AP Poll Finds Americans Split About Bush

[hadrons]

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) prepares to start his second term with an ambitious list of tasks but also a public evenly split about his job performance, an Associated Press poll found.

Bush's approval rating is at 49 percent in the AP poll, with 49 percent disapproving. His job approval is in the high 40s in several other recent polls — as low as any job approval rating for a re-elected president at the start of the second term in more than 50 years.

....

Republicans overwhelmingly approve of Bush's job performance and Democrats overwhelmingly disapprove — a split found to a lesser extent in the congressional numbers.

....

Bush's willingness to pursue policies even if unpopular is appealing to some voters.

Gene Kuterboch, a state worker who lives in Stowe, Pa., says he's been a Democrat all his life, but he voted for Bush this time because Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) "seemed to be following the polls."

"I voted for President Bush because I think he took a stand after what went on with the terrorist attacks," Kuterboch said. "We need a leader."



http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20050107/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_poll

[LiberalVoice]

1. no shit

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

32. At first glance I read the title as...

"AP Poll Finds Americans About to Split Bush"

Well, one can dream, OK?

[LiberalVoice]

37. LOL

I believe they call it a "wet" one :D

[mcscajun]

59. I immediately turned it around...just for 'fun'

...but it's all too real, unfortunately:

Bush Split About Americans

Mostly he just can't stand us...and the ones he can, he just laughs about behind their backs.

[Chimpeach]

72. I read it as....

Poll Finds Americans SHIT about Bush

[MADem]

80. My sentiments exactly n/t

[coloradodem2005]

2. You don't say.

Oh, but we can't beat the motherfucker for what ever reason you name it.

[imenja]

3. Some Republicans say they now regret their vote

I was watching CSPAN around Christmas and some republican callers were saying: "well I voted for Bush but I kinda wish I hadn't now. I mean, that war in Iraq ain't going too good."
They didn't think about that before they voted?! It made me furious.

[NYC]

13. NOW they think of it?

I wouldn't care if they were the only victims, but they make the rest of us victims as well.

[imenja]

16. Mind boggling

I know. We all suffer, in this country and through the entire world, because of their raging stupidity. I mean really, if they are just now figuring out the war is a problem? I can better respect the Republican ideologues. At least they know what their position is and why.

[pinniped]

22. I know, was this so-called war all fine and dandy before the (s)election?

Were these moranic fools seeing flowers being thrown at the so-called liberators on tv? I think they were bullets!

Idiots!

[Occulus]

61. It's called "buyer's remorse"

Caught up in the glitz of a fierce campaign and the glory of a "decisive" victory, Bush supporters are starting to realize sooner than I expected that much of the Bush campaign was style without substance- there simply isn't any "there" there, and the result they're starting to see is just more of the same, in larger quantities.

Expect this trend to grow. If there is a draft, expect them all to turn on him.

"We will not have an all volunteer army.....................I mean, we WILL! We WILL have an all-volunteer army!"

They'll finally see him for the liar he is, just you wait... and an enemy is better in many ways than a slighted friend.

[mutius]

26. bush cheated to win

[still_one]

27. sorry my friend but

anyone who voted for * who now regrets it I can only say F**K them

I hope those are the ones that get screwed the worse from his policies, but in reality we all are going to have to pay

[pokercat999]

89. They will be.

A lot of * supporters were poor white folks who I believe, were un-consciously or secretly, racially motivated.

There is still some overt racism in the South (although declining I think) but I really think the racism in the North is, although better hidden, much more rampant.

I'm (middle aged white) from a small town in central PA. When I return there from central VA (where I live now) I can't believe the amount of racism from my peers. What really kills me is there are very few minorities living in the area. You can drive down main street any time of the day or night and not see one minority person of any shape, size or color. My best friend in VA is from Pittsburgh and says it is the same with his peers and relatives there.

Anyway I think the * administration will crap on all poor folks regardless of their skin tone, at least they are consistent in their loathing of their betters.

edited for my atrocious spelling

[Darth_Kitten]

33. I guess cause now things are going kinda icky for them.....

You have a right to be furious, dumb voters get on my nerves too! :)

[yorkiemommie1]

45. no they jumped on the bandwagon

and were good sheeples.

