Posted on 03/15/2006 10:25:20 PM PST by jmc1969
In the aftermath of the Dubai ports deal, President Bush's approval rating has hit a new low and his image for honesty and effectiveness has been damaged. Yet the public uncharacteristically has good things to say about the role that Congress played in this high-profile controversy.
Most Americans (58%) believe Congress acted appropriately in strenuously opposing the deal, while just 24% say lawmakers made too much of the situation.
The new Pew survey underscores the public's alarm over the prospect that an Arab-owned company could have operated U.S. ports. There was broad opposition to the proposed deal from across the political spectrum, including two-to-one disapproval among conservative Republicans (56%-27%).
Bush's overall approval measure stands at 33%, the lowest rating of his presidency.
The president's ratings for handling of several specific issues, particularly terrorism, have also declined sharply. Just 42% now approve of Bush's job in handling terrorist threats, an 11-point drop since February. In January 2005, as Bush was starting his second term, 62% approved of his handling of terrorist threats.
Bush's personal image also has weakened noticeably, which is reflected in people's one-word descriptions of the president. Honesty had been the single trait most closely associated with Bush, but in the current survey "incompetent" is the descriptor used most frequently.
Congress has drawn bipartisan praise from the American public for its response to the possible transfer of U.S. port operations to a United Arab Emirates company. Nearly two-thirds of Democrats (68%), and roughly half each of independents (53%) and Republicans (49%) said Congress acted appropriately, though a third of Republicans felt too much was made of the issue.
(Excerpt) Read more at people-press.org ...
i dont expect he will
""Chertoff out and Tancredo in at Homeland Security. Renounce Amnesty, move effectively to seal borders, and approval will be back > 50%.""
wow, you want to see incompetent, put Tancredo anywhere.
""Maybe when the rat party takes control of the House and starts impeachment proceedings against Dubai W, they will realize the American public is sick to death of republican BS.""
soyou think impeaching bush will be popular with the American people
""and has escalated the trade deficit to record proportions by outsourcing jobs and failing to protect domestic native industry.""
youre such an idiot it is pathetic...if the govt undetook policies to create a trade surplus or even a trade deficit of 0, youd be screaming bloody murder.....that fact that youd make such a statement proves what an economic illiterate you are.
BULL!
Your post has the virtue of brevity at least. :)
And who would be right for the part?
""Bush's poll numbers are down because conservatives are stunned at how socialist he is. This is not due to swing voters moving, but because Bush has turned off so many Republicans and nearly all conservatives.""
his approval rating among teh GOP is 73%, so'd I say your statement is just a bit ridiculous
Bush has always had his up and downs. He'll be back up again. He's being misunderestimated, as usual. :)
"He who lives by the polls will die by the polls, ask the 1% of democrats with brains and they will tell you how true this is."
Here's the problem with that.
This is uncharted territory. No president in recent memory has had such a public perception problem for as long as Dubya has had. He has been in the dumps since summer 2005 and really shows no signs of life now.
The poll isn't meaningless: it means Dubya has a leadership problem. It is less meaningful as a predictior for the election in 2006, that is true.
Also the capture of one of the big three terrorists, Bin Laden Zarqawi or Zawahiri, will give President Bush at least 10 to 15 points bump.
Here's the question. Who could do a better job than President Bush? Anyone? It's a tough time to be popular with things the way they are going.
I have to agree with this. His speeches, even since the election campaign have been banal and repetitive. I know repetition is the essence of communicating from the stump, but there is a limit, when the people have 'heard it all before' and turn off; and GW's speeches hit that limit a good year ago.
It also tends to feed the disengaged perception, the perception that he is all worn out, and just rolling out golden oldies. I say that with deep regret. It is saddening.
Remember that all those who proclaimed the death of President Bush politically ended up in their own political grave.
One more thing regarding your tagline, if you are a fan of Michael Savage then you can never be a supporter of President Bush. In my opinion Savage is a loon and I am glad that he is not a Republican.
Not really. You are wrong.
Bush's poll numbers are down due to true conservatives throwing in the towel on him.
If Gallup called me and some socialist sounding liberal asked me, "Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?", I might well say approve, even though I am outraged at Bush's atrocious decisions and agenda. I look at poll organizations as the MSM.
The RATs have not changed. The swing voters are not that big of a percent. It is the conservatives who are bitter and furious over George Bush's policies.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.