ABC: Poll: Weak Ratings Confront Bush Ahead of State of Union

[Pirate Smile]

War Fatigue, Ethics Concerns Impact Approval Rating

By GARY LANGER

Jan. 29, 2006 — A weakened George W. Bush faces the nation in his 5th State of the Union address beset by war fatigue, persistent discontent on the economy and other domestic issues, ethics concerns and rising interest in Democratic alternatives in this midterm election year.

Bush's bottom-line job rating — 42 percent of Americans approve of his work, 56 percent disapprove — is the worst for a president entering his sixth year in office since Watergate hammered Richard Nixon. And Bush's is not a single-issue problem: More than half disapprove of his work in eight out of nine areas tested in this ABC News/Washington Post poll, from Iraq to immigration to health care.

-snip-
OPPOSITION — Bush's problems clearly benefit the opposition: Americans — by a 16-point margin, 51 to 35 percent — now say the country should go in the direction in which the Democrats want to lead, rather than follow Bush. That's a 10-point drop for the president from a year ago, and the Democrats' first head-to-head majority of his presidency.

The Republican Party is feeling the pinch as well. The Democrats lead them by 14 points, 51 to 37 percent, in trust to handle the nation's main problems, the first Democratic majority on this question since 1992. And the Democrats hold a 16-point lead in 2006 congressional election preferences, 54 to 38 percent among registered voters, their best since 1984.
Independents — quintessential swing voters — prefer the Democrats' direction over Bush's by 51 to 27 percent, and favor the Democrat over the Republican in congressional races by 54 to 31 percent (the latter result is among independents who're registered to vote.).

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/PollVault/story?id=1549959&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[slor]

1. "51 to 37 percent" trust Dems over rethugs?

Uh oh, the dlc better do something fast, like, oh, I don't know, maybe oppose the filibuster of scalito or something.

[leftchick]

4. exactly right slor

the DLC runs farther right with each poll showinr the chimp in the dumpster. Amazing.

[Atman]

2. The day after the 2006 election, the same "media" will be telling us...

...why all those polls turned out to be so far off the mark in not foretelling the amazing Republican comeback.

[Binka]

16. All Breathless And Grinning Ear To Ear Like Gomer Pyle!

With this crazy ah shucks "Shazam how did that happen?" he he he....FUCKERS!

[Exiled in America]

3. But...but........ the adults are in charge now....!

;)

[Pirate Smile]

5. The incompetent plus arrogant adults.

;-)



What a deadly combination.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

6. OK, here's the part I don't understand:

From the article:

"persistent discontent on the economy"

Six in 10 say the economy's hurting. Six in 10 don't think Bush understands their problems. Fifty-three percent don't see him as honest and trustworthy.

From a different ABC News article (http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1554273):

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's State of the Union speech will stress his optimistic vision for Iraq and the U.S. economy in a strategy aimed at giving Republicans a potential road map to victory in November and boosting his own weakened standing.

Aides described the speech as optimistic in tone, saying he will argue as he has in many recent speeches that progress is being made in Iraq, and that the fundamentals of the U.S. economy are sound despite an anemic growth rate of 1.1 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2005.

SO...Junior's going to bet the farm that we're simply too stupid to understand what's going on with the economy...that his "base" may be rolling around like happy pigs in slop, but MANY of the rest of us are HURTING?

That's IT???

We're STUPID? That's his STRATEGY for the S.O.T.U.?

[Pirate Smile]

7. Plus we have "too much" health insurance. Yes, that's right - too much!

From Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo:

Sometimes the key to good politics (and good policy) is simply to say out loud what your opponents are saying amongst themselves. And that's just the case with these new health care proposals the president is set to unveil in his state of the union.

I'll leave it to the good folks over at our new health care blog to get down into all the details. But the core premise of the policies the president is about to lay out is that Americans are over-insured when it comes to health insurance. Over-insured. Got too much insurance.

These aren't my words. These are the words used by the conservative policy-wonks who came up with the president's proposals. Just hop over to Google and start googling the phrase 'over insured' along with 'health' and 'conservative'. This what they think; and what the president thinks. It's why he's behind these ideas.

So the president thinks the problem is that people have too much health insurance. People are over-insured.

I don't think that's how most Americans see the problem, do you? I'm confident that they don't. Really confident.

But let's let them decide.

The president wants to make health care his political issue this year. No Democrat should open their mouth this year on this topic without first saying this: The president thinks the problem is that Americans have too much health insurance; we don't.

Health care policy is an immensely complicated issue. And that complexity can sometimes be a cover for politicians pushing policies that would screw most families. In this case, however, the president and his supporters have done everyone the favor is simplifying what they're up to and what they want to do.

The president thinks you're over-insured. He thinks you have too much health insurance.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2006_01_22.php#007555

I hope Bush campaigns on this as much and as broadly as he did his Social Security Privatization, oh, I mean Private Accounts, no, I don't, I mean Privatization plans last year.

Get to it Bushie Boy.

Fly everywhere.

Have town-halls with your hand picked sheep.

Let them get up and say "I have too much health insurance, Mr President, please help me solve this problem".

:evilgrin:

edit to add - I posted a thread by itself on this issue because I hadn't seen it on DU yet http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2412512&mesg_id=2412512

[Binka]

18. This Might Be The Epiphany For People That Bush Is Concerned Not W/Them

But with the corporate state. The only way this fucking position makes ANY sense is if you look at it from a corporate stand point. Indeed, for corporations people have TOO much insurance because ANY coverage paid for by the employer is TOO much from their perspective. Now average citizens on the other hand feel they have TOO little or NONE at all. So maybe when Bush begins spewing this absolute hooey people will look at each other and say....He. Isn't. Talking. About. Us. And. He. Could. Care. Less.