[SammyWinstonJack]

64. So the moran thought the war in Iraq was going good before Nov 2nd

and just went to shit in the last two months? :argh:

[imenja]

71. exactly

or more probably, hasn't been paying attention and just happened to turn the news on a channel besides Fox one day.

[girl gone mad]

86. As anyone who was only paying attention to the MSM would. n/t

[imenja]

91. no, I dispute that

if you watched any channel but Fox, you had to figure out things were pretty rough. Still, people only want to believe what they agree with.

[roguevalley]

4. you get what you pay for. the iceberg of economic crisis is going

to hit our little USA titanic and we're all going to die. spin that, repukes. I am almost praying for it to happen now and get over with.
Welcome to the New Greater Depression. As for the idiots in the snip,
may they drown first.

[saltpoint]

5. Americans -- especially Red State Americans --

-- had an opportunity to send two adults to the White House -- two Johns with great wives -- and instead they voted for a vacuous little liar and a reptile-brain power lizard.

Shame on 'em.

[Darth_Kitten]

34. I like the way you put that......

"reptile-brain power lizard"

Shame on them, I don't feel sorry for them at all.

[saltpoint]

84. Agreed.

I just feel that an opportunity was lost in this election.

It's more than my being biased against Bush.

Thanks for your comment.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

43. lizard...

[saltpoint]

85. Love it!

I think Cheney's very high IQ is unfortunately in the service of his reptile brain.

I would like to see a debate between Gloria Steinem and Cheney.

'Would pay good money, in fact.

[Journeyman]

6. Not long ago, there were less than 10% of us who opposed Shrub. . .

and here we are with a solid 50% . . . won't be too long, we'll be in the indisputable majority. . .

[BrendaStarr]

7. Good point!

And I don't understand how dumb a person has to be to vote for a bad man just because he doesn't follow supposed polls like that man in the excerpt did.

(And in fact it has been shown that Bush does use and follow polls and focus groups, but denies it and corporate news covers for him.)

[slay]

9. Many people don't seem to realize exactly how bad Bush is

but the message seems to be spreading pretty fast now. :)

[arcos]

10. too late, though....

:cry:

[SammyWinstonJack]

65. Way too late. n/t

[slay]

8. Hey America - you got punk'd!

"Bush" sure is stickin it to everybody good huh? Now when is the joke over.

[Cervello]

11. BREAKING

AP Poll States Obvious!

[RollergirlVT]

78. Ha! My thoughts exactly!

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

12. 49% vs 49% --then Chump really didn't win the election

just like the exit polls indicated.

so how do we get rid of this criminal?

one terra event in this country and it's martial law...and permanent Chimp

forever

[ElectroPrincess]

18. Martial law here?!? I lived under martial law before the American

contractors were extracted from Singapore (with their families) in 1964. Martial law is hell on earth.

Damn! A simple google search spit out this -

Foundations are in place for martial law in the US

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/27/1027497418339.html?oneclick=true

excerpt

Criticism of the Bush Administration's response to September11 echoes Mr Smith's warning. On June 7 the former presidential counsel John Dean spoke of America's sliding into a "constitutional dictatorship" and martial law.

Ritt Goldstein is an investigative journalist and a former leader in the movement for US law enforcement accountability. He revealed exclusively in the Herald last week the Bush Administration's plans for a domestic spying system more pervasive than the Stasi network in East Germany.

-------------
Yikes! Hold me Mommy?!? :scared:

[mutius]

28. when the good old USA is done

that's when the chimp is done.

[teryang]

29. He didn't win

nobody changed their mind.

[SammyWinstonJack]

66. Permanent Chimp forever

:wow: :cry: :scared: :-( :puke: :nuke:

[aquart]

14. Gosh. It almost makes you think

That people didn't really vote for him.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. More proof

that Bush won because the election was rigged.

[Voltaire99]

17. 49% - 49% ??? Look out: that's a MANDATE!

"With numbers like that, Mr. President, we don't have to stop with prayer in school... Let's reinstitute slavery!"

[ChrisK]

19. Sometimes it sounds like some of these voters spent more time..

placing an order at the local diner then who they were choosing as a President.

Mr Kuterboch is/was a lifelong Democrat yet for some reason last year he voted for a man that has shown himself to be reckless and out of control and he calls it taking "a stand"?

