Poll: Bush Presidency Judged Unsuccessful (Pew)

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON - For the first time, more people say George W. Bush's presidency will be judged as unsuccessful than say it will be seen as a success, a poll finds.
...
The increasing pessimism about Bush's long-term prospects comes at a time when many polls have found the public increasingly is negative about Bush's performance and the direction of the country.

Seven in 10 said they want the next president to offer policies and programs that are different from the Bush administration's.

Only half said they wanted the next president to offer different policies in 2000, at the end of the Clinton presidency. By a 2-1 margin, people said the Bush administration has had a negative impact on politics and the way government works.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051013/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_expectations_1

[Akoto]

1. Pew is right.

That shall be how is presidency is remembered. Pew. :p

[iamjoy]

2. Now All We Need

Is a party that can clearly articulate an alternative to the American people.

And some one who can do it in an optimistic way, not all negative attacks.

[Voltaire99]

54. Great moment for a third party

Unfortunately for the Dem machine, it is widely seen as a spineless adjunct to Bushism.

The time to have "clearly articulated an alternative" was Day One of the Bush administration, but sadly, we got appeasement instead.

I'd love to see Dean leave and start a third party.

[Tuttle]

62. I think we need Perot

Face it: Clinton won because Perot split the wingnut vote (twice).

Herr Buchanan destroyed the Reform Party and Bush was able to steal the elections (with help from Nader).

Yes, we need a progressive political party but a third party, left of center, will keep us right where we've been.

Tut-tut

[Voltaire99]

68. Good points.

It's clear enough that after 25 years of Reaganism voters go for the right of center line, whether that comes in the form of Reagan, Clinton, or one of the Bushes.

Of course, that's been true under historically different conditions--the narrow period of the last quarter century. In short I read it as a reaction against the great liberal period of the 60s, which really shook up this frightened, reactionary society.

But new forces are shaping us already. As our middle class devolves and oil prices soar, it will be harder and harder to sell average Americans on voting against their economic interests for the comfort of indulging their "values." Hardship leads directly to realpolitik.

As for remaining where we've been, I'm not worried about that overly much. Democrats can have no less influence than they do now, so there's really nothing to lose and everything to gain by radically transforming the party--or creating a third.

[femrap]

63. I just finished reading the book, 'Conquer the Crash,' which

discusses 3rd and 4th parties. When a country encounters a Depression (which is what we are going to encounter)...3rd and 4th parties flourish.

And right now...the beginning of the Financial Collapse...we are seeing a power vacuum. The neo-cons are facing indictments, yet the Dems are sitting there sucking their thumbs.....I am ashamed of them.

The only people stepping up to the plate are the 'Christian Fascists.' This makes me ill. The front page of the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch today shows the Religious Nutjobs marching at the Statehouse starting a voter registration drive that is based on intolerance and hatred of anyone who disagrees with them.

What is wrong with the Dems? What is wrong with Harry Reid (besides being an anti-choice, squeaky-voiced, Meirs lover) anyway? THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY SILENT....has anyone heard anything lately? Dean was on Letterman the other night...and he seemed on edge as he thought about the talking points he had been instructed to repeat.....

It is so damn quiet from the Dems....THE SOUND OF SILENCE....

[Voltaire99]

67. Thomas Frank, among others...

...has argued persuasively that what the party needs is a platform of economic populism. Perhaps circumstances will force that upon the Democratic Party, if it is still sensate enough to respond to circumstances.

We might well wonder after its failure to halt the Patriot Act, its cowardly support for the invasion of Iraq, and its deafening silence on most aspects of Bushism from terrible cabinet and court nominees to the atrocity foisted upon New Orleans.

You ask what is wrong with this moribund party. I see a party secure in failure, too happy suckling on the corporate teat even to care about its minority status. That's the problem with an entrenched institution; its revenue stream is secure, even if its influence is now nil.

In any healthy system, failure forces change or extinction. But by keeping such nullities as Reid, Kerry and Hillary on the equivalent of retainers, our corporate masters have found a way to achieve their wildest dreams. They've turned the party into a kept spouse--a Desperate Housewife. ;-)

[lutefisk]

3. I'm at a loss to think of any "success" from this administration

Unless success is meant in the sense of a "successful con game" or something else that went as planned but was overall a dishonest and bad thing.

[yorkiemommie1]

5. well now cheney is rolling in $$$

these guys came in to pillage and have done very well for themselves!

