George W. Bush is the most unpopular living ex-President: poll

New York Daily News ^ | June 7, 2012 | Meena Hart Duerson

[WilliamIII]

George W. Bush has stepped out of the public eye since leaving office, but absence hasn't made the nation’s heart grow fonder.

The 43rd President of the United States is the most unpopular living former president, a CNN/ORC International poll has found, as only 43% of people surveyed said they had a favorable opinion of him and 54% viewed him unfavorably.

The negative rating puts Bush far behind his fellow living ex-Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Dubya’s father, George H.W. Bush.

Clinton nabbed a 66% favorable rating, Carter scored a 54% rating, and 59% of those polled said they had a positive view of Bush Sr.

[WilliamIII]

Ha ha ha. Back to school with you. You got the wrong political party.

If you think Bush’s policies didn’t contribute to the housing bubble, you weren’t paying attention during his administration:

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2004/10/05/zero_down_mortgage_initiative_by_bush_is_hit/

Zero-down mortgage initiative by Bush is hit
Budget office says plan likely to spur more loan defaults
By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff | October 5, 2004

President Bush’s weekend campaign promise that he will push legislation allowing for no money down on some federally insured mortgages could cost taxpayers as much as $500 million over four years because of a higher rate of defaults, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The election-year idea may appeal to those who can’t save as fast as home prices are rising. But some financial planners warn that increasingly common no- and low-down-payment programs can be ruinous for some consumers — especially if home values decline.

If housing prices fall, consumers with little or no money of their own invested in the home are more vulnerable to ending up with mortgages larger than the value of the house.

... “To build an ownership society, we’ll help even more Americans to buy homes,” Bush said in an Ohio speech to home builders. “Some families are more than able to pay a mortgage but just don’t have the savings to put money down.”

[WilliamIII]

- A no money down mortgage still has to have under writing scrutiny.

Then why did so many of them default?

- You are like most leftist/progressives,

Uh,no. Bush-Rove’s easy lending policies — with your tax money — is what’s “leftist/progressive”

I guess in your mind, to criticize Bush makes one a “leftist”. That’s the problem with the Bush years. His liberal policies were given a pass by so many in the GOP - folks like you who support people, not principles - and the result was economic disaster, and the election of Barry.

[MHGinTN]

I see Axelrod/Jarret and Jones have issued an extensive flow chart for responses when you obamanoids are outed. Please, continue to give us the steps on your chart, we can use them to out more of you obamanoid trolls.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

I see Axelrod/Jarret and Jones have issued an extensive flow chart for responses when you obamanoids are outed. Please, continue to give us the steps on your chart, we can use them to out more of you obamanoid trolls.

So, Madame Defarge, where is this "flow chart?" You seem to know a lot more about it than the people you are supposedly "outing." In this thread, all WilliamIII did was tell the truth about GWB, who probably had good intentions (although I can't excuse his amnesty effort), but paved the way for Obama.

[samtheman]

I’m not defending Bush’s milquetoast policies... but I’m not going to be swayed from the way I remember it by a Boston.com article. I read (and watched) extensively on this subject back in 2008/09 and though I haven’t kept up with it all I clearly remember the extensive evidence that these were RAT policies coming home to roost, that Barney Frank was a HUGE PLAYER in the high-risk loan scam and that the Bush regime did try to hold off some of the worst of it, but were overran by the rats and rinos.

I’m not going to go back and dig up all my old links now, so I’m going to have to let you have the last word, but before you do I just want to say, what you are saying is definetly NOT the way I remember it.

[sickoflibs]

RE :”Why is Farter at 54%? Cause of his charity work?”

Simple, Carter left office +30 years ago, GWB left office less than 4 years ago. More people remember GWB 8 years than Carter's 4 years 30+ years ago. Also Carter was seen as a ineffective POTUS who got little done, GWB played himself as 'The Decider'. Hard to paint him as a victim after that, BUT MANY STILL TRY.

In 2009 I started equating GWB with Carter here , and naturally there was a push-back by Republicans here who liked some stuff GWB did by nature of being a Republican.

This polls confirms it, GWB is the gift to the Dems that Carter was to the Rs for 20 years or so. “Don't elect ‘them’ again because they will bring back Carter/GWB days” is the gift.

That indicates failure, very simple to tell. I will not forget GWB for giving Dems that gift.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Gerald Ford was worse.

[jwalsh07]

Dubya spending as a percent of GDP averaged across 8 years was 19.3%. President Reagan’s was 21.5%. Unemployment under Bush , 5.3%. Under Clinton with a repub congress and a dot com explosion, 5.2%. Only W never raised taxes. Deficit spending averaged 3% for the past 50 years. 2% under W.Now these are facts not opinions.