He went to war with a country that has personally, done nothing to us as a nation and its called taking a stand....In the real world if a normal person were to take that same "stand" against a person we didn't like we would go to jail for assault and for good reason, just because you don't a person(s) gives you no right to attack them without just cause...and this Mr Kuterboch is a Democrat?

Mr Kuterboch says "we need a leader" but what good is a leader that is heading for a wall and does nothing to veer away from it or stop? Thats not leadership to me, its carelessness and thick-headness...Too bad some people spend less time putting the dots together when choosing a leader then voting for there next "American Idol".

[leftchick]

20. very well said ChrisK!

and a belated welcome to DU!

[pinniped]

21. Sure, I disapprove of this piece of shit but I still voted for this...

piece of shit.

Whatever.

[Jon8503]

23. Mandate???????????????????

[Historic NY]

24. There kidding right.............is the press this stupid or what....n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

68. They're banking that we are. n/t

[xchrom]

25. i thought bush was a uniter?

[ixion]

30. hmmm... 51% disapprove... according to BushCo, that's a mandate

:grr:

[StaggerLee]

39. Oh no, dear no

When it's not in their favor then they consider it a focus group.

[Darth_Kitten]

31. Gene Kuterboch is one of the reasons I fear for Mankind.....

another self-serving ignornant bonehead looking for a daddy figure to rescue him I suppose.

What is with people? :shrug:

[llmart]

36. Keep in mind that the whore media.......

always manages to find the one "Democrat" that says things like this and feels they have to put that in their articles. Where are the quotes from real Democrats who, if questioned/polled, would say "I didn't vote for him and I'm not responsible for the direction this country is headed now."

[Darth_Kitten]

44. I doubt this guy was ever a democrat.......

:)

[Harry S Truman]

49. Excellent point!

These people are never real Dems anyway.

[durablend]

50. They cherrypicked him...

Oh they probably got quotes from the "real" democrats but that doesn't work to their "agenda" so they just keep pestering people until the find the "right" one, then claim he speaks for everyone else.

[llmart]

90. Exactly!

Or else they just make it up altogether. This is why I don't listen to MSM anymore. My wonderful son bought me satellite radio for Xmas. I'm having a ball with America Left, though I sure wish there was a way to get rid of the right wing stations on there. I don't even want to know I have the ability to get them as I tune into the ones I want:)

[hollowdweller]

35. I think "sports mentality" is a big factor in this poll/politics now

Now that the news is mostly commentary, and everything is "liberal" versus "conservative" instead of "all politics is local" I think people are starting to view it like sports teams. Even if your team is fucked up you remain loyal. Not very good for democracy.

[yorkiemommie1]

46. 'sports mentality'

my daughter calls it 'football attitude' where people get all pumped up. the testosterone gets flowing, even in the women. i see it all the time; it's very confrontational as opposed to being cerebral. rah rah sis boom bah...right over a cliff.

[PA Democrat]

38. The sick perverted logic of a Bush supporter

"I very strongly support what he's been doing," said Cheryl McGauvran, a teacher in a Christian school who says she lives in the desert southeast of Los Angeles. "If we had somebody in office who waffled we would be in trouble. It's almost better to be wrong and then correct it, than to vacillate and be stomped."

Somehow, as a Christian myself, I can't imagine Christ making a statement like that.

Lesson to Democrats: Do not let your opponent define you. All those flip-flopping charges really hurt Kerry.

[StaggerLee]

40. It's in the kool-aid

And K. Rove is a master in doling it out.

I feel we can't say "Truth, Justice" in the same sentence with "the American way"

It just doesn't fit anymore.

Sad.

[MADem]

81. You got that right

Superman must be spinning in his grave.

Now it's greed, privilege, and the American Way.

Thanks a lot, weecowboy!

[KurtNYC]

51. Check her last sentence

She says "almost better" so a strict reading of what she says there is that vacillating and being stomped IS better than being wrong and correcting it.

And Bush never admits to making any mistakes so you have to wonder what in her mind qualifies as correcting his mistakes

[kwolf68]

58. That statement is incredible

It's almost unbelievable to read it.

To these people truth means nothing, doing what is right means nothing..."Not getting stomped" (whatever the f*** that means) is the be-all, end-all of their ideology.

They have perverted the teachings of Christ to an obscene level. I can't wait until they start actually re-writing the Bible to actually remove Christ's teachings of peace, working for the poor, curing the sick, and his disdain for the wealthy.