[A Simple Game]

8. It all depends upon your perspective doesn't it.

I think there are many who already judge this presidency as a success.

[yorkiemommie1]

22. yeppers, all the pillagers

and that 1% who got the tax cuts.

[0007]

69. The Carlyle Group certainly done well........are those the many

that you're talking about? Jack Abramoff and his crew also did well before running into trouble, 'eh?

It is hard to imagine an address closer to the heart of American power. The offices of the Carlyle Group are on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC, midway between the White House and the Capitol building, and within a stone's throw of the headquarters of the FBI and numerous government departments. The address reflects Carlyle's position at the very center of the Washington establishment, but amid the frenetic politicking that has occupied the higher reaches of that world in recent weeks, few have paid it much attention. Elsewhere, few have even heard of it...

But since the start of the "war on terrorism", the firm - unofficially valued at $13.5bn - has taken on an added significance. Carlyle has become the thread which indirectly links American military policy in Afghanistan to the personal financial fortunes of its celebrity employees, not least the current president's father. And, until earlier this month, Carlyle provided another curious link to the Afghan crisis: among the firm's multi-million-dollar investors were members of the family of Osama bin Laden

[Erika]

23. They've redistributed the wealth, to the wealthiest

W and his corporate fascists achieved their goal.

[greygandalf]

64. I can understand the perception of success.

Nothing really domestically though, which should matter the most.

Even though the war was a illegal, it did remove a dictator. Which some people view as a good thing.

However, there were those colored revolutions, which everyone likes to say the US has a hand in. Removal of Syria from Lebanon. Israel out of the gaza strip. Just some examples.

[davekriss]

65. Worst. President. Ever.

'nuff said.

[yorkiemommie1]

4. oh HO HO HO !

read and rated!


:woohoo:

[Magleetis]

6. Duh

we knew all along he was a loser. leadership not.

[Up2Late]

7. I was just looking to see if this had been posted yet, Great NPR audio

interview with Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center.

Poll: Bush's Ratings Drop on Nearly All Fronts

View Gallery (more data and graphics at link above)-- Pew Research Center for the People and the Press
Only 38 percent of Americans currently think Bush is doing a good job, according to the Pew survey.

Listen to this story...(at link above)

by Michele Norris

All Things Considered, October 13, 2005 · President Bush's approval ratings are in a steep decline, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center. The survey found that only 38 percent of Americans think the president is doing a good job, down from 50 percent in January. For the first time in his presidency, the numbers show most people think Bush will be judged as an unsuccessful president.

"That's a pretty bleak assessment," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center. "The numbers for President Bush are really going from bad to worse." In September, a Pew poll found that Bush's approval rating dropped as a response to what was considered to be a poor handling of the relief effort for Hurricane Katrina's victims. The latest Pew poll, a national survey of 1,500 adults conducted Oct. 6 to Oct. 10, shows that his numbers are continuing to slip.

The dissatisfaction is reaching into the Republican base. The party still remains loyal, said Kohut, with 80 percent approving of Bush's performance. But that number has dropped from 90 percent earlier in the year. And only 62 percent of Republicans surveyed think Bush will go down in history as a successful president.

The poll also examined 11 issues, such as health care, the federal budget deficit, the economy and taxes, asking participants whether Bush had made conditions better or worse. On seven of the issues, most people said Bush's decisions or policies had had a negative impact. Bush only fared well in one area -- national security.

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4957626>
(more at link above)

[Dancing_Dave]

9. It doesn't take an Einstein to see this now!

I remember an Immanuel Wallerstein piece published at Global Research over three years ago saying that the neo-con agenda was impossible and could only lead to catastrophe. It took an unusually brilliant mind to see that way back then!

Now just about any Bozo can see what's goin' on...

[Up2Late]

30. That's almost the exact definition of Genius

The I.Q. test is NOT a test to see how much you know, it's a test to see how good you are at figuring stuff out (solving problems and mysteries).

All us I.Q. 140+ types here at DU figured this out 4 years ago, the I.Q. 70-80 (or less) types over at that OTHER web site that rhymes with "See ReDublic" are just now getting this.

[mikeytherat]

41. Woo hoo! IQ 141 here!

I made the cut (though my "woo hoo" might have just dropped me below the line).

mikey_the_rat

[mediaman007]

10. Just wait...Georgie* has about 3 more years to take it even lower...

wait until the Medicare Prescription Benefit kicks in. You ain't seen nothin' yet!

