't generally run for election to do nothing.”

“Presidents don't generally run for election to do nothing...

Its for the free haircuts and chicks.”

“Poll: Bush would lose an election if held this year

Sounds familiar.”

“Come on Marvin let's go in the Wayback Machine! LOL!

Damn hockey helmet liberals.”

“A parliamentary form of government looks pretty good right now.”

“Rasmussen has Bush at new lows (41% total approval, with 43% strongly dissaprove, 15% somewhat dissaprove). I wonder if the Miers' withdrawal will help.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/Bush_Job_Approval.htm

Bush and Rove could repair this in time for the elections next year, if not Republicans will have to runa away from him.

For now, this year may be the window of opportunity for him to push through more of his agenda - but if Republican Senators and Reps are feeling the need to run away from him, the window could close fast.”

“http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2005/Perspectives%20on%20Iraq_October%2025.htm

Also interesting, despite the confirmation of the Iraqi constitution, 53% of those polled felt bringing the troops home was more important than finishing the mission.

I think it would be a disaster for the U.S. as well as Iraq if we withdrew very soon, so maybe I'm in the right wing minority on this one.

I'm also worried that Iran may have more influence in post-war Iraq than the US will.
last edited: 10/27/05 11:55:58 AM”

“Can you say g-o-a-t-f-u-c-k children? I knew that you could...”

“For now, this year may be the window of opportunity for him to push through more of his agenda - but if Republican Senators and Reps are feeling the need to run away from him, the window could close fast.”
pedxing
11:43:11 AM
10/27/05

It must be hard to run away from somebody when your muscles are atrophied from being in bed with them for 5 years.”