[Ravenseye]

73. Not getting stomped

General - "Mr. President, Norad reports that the Russiasn have fired all their nukes at us!"
Bush - "Launch our repsponse!"
General - "Mr. President, the missles are away sir, they should hit those ruskies in about 20 minutes."
Bush - "Good. I'm sorry it came to this, but they launched their missles first, I had to respond. May God have mercy on our souls."
General - "Uh, Mr. President, we just got this in. The Russians didn't fire their missles. It was a glitch at Norad."
Bush - "Stop the missles!"
General - "It's too late sir, they're away, and we have no means of aborting them."
Bush - "Dear God!"

Lesson -- Sometimes when you're wrong, you can't correct it.

General - "Mr. President, Norad reports that the Russiasn have fired all their nukes at us!"
Kerry - "What? Why would they do that?"
General - "I don't know sir, what should we do."
Kerry - "Let me think for a moment."
General - "We only have a moment sir."
Kerry - "Confirm with Norad that this happened. We have a few minutes before the missles would get here anyway, we need to make sure this has happened. It just doesn't make any sense."
General - "Sir, just in from Norad, it was a computer glitch, the Russians didn't launch their missles."
Kerry - "Thank god."

Lesson -- Sometimes vacilating can save EVERYONE's life.

[girl gone mad]

87. Hey Cheryl,

Don't look now, but we were wrong AND we're getting stomped. And Bush has no plans to correct it.

[adigal]

41. People are waking up

If more and more people start waking up, perhaps we can gain some seats back in 2006, or at least hold Bush responsible for the mess in Iraq. Repubs up for reelection are NOT going to stand by this man - he is arrogant to them too.

[maxrandb]

42. More Evidence of the Liberal Media

This should have been the headline.

"Bush Enters 2ND Term With Lowest Approval Rating of Any Reelected President".

We will get absolutely nowhere! This country and it's great experiment in Democracy will die, unless the media whores stop "carrying water" for this mis-administration.

"Liberal Media My Ass!" (that would make a great bumper sticker, don't you think?)

[GOPBasher]

47. Diebold has Bush's approval rating at 78%.

It doesn't matter how unpopular Bush is. The voting machines are rigged and can't be verified.

[0007]

48. This only goes to prove that half of America is still asleep

[Massachusetts]

52. I wish that was true

but the reality is that 50% of Americans are MORONS.

[ElectroPrincess]

54. You mean "Morans" = Translation for the freeperville lurkers ... :P

[0007]

56. Your probably more on the money than I'm.

[Patiod]

53. Sounds like a mandate to me!

[CTLawGuy]

55. there are

subtle differences between the polls now and the election result. the polls are not a cross-section of who actually voted in the election but of voters in general.

So, looking at the result, either about 2% of people saying they disapprove of Bush either wouldn't vote for Kerry because they didn't like him either, or weren't able to vote for him because of irregularities in the voting process.

[Redstone]

57. Inexplicably idiotic voters

I actually know some people who voted as stupidly as the guy quoted in the original post...

My next-door neighbor has a son who is a Navy pilot, and she's absolutely terrified that he migh get sent to Iraq...voted for Bush anyway.

A friend of ours has a baby granddaughter with a genetic disease that is currently incurable, but which researchers think may be curable in the future through further stem-cell research...voted for Bush anyway.

I simply cannot fathom why people would vote so clearly against their own self-interest. They're not stupid people, either. But gullible, I guess.

Redstone

[RamboLiberal]

62. Got a guy I work with who's kid has juvenile diabetes

Voted for Bush even though stem cell research may be best hope for curing that disease.

Well when he does his walk this year for the charity - I'm not pledging his name. I'll send a donation directly.

And amazing when I walk through the warehouse where I know the guys aren't paid all that well - where some with families can't afford the health insurance employee co-pay. Blaring on the radio is Oxy Rush, Hannity keeping them safe from evil liberals, etc.

[Zero Gravitas]

60. "We need a leader"

WTF? So why did this dumbass Moron-American vote for Bush then? A squirrel has more leadership potential than George W. Bush, despite what the corporate media would like us to believe.

Hint to right wing fanatics: fear mongering and divisiveness is not "leadership".