[paineinthearse]

18. WP: A Polling Free-Fall Among Blacks (just 2% support *)

Think he can drive the rest of the country down that low?

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1847380&mesg_id=1847380

[Up2Late]

35. God I hope so. 2%!?! One word: WOW!

I won't be happy until he is down to 1% support from everyone, with only the "Top 1%" supporting him.

[reprobate]

37. You got that right! I calculated my savings under part D.

Guess how much I'll save.

Would you believe a whole 4.58 percent?

The biggest Bush rippoff since he promised we'd be showered with flowers and candy in Iraq

[Tight_rope]

11. I'd put my whole life saving on the line to say that ....

BUSH IS THE MUST UNSUCCESSFUL RpRESIDENT EVER.

[lizziegrace]

12. I love this line!

"Thirty-five percent said it was too early to tell, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press."

How much more evidence do they need?????????????????

[neuvocat]

14. Its called "denial", aka Cognitive Dissonance.

[President Kerry]

20. Some people need to see ashes to be convinced their bed is burning

never mind that it'll be too late.

[neuvocat]

13. But the GOP is the moral and values party!!!

That's how Bush was "elected", because the "vast majority of americans" are "God fearing" and want a "President" who can "take charge" and "clean up" Washington D.C.

[NanceGreggs]

15. How much did this 'Survey' Cost???

I could have told you for free!!!!!!!!!!!!

[President Kerry]

21. welcome!

:toast:

[Tight_rope]

58. Welcome to DU NanceGreggs!

[paineinthearse]

16. 5th

:thumbsup:

[AX10]

17. Bush will be near the bottom.

[Zynx]

19. He's trying for bottom five right now.

And the bottom five are really bad so he is really sucking it up badly.

[NYC Liberal]

55. Hey if you can't be the best, might as well try for the worst!

After all, Bush wants be number 1 in something, won't settle for the middle. So now he's going all out and trying to hit THE worst.

[progressivebydesign]

24. When Bush first "took" office an historian predicted this.

He said that Bush would go down in history as the Worst President EVER. He was right.

[progressoid]

25. No shit?

well duh.

[Aimah]

26. Unsuccessful

No matter how blinded the Bushies are today it will be different when future generations look at Bush's legacy. He'll probably be marked as the worst President in modern times.

[sabra]

27. Pew Poll: Bush approval at 39 percent (article says 38%)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20051013-18374100-bc-us-bush-pew.xml

Pew Poll: Bush approval at 39 percent

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- A new poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press shows public approval of President Bush's performance in office has fallen to 38 percent.

Just 29 percent of those polled said they were satisfied with the way the way things are going in the country.

The survey found that 50 percent half of those polled think the decision to go to war in Iraq was wrong. That's up from 44 percent last month.

[Trajan]

28. This is not latest breaking news ....

No matter how much we like it ....

[waldnorm]

29. How Appropriate . . .

The P.U. poll. :)

And Trajan, looks like Janet (a.k.a. "Church Lady") is reacting as she usually does to such news. :)

[Wordie]

31. Poll: Bush Presidency Judged Unsuccessful (AP report on PEW poll)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051014/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_expectations;_ylt=A9FJqZN3LU9D8VMAkgOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OXIzMDMzBHNlYwM3MDM-

By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago

<snip>
WASHINGTON - For the first time, more people say George W. Bush's presidency will be judged as unsuccessful than say it will be seen as a success, a poll finds.

Forty-one percent of respondents said Bush's presidency will be seen as unsuccessful in the long run, while 26 percent said the opposite. Thirty-five percent said it was too early to tell, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

In January, 36 percent said successful and 27 percent said unsuccessful.

The increasing pessimism about Bush's long-term prospects comes at a time when many polls have found the public increasingly is negative about Bush's performance and the direction of the country.

[WiseButAngrySara]

32. A pity that the U.S. is finally realizing what the WORLD knew one year

ago!

[pinniped]

33. I think they don't give a S. Money is in the bank.

.

[Solly Mack]

36. Pretty much

Bush has done and is doing what he planned to do....and what the people think about it is not part of the equation.

Sometimes I want to scream to people:

"Bush doesn't care. No, really, he doesn't care - knowing that intellectually is one thing - feel it in your bones - Bush. does.not.care."

[LynnTheDem]

34. Seven in 10 say BUSH YOU SUCK and CLINTON WAS BETTER.

Only half said they wanted the next president to offer different policies in 2000, at the end of the Clinton presidency.