Yes he signed the drug entitlement so he owns that but his proposal to Congress was revenue neutral so the big spenders in Congress own more of that than Bush.

He held firm against the left, the MSM and the cowardly members of his own party to surge troops into Iraq when it was do or cut and run. This was a display of leadership which President Reagan did not display in Lebanon and I am a big fan of RR.

Bush had his faults, primarily being reticent to engage in street fighting, but I would have been proud to do my Army time while he was CIC rather than the assholes I served under.

[trisham]

WilliamIII is, fortunately, no longer with us.

[Clintonfatigued]

“This polls confirms it, GWB is the gift to the Dems that Carter was to the Rs for 20 years or so.”

Good point. I’ve posted before that George W. Bush is the Republican Jimmy Carter.

[woofie]

Jimmy Carter was not reelected.... Obama has done more for GW Bush’s reputation than a shelf full of books....and he is the smart guy

[GOPsterinMA]

Jimmy Cater is the happiest man in politics today...he's no longer lower than whale sh*t on the popularity scale.

As far as GWB goes, his complete and total lack of fight against the RATS stands out as one of, if not the, biggest failure of his presidency.

We were subjected to a 24x7 news cycle with the sole purpose of destroying GWB, so it's no wonder that he would rank so low; the propaganda machine did it's job very well. Let's see how the numbers look in a couple years.

Howie Carr has a nice article today comparing MSM coverage of GWB vs. Obama:

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1061137885&format=text

[sickoflibs]

RE :”We were subjected to a 24x7 news cycle with the sole purpose of destroying GWB, so it's no wonder that he would rank so low; the propaganda machine did it's job very well. Let's see how the numbers look in a couple years.”

Obama is drumming up and using similar excuses for his problems, as well as the WI re-call election. “It's all brainwashing by the big money ads Citizens United” they claim.

Let's face it. When Bush turned over DC to Obama and Pelosi (a reason to be mad in itself) he left a huge mess. If Obama was re-elected Dems would be making lots of similar sounding excuses for how bad things were when he left office. They would claim it was all unfair propaganda as they are doing now with WI and the fact that Rs took over the house. Excuses are a dime a dozen.

At some point we have to face the REAL world, not just the one we want it to be.

Maybe we need BETTER Republicans, just a crazy thought.

[cherry]

this poll is just wrong....don't believe it for a second....

but I do notice that our lovely SCM tends to demonize ex pubs far and above ex rats....we still get the Joe McCarthy hate, and for what reason?...he was right...

and then there's Nixon....who's only crime was being a poor communicator and trying to protect his friends....and Dan Quayle....and now Dubya....

the media onslaught changing history as always...

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

Jimmy Cater is the happiest man in politics today...he's no longer lower than whale sh*t on the popularity scale.

True, and I think we all realize that such polls as this are very heavily grounded in the current public's memory. For example, if you took this poll in the 1920s, Woodrow Wilson would be very unpopular after promising to keep the USA out of war and then breaking that promise. I wonder what % of the public even knows who he was today.

[GOPsterinMA]

“I wonder what % of the public even knows who he was today.”

Less than 20% would be my guess. And the majority of that 20% would be over 50 years old - people that were taught “History” not “Social Studies”.

[GOPsterinMA]

“Let’s face it. When Bush turned over DC to Obama and Pelosi (a reason to be mad in itself) he left a huge mess.”

Spot on about that!!!

“Maybe we need BETTER Republicans, just a crazy thought.”

I couldn’t agree more. I’m tired of “the lesser of two evils” broken record...

[stephenjohnbanker]

” Less than 20% would be my guess. And the majority of that 20% would be over 50 years old - people that were taught “History” not “Social Studies”.”

Correct. U.S. History is merely an elective in many schools today.

[stephenjohnbanker]

” Maybe we need BETTER Republicans, just a crazy thought. “

Yeah, one governor won’t cut it

[sickoflibs]

RE :”” Less than 20% would be my guess. And the majority of that 20% would be over 50 years old - people that were taught “History” not “Social Studies”.”
.......
Correct. U.S. History is merely an elective in many schools today”

Social Studies to teach how the US was originated as a white male dominated racist sexist society who wrote a racists-sexist constitution that only protects the rich white males; but it eventually progressed into a more ‘fair society largely because of the heroic attempts of liberal judges to -re-interprete the constitution to what it should have said (same with the Bible and homosexuality) , and how teachers unions help straighten out kids whose parents have bad ideas, except when Republicans get power and try to 'take us back'. (do I have them pegged or what?).
Here in Maryland the Dems mandated that ‘climate change’ be taught in the public schools too, and recycling, and green energy.