[marew]

63. I will never understand how anybody could have voted for Bush.

He went AWOL after daddy got him in the Guard over 100 on the waiting list, he couldn't get admitted to the U. of Texas so daddy paid to get him in Harvard and Yale (He can't even speak in sentences...how could he have earned real degrees?), he can't read (when he was 12 years old mommy was still working with him with flash cards with SIMPLE words), everything he touched in the business world went down the tubes, he is a dry drunk and (former?) drug user, has easily discernible personality disorders (as diagnosed by professionals/see the book "Bush on the Couch" for one), his GOAL was to be a wartime president, and on and on and on.... How the hell did this happen? Talk about the dumbing down of America!!!! If this jerk didn't have the name and money behind him, he'd be the biggest nobody around and be perceived as the village idiot he is.

[Mad_Dem_X]

67. Bush supporters are ignorant or in denial

It doesn't help that the mainstream media won't talk about all those negative things you listed.

[Montanan]

74. People voted for Bush because Kerry

and the Dems couldn't overcome the formidable obstacles placed in their path. I hate to say it, but Rove and his minions played the campaign game beautifully. Yes, they're fascists, but they know how to win an election. And yes, they "won"; they're in power.

Things might not be so rosy in Bushville in 2006, however. Even the dullest denizens of Middle America will get a gut-full of death and repression eventually. Won't they?

[Megahurtz]

69. I'm surprised the pollers told the truth

You would have thought they would have lied just to make Bush look good.

[athenap]

70. what is a leader?

"...says he's been a Democrat all his life, but he voted for Bush this time because Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) "seemed to be following the polls.""

So...aren't polls supposed to show what "the people" think? If that's the case, this guy didn't want a president representing him...he wanted some bozo to do whatever he wanted regardless of whether or not it's what the people wanted. He elected an emperor, not a president.

[Montanan]

75. Remember "Nobody for President"?

Whatever happened to that noble idea?

[TheDonkey]

76. republicans are truly touched in the head!?! WTF is wrong with them

if it weren't for these psycho rethugs and right wing fundies that a-hole would have been sitting in a ditch outside the WH by now. I have no clue why they refuse to look at the facts.

[Montanan]

77. Conservative Christians aren't interested in facts...

...they're interested in feeling superior.

[Straight Shooter]

79. You nailed it. And one more thing ...

Jesus on their lips, hatred in their hearts.

[Bouncy Ball]

82. This just slays me:

"Bush's willingness to pursue policies even if unpopular is appealing to some voters."

Heh, heh, yeah he wanted to drive the car off the cliff and I thought "Hey that's a bad idea!" but he was just so darned determined and I was so, like, in AWE of his determination that I really liked him and said, "Yeah, let's do it! Thelma and Louise style, man!" So that's why I'm paralyzed from the neck down. But, uh, I still like bush.

:crazy:

[Stand and Fight]

83. And yet...

The bastard still won! I don't get it!

[complain jane]

88. Low approval rating + bad news in exit polls...

and he "won". Right.

[Deja Q]

92. I hope those 'some voters' won't be so happy when they realize that

*'s policies will affect THEM negatively too.

And if Kuterbake thinks * is a leader, then he should be getting more information and less disinformation before he goes off to vote.

[kcora]

93. This is one stupid article

I've never been a big fan of polls, especially popularity ones. Maybe this one represents the let down aftermath of the good Christian right groups who were actively preached to at church (and on the TV religious shows) about Bush's good qualities and how it was "in the Bible" that they had to vote (for Bush, of course).

Now he's in, the preaching has stopped and it's like the brain washing has stopped, like seeing what you've done after a mob situation with rioting in the streets.

Oh, my gosh. Look at this mess. Did I really do that?

"In January 2002, six in 10 Democrats approved of the job done by Bush, contributing to an overall job approval rating near 80 percent four months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks."

Was that ever really real, or just a reaction of the country pulling together after we'd been attacked?

And where do they get these people from, whose "brilliant" comments make the news?
"Rick Dickinson, a cabinet maker from Charlottesville, Va."
"Cheryl McGauvran, a teacher in a Christian school who says she lives in the desert southeast of Los Angeles."
"Gene Kuterboch, a state worker who lives in Stowe, Pa."

The only people who still support Bush, after all the hype and constant barrage of advertising for the past year, are the ones who expect to make money (count that BIG money) from his economic policies.

Anybody else just isn't looking