By a 2-1 margin, people said the Bush administration has had a negative impact on politics and the way government works.

THE MAJORITY SPEAKS, MFing rightwingnuts; GET OVER IT.

[Tommy_J]

38. Rate the Yahoo story up

It 4 stars now

[krkaufman]

39. Bunch of dumbasses. We're less than a year beyond the last election...

... and most of the information they're finally waking up to was readily available 11 months ago.

[superconnected]

44. his polls were bad at that time, and they knew he was a failure

they voted for him anyway - to protect us from terrorists.

See those (questionable) beheadings worked - for a while.

[krkaufman]

46. Yeah, but anybody that voted for that idiot after his debate performances

... needs to consider therapy, 'cause they've got some seriously crippling issues.

[Catfight]

40. That's what we get with an out of touch spoiled elitist for President. nt

[LatinoSocialist]

42. good..

let his legacy be forever inked in the books as a massive failure, a divisive president, and the closest thing to a fascist leader the U.S. has ever known.

Let his name be spoken alongside the names of Hitler, Stalin, and other worthless leaders.

[yellowcanine]

43. "Unsuccessful"? Was "disaster" one of the choices? Dang pollsters

were probably afraid to ask that one.

[johnaries]

45. MUCH more info at the Pew site, INCLUDING a warning for DEMS

"And while Bush and his party are struggling, the Democratic Party continues to be viewed in the same negative light as the Republicans. Only about third (32%) approve of the job Democratic leaders in Congress are doing, while the same number has a positive view of Republican congressional leaders (32%). Both measures have declined slightly over the past month (36% approval for each in mid-September)."
http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=259

The sheeple are finally waking up to the truth about B*, but Dems have not been able to turn it into an advantage. The public don't see us as any better than the Repukes. I've seen threads about the DNC about to release a "platform" statement and Walter Cronkite suggesting a mid-term Dem Convention. God, I hope so! We need to do SOMETHING!!!!!

[The Roux Comes First]

56. Hubris Traps

I'm very glad you drew attention to this cautionary language. We all deserve to cherish the Decline and Fall, but must avoid the traps so obviously and routinely on display in that other parallel faith-based hubris-universe. The word infallibility comes to mind. And never being able to admit to uncertainty or being wrong.

Without a decent game plan and/or a takeover of the political decisionmaking proces by, say, the vibrant and democracy community here, we could well find ourselves looking back years from now at a squandered opportunity.

And even the likelihood of * being appropriately recognized as the loser he has consistently proven to be and thus reviled in the future cannot be taken for granted. Let us not forget that there are still many who apparently want to argue that ronnie was our greatest president. Of course many of them seem obliged to keep repeating that opinion over and over lest reality intrude.

[twaddler01]

60. I agree

Nice points :thumbsup:

[Iris]

47. ARE YOU SURPRISED??????!!!!!!!?????

Is anyone here surprised? Anyone?

anyone?




anyone?



. . . .anyone? anyone? anyone? anyone? anyone?


:shrug:

[Geo55]

50. Well a little....

"Republicans give the president mixed reviews in many of these areas. Almost half of Republicans said Bush's policies have made the deficit worse and just 12 percent say he has improved that situation."

12%.....amazing.....I'm surp......ah, nevermind....I'm not.

[Love Bug]

48. So where the hell were these people a year ago? Bush wasn't

any different then! He was just as big a liar and cheat as he's ever been!

[ckramer]

49. That means the war with Iran probably will start soon

Or the war with Syria.

Four more wars!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

51. It's much worse than "unsuccessful".

Dumbyass' residency, has been nothing less than a disaster for our country.

[fshrink]

52. Probably the understatement of the year. Besides,

it has not been established that it even is a "presidency".

[0007]

53. N0 SHIT, Sherlock!

[warrens]

57. Worst. President. Ever. (pass it on...)

[twaddler01]

59. Rock on!

Awesome article. PEW is indeed correct...

[0rganism]

61. Oh, he's been successful, all right

Under complete republican domination, the federal government has finally become just as shitty, corrupt, vicious, warmongering, overspending, bloated, and inefficient as the republicans have said it was for the past 25 years. Even I, diehard tax'n'spend liberal that I am, now think grim thoughts when I send in my federal tax returns. Never thought I'd see the day, but here it is.

Congratulations, W, another job well done!

[Carolab]

66. Rate it up. Only about 741 votes. n/t