The elites are so out of touch they think that when the master is "hurting" (ie health costs for biz) the people should cry. They have worn that ole chestnut out and people have had enough.

Let us see what happens. I predict this will be the worst and most fucked up speech of his sorry political life. Even Fucking Peggy Noonan will not be able to spin this turd in a punch bowl. JMHO!

:evilgrin: Bring it on ASSHOLE!

edit: clarity, it is early here and I slept poorly.

[roguevalley]

8. it will be interesting to see what kind of a 'bounce' he gets from the

speech. they usual gain. I predict the same old, same old and a holding or even a fall in numbers.

[antonialee839]

9. He'll get the usual make believe bounce from Tweety and Co.

[bluestateguy]

10. Here we go with another "how can Bush come back?" story.

"Jim, how can President Bush turn it around?"

"Terry, what can President Bush do to gain back his popularity again?"

"Tim, how can President Bush sell his agenda to the American people?"

[Pirate Smile]

11. kick

[ClayZ]

12. K and R

:kick:

[buddysmellgood]

13. It would seal the deal to have a prominent republican make an ass of

himself on national TV in the next couple of days. How can we get a complete jackass to speak for the corruptican party on national television? THINK damnit THINK!

[Straight Shooter]

14. I look at these numbers and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt ...

... bush/rove stole another election.

Here is what doesn't make sense: These polls are being taken at the same time as the Dems are contemplating a filibuster, but clearly the talk of a filibuster isn't hurting the Dems at all. In fact, if anything, it seems to be helping them.

[krkaufman]

15. I'm very much looking forward to Sam Seder's deriding the speech...

... as part of his Political Science Theater 3000 live webcast during Tuesday night's Majority Report.

More info...

Sam Seder hosts Political Science Theater 3000

This Tuesday night at 7, join Air America Radio's "The Majority Report" for Political Science Theater 3000. Sam Seder will be live at the Center for American Progress hosting a live panel before (and during) President Bush's State of the Union Addess.

After a spirited discussion, when "W" takes the podium at 8, Sam and the others will provide a running commentary about what is sure to be our clueless leader's latest mangling of the English language.

Panelists include authors of "Get this Party Started" Amy Sullivan, Chris Bowers, and Anna Greenberg, as well as bloggers Judd Legum (Think Progress and CAP) and Duncan Black (Atrios).

Air America Premium members can watch the whole thing live over the "internets" while everyone else can tune into your local affiliates or catch the audio at www.airamericaradio.com.

[deadparrot]

17. Oooh, that's tempting.

Listen to Sam, or watch it with the College Dems? Gah. Decisions...

[mcscajun]

20. Thanks for this post...I'd have missed all the fun, otherwise.

I avoid the STFU speech annually since the one in 2002; listening to it with running MSTie-type commmentary will be a whole other matter.

Can't wait, now. :)

[saltpoint]

19. The president would enjoy broader and deeper support of the voters if

he had spent the last 5 years representing their best interests instead of jamming divisive and ridiculous propositions and lies down their throats.

Calling "terrorism" like the boy who cried wolf too many times has begun to outlive its usefulness.

Not all that long ago we were told by Tom Ridge to stock up on duct tape.

This is a failed administration and the people are (slowly but surely) getting tired of being downwind of it.

[sabra]

21. Bush support down to 42 percent in poll (ABC/WP poll)

http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20060130-080844-3547r.htm

Bush support down to 42 percent in poll

U.S. President George Bush has 42 percent of popular support and a 56-percent disapproval rating in an ABC News/Washington Post poll published Monday.

The rating is the worst for a president entering his sixth year in office since the Watergate scandal downed Richard Nixon and reflects war fatigue, persistent discontent on the economy, ethics concerns and rising interest in Democratic alternatives in a midterm election year, ABC reported.

Bush's overall approval rating is 10 points lower than a year ago.

On Iraq, 55 percent of respondents say the war was not worth fighting and 60 percent disapprove of how Bush is handling it. Six-in-10 don't think Bush understands their problems, and 53 percent don't see him as honest and trustworthy.

[Dawgs]

22. or, 40% of Americans are still stupid.

This is good news, but there is no reason it shouldn't be closer to 20%.

[Beetwasher]

23. "53% Don't See Him As Honest And Trustworthy"!!!!!!!

You never, ever, ever come back from that. It just doesn't happen.

If now is not the time to filibuster, when is?

On Edit: Is it possible to find another link? I feel all icky going to the WT.

[Virginia Dare]

24. Then in reality

it's probably more like 38-60 or worse. Just caught the "town hall meeting" in Kansas last week on The Daily Show this morning. The Chimp-tater was so obviously stoned out of his tree it was even more painful to watch than usual. Maybe that makes him more popular among "some people".

[Vogon_Glory]

25. Team Shrub Has More Fun To Anticipate

Team Shrub has even more fun to anticipate. I expect that both Team Shrub and Banana Republican approval ratings will go so low by late 2007 that Dear Leader and his fellow Banana Republicans will be envying Herbert Hoover's approval ratings after the 1932 election.

A pity our fellow countrymen and countrywomen are so spineless. I should like to see Team Shrub and their toadies deal with a large, noisy Latin American-style round of protests with banging pots, cat-calls, and jeering whistles.

[zann725]

26. Once again, these "numbers" (though low) are FAR too 'inflated'...

Shrub's way below this...with or without Alito victory.