Bush rating at all-time low in W.Va. (37% approval)

[sabra]

http://sundaygazettemail.com/section/News/200605283

Bush rating at all-time low in W.Va.

A record number of West Virginians don’t like the way President Bush is doing his job, according to a new poll from the nonpartisan group SurveyUSA and WUSA-TV in Washington.

Fifty-nine percent of state residents disapproved in the survey of 600 adults taken May 12 to 14. Thirty-seven percent approve. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Bush’s approval rating in West Virginia is 2 points below his previous low of 39 percent reached in December, May and April.

The president is still more popular in West Virginia than most states. Nationwide, only 33 percent of American adults approved of his job performance, according to SurveyUSA.

[Conker]

1. Even if West Virginians don't like him...

that still does not necessarily mean they will vote for the Democrats later this year.

[onehandle]

2. History says otherwise.

And all indicators say Democratic gains later this year.

I'm optimistic.

And Freepers are worried.

[Conker]

4. It's hard to be optimistic when...

Diebold and conservatives run things, and Democrats have a horrible image among voters.

[Tarheel_Dem]

5. a more horrible image than repubs?

please explain.

<edit to add> welcome to DU, I think.

[Conker]

14. Yes, a more horrible image.Suburban, and Southern America hate Dems.

They view Dems as unpatriotic, anti-war, liberals.And the GOP has a huge Christian base.We are up against HUGE odds.The Repubs screwing up won't give us a free ride to Congress.

[cliss]

7. Horrible image?

I'd say the Grand Prize, Blue-Ribbon All-Time Champions are the REPUBS.

Hands down.

Now what was that about the Dem's?

[goclark]

11. I'm with you Conker

Until we have UN Observers and No MACHINES and ALERT Americans,and a new tone to the Supreme Court and a return to our CIvil Rights laws and etc. etc. etc.

[bluestateguy]

8. In WV, I'm inclined to think that the Democrats will do well

Why? Because many of the Bush voters in West Virginia in 2000 and 2004 remained registered and self-identified Democrats. That being the case, it will be easy for them to simply go back to voting for their party in November. It's not the same thing as an Independent or a Republican voting Democratic. For these West Virginia "Democrats for Bush" voters, they are just now "coming home", which is an easy thing for voters to do.

[0rganism]

9. Exactly -- the mine unions used to be pretty strong there

The Democrats need to start connecting deregulation and union-busting to the rash of mine safety incidents in the last few years, tie it to the dillweed bush appointed to head the federal mines agency (forgot the acronym). The WV voters may need to be reminded of the fact that the bushistas are engaged in reckless profiteering at home as well as abroad.

[RoseMead]

12. I think this is a Democratic state at heart

No accounting for good sense though. I was truely surprised to see WV go red, but there are a lot of gun-toting people here, and that probably played a big part. It's nice to see the approval numbers falling here too.

[doc03]

13. They may not, people here feel the Democratic party

has deserted them. (NAFTA, WTO, illegal immigration, abortion and gun laws).

[Conker]

15. I think you forgot segregation, too.

[doc03]

18. The Democratic party took WV for granted

and was first lost in 1996 I believe, that was long long after the civil rights movement. What lost WV was a Democratic President pushing through NAFTA and of course the Republicans used Al Gore's environmental record, the NRA pushed the gun issue and the religious right had the abortion issue. I'm from eastern Ohio myself and Ohio lost 300000 plus good paying manufacturing jobs do to NAFTA, that translates into 300000 plus votes the Democratic party lost. It used to be the rank and file Union worker voted Democrat but today it's hard to convince a working person that the Democratic party is much better than the Republicans when it comes to labor.

[hollowdweller]

19. Gun Control and NAFTA lost it for the Dems here last 2 times.

Get somebody to run like Richardson or Warner or even Feingold with his pro labor votes and saying the second amendment is an individual right and they'll vote Dem.

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. They'll wake up eventually.

[Doctor_J]

6. Are the WV media only reporting the bad news?

that must be the problem :eyes:

[BigDDem]

10. Welcome aboard!

Too bad you weren't paying attention in 2004.

[Idioteque]

16. West Virginia is a blue state...it went for Dukakis!

It was flirting with the GOP for a little while but it looks like it's coming back to the fold. The home of Robert Byrd belongs to the Democrats!

[featherman]

17. Too little, too late

West Virginians were badly suckered by a viciously anti-Gore media, coal politics, Cheney, and the NRA in 2000. If they had had the simple common sense to vote their pocketbooks and history instead of "cultural issues" and religion, the 2000 election would have been settled differently... as would America's recent history and place in the eyes of the world. I'm still a little too bitter about West Virginians (and Tennesseans, and Floridians, and Arkansans, and Nevadans, and Ohioans, and (fill in the blank) to throw my hat in the air about this quite yet.