Ruy Teixeira: will Bush approval sink below 40%? [View All]

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http://www.emergingdemocraticmajorityweblog.com/donkeyrising/archives/001222.php

June 22, 2005

Can Bush’s First Sub-40 Approval Rating Be Far Away?

The latest round of public polls confirms the continuing, across-the-board weakening of public confidence in Bush and his administration suggested by the early June Washington Post/ABC News poll. If present trends continue, it will not be long before Bush receives his first sub-40 overall approval rating, a traditional marker of an incumbent administration in serious trouble.

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Bush’s Priorities

In the CBS/NYT poll, the public says, by a wide margin (61-35), that Bush does not have the same priorities for the country as they have.

Iraq

According to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup survey, 59% of Americans oppose the war with Iraq, while just 39% favor it -- a substantial change from a March poll, when the public was evenly divided, 47% in favor and 47% opposed. This is the first time that a majority has expressed opposition to the war on this question, although these results parallel the findings from a June 6-8 Gallup Poll, which found 56% of Americans saying it was not worth going to war in Iraq, and 59% supporting at least a partial withdrawal of troops from that country.

Social Security

Bush’s approval rating on Social Security is down to a shockingly low 25 percent, with 62 percent disapproval (20/65 among independents). Even among Republicans, he can only muster a 52 percent approval rating on this issue.

The Economy

Pessimism about the economy continues to grip the American public. In the CBS/NYT poll, twice as many (36 percent) say the economy is getting worse as say it is getting better (18 percent). And a recent Gallup report finds the confidence in the stock market is continuing to sink and that views on economic growth prospects are at a two year low.

. . . more