Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?Only 28% of those polled answered "Approve." 64% answered "Disapprove."
According to Newsweek, this is one point BELOW his father's lowest (and gee, won't that do a number on dubya's Oedipal issues) and it equals Jimmy Carter's lowest.
Something to think about when the next right-wing bloviator spouts on as if George W. Bush is doing a good job. From these numbers it's pretty obvious that a shade below 2/3 of the American people disagree.
Something to think about when the Democrats in Congress act like the man still has political capital to spend.
Shocking how badly dubya's doing his job.
I don't find it all that shocking, to be honest. The failures of the Bush administration should not be perceived as deriving from either inexperience or complete ineptitude.
ReplyDeleteCertainly, ineptitude has played a significant role in what has become a catastrophic Presidency. That can be evidenced by two simple words - Mike Brown. But Katrina wasn't all about ineptitude. Like most of the other disastrous consequences which Bush has led this country toward, the fundamental contributing factor to Katrina - and Iraq, USAgate, Valerie Plame, WMD, Abu Ghraib, Gauntanamo and on and on and on - is not incompetence but adherence to modern conservative political philosophy as it stands today in the US. Afterall, if government were reduced to the point where Grover Norquist could fulfill his desire and drown it a bathtub, it would respond about as well as Bush's did to Katrina. That's just small government conservatism at work.
Conservatives loved Bush. He gave them everything they wanted. But we paid the price.
They got huge tax cuts. We got huge deficits. And the subsequent adjustment in the loss of Federal revenue which triggers increases at the State and Local levels. Not only is the "Cut taxes" argument dangerous(at what point do you stop cutting taxes? Do these people even want a government?) but tax rates have seen a precipitous and disproportionate decline among the wealthiest Americans over the last 50 odd years, which has left us with a 2nd-rate infrastructure and a degree of economic inequality that threatens the stability of our society. It's Republican class warfare - and the richest, least productive segments of society have been winning for a long time.
They got a muscular foreign policy. We got a war. And 3,000+ dead. Nearly 30,000(if not more) wounded. Countless innocent Iraqi's caught in the crossfire of the sectarian violence that has enveloped Iraq as a result. Remember when certain Republicans said that terrorism was partly Reagan's fault because he withdrew from Lebanon? To be honest, Reagan is partly responsible for our problems in the Middle East, but not because he withdrew from Lebanon. People are not stupid, so when they see you supporting one country(Iraq) with weaopons openly while supplying another country(Iran) with weapons secretly, they're bound to figure out that something is up. When they see you support authoritarian governments in Saudi Arabia, it's confusing because of all the pro-democracy rhetoric. Throw in support for the Shah and not really giving a shit about human rights and you have the last 30-50 years of US foreign policy with regards to the Middle East.
They got an Imperial President. The country got enough scandals, corruption, graft, kickbacks and overall skullduggery to christen a second Gilded Age. In short, we got the worst President in American history. It's as though George W. Bush is the amalgamation of DNA taken from the worst Republican presidents - Harding, Hoover, McKinley, Nixon, Reagan.
They got an extremely reactionary social policy. We didn't get stem cell research. Or politically mainstream Supreme Court appointments.
They got everything they wanted. They've only turned on him since he's become such a huge liability. But it's not that easy. You don't just brush off six years of unwavering, unqualified support for Worse-Than-Nixon. For the GOP, 2006 is looking like it was only the beginning of the end.
If the Newsweek's poll's other numbers are any indication, the Democrats now have 3 candidates who look like they could not only win the White House but beat each of the leading Republicans.
If things don't improve by early next year, the GOP might be in a worse position than 06, losing more House seats and having to defend 21 Senate seats, with 10 already considered vulnerable to varying degrees.
The last six years is what a conservative government looks like. And goverment certainly isn't going to work when we elect people who don't think it can.
i think that's about as well put as i've ever read.
ReplyDeleteWhen was the last time you ever saw a similar poll done with local politicians?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the approval rating for Dan Onorato?
Is it going up or down?
What about for the mayor, etc. ??
These polls are done nationally. But, the local media doesn't do them in Pgh.
They should.
Whattaya talk, Mark? Last I heard, Ravenstahl's approval ratings were at 179% and climbing.
ReplyDeletePoll ratings: Congress is lower than President Bush. uhoh.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/4966273.html
"July 13, 2007, 7:30PM
Poll: Approval rating for Congress is lower than Bush's
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — In the eyes of the public, Congress is doing even worse than the president.
Public satisfaction with the job lawmakers are doing has fallen 11 points since May, to 24 percent, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll. That's lower than for President Bush, who hasn't fared well lately, either. ..."
They ALL suck azz! R or D, it is about power. Wake up.
btw - "New Orleans" vulnerable dangerous below "sea level" @
http://www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&safe=off&q=%22New+Orleans%22+vulnerable+dangerous+below+%22sea+level%22
Please do not help put people back into The Death Trap, LA. It WILL happen again.