Posted on 04/12/2006 5:06:55 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
April 12, 2006
On a light news day, why not run a generic piece on President Bush's low poll numbers and his assertedly bleak prospects for reviving them? That was apparently the thinking at the Today show this morning.
Today themed the segment "Can Bush Save Presidency?", and NBC White House reporter Kelly O'Donnell seemed to answer the question in the negative, kicking things off with this gloomy assessment:
"For President Bush, low poll numbers have not just been a dip or temporary rough patch but appear now to be a sustained pattern that is different than his predecessors of both parties who went through their own tough times." She continued: "His . . presidency appears to have a chronic case of the below-40 percent blues."
After David Gergen was shown suggesting that "presidents have sometimes broken out of slumps when they've had big, bold initiatives and unexpected victories - that often shake things up" O'Donnell reappeared to dump cold water on the notion that W could have any such luck:
"Looking back, some second-term presidents have been able to rebound. President Reagan's approval fell to 34 percent with the arms-for-hostages scandal. Pres. Clinton hit 41 percent around impeachment. But both bounced back up to the 60s as they left office. Analysts say the prospects for Mr. Bush are not as good because of the weight of ongoing events: Iraq, gas prices, the CIA leak case and hurricane response."
Gergen popped back up to pessimistically proclaim: "After a while those negative feelings really do congeal, they crystallize, they become firm and then it's very hard to break out."
O'Donnell: "political observers claim big speeches and staff changes won't turn things around and suggest the president may have to wait to seize on any good news."
Commentator Stu Rothenberg then observed: "If there is something he can brag about he needs to quickly then be able to go to the American public and make his case and drive home the point. But for now he simply doesn't have much ammunition at his disposal."
Count on Today and its MSM cohorts to do their best to keep things that way.
Bush has 20 points over the press and 15 points over either Party in Congress. Bush polls higher (double digit lead) than all political opponents!
LLS
43% is still low. Everyone here is saying polls don't matter, but they do!
Were GWB's polls at 43% in 2003 - 2004 etc, do you think many of the RATS who voted for the war in Iraq would still have done so?
No. They did it because GWB was popoular at thew time and they feared the backlash.
This situation with Iran, probably more serious than Iraq, will be politically more unpopular than Iraq with more popular support.
My advise to the President:
1. Stay off of TV as much as possible. Your speeches are only used as comic clips on late night TV, and why make it easy for the joke-writers. Let VP Cheyne do the talking.
2. Don't slouch into your coat so that you appear to actually be shrinking before our eyes.
3. Get out of the White House and listen to the people. You will have a Democrat congress next year if gas goes up to $2.85+. Voters don't give a hoot whether Shiites and Sunnis are happy in their hellhole if it's costing $75 to fill up the truck so they can get to work.
4. Fire everyone who has been giving you advice, including Karl Rove. Obviously, it's been bad advice from the beginning of this second term. I thought the challenge to the Dems about having all that "political capital" you were going to spend was a HUGE mistake when I saw you give your first post re-relection speech, and I was right. You didn't know that when you corner a junk yard dog, they may die, but they'll rip you to pieces before they do. And believe me, you've been ripped this year.
"O'Donnell: "political observers claim big speeches and staff changes won't turn things around..."
I despise Kelly O'Donnell, she was one of the MSM's most virulent Bush bashers during the 04 campaign, but she is right here. Bush needs to push a bold strong CONSERVATIVE domestic agenda that will catch the dems and the MSM off guard, and at the same time rally his base in time for the 06 mid-terms. How about:
1) strongly supporting States' rights to restrict abortions.
2) strongly supporting the second amendment in the face of Bob Menendez's, Hillary's and Schumer's new attempt to weaken it.
3) strongly enforcing our current immigration laws and getting serious about border enforcement.
Dems and the MSM hate the issues of abortion and gun ownership because they are losers for them and winners for Repubs. Also, if Bush will not support the House immigration bill then he should at least dramatically increase funding for enforcement of our southern border and start to seriously enforce our current immigration laws. When the dems and MSM scream for more restrictions on gun ownership we Repubs always say that we should enforce the current laws on the books. I agree with this, so why not ENFORCE our current immigration laws and get serious about protecting our border(s).
I am working for a living trying to make a living as are 99% of the people I know who can't just take off of work to demand goodies. Most would be fired and can't take that chance.
Most Americans also fear the politically correct nature of the gov't and know they are more likely to be charged with a hate crime, or called a "vigilante" if they do so.
If that event happens, expect it to be a one day story. This will be followed by the obligatory "we're creating more terrorists" story. The 10,042'nd reprint of pictures from Abu Ghraib will then follow.
That may explain inaction today. But, it doesn't exclude inaction during his first term. To me, this is just an excuse. People need to step up to the challenge. If we as Americans want to protect our freedom and our way of life, we have to act. Freedom isn't free.
You said history will prove Bush right, that is how I have felt from getgo. However, I won't venture a guess right now, there are still a lot of pieces to fall into place. He will go down as one of the top five leaders or bottom five leaders, but it will be years before we know. IMHO
They show up on every thread
It's getting a tad boring and annoying
Yes it is..
Ahhh, we will no doubt get a huge number of "Freepers" condemning the Prez because of their hot-button issues, while they disregard the whole picture. I'll bet that about 100% of the Bush bashers, if presented with the same things the Prez has been presented with, would be curled in a ball in a padded room and drooling. Yet it is so easy to condemn him for not doing 100% of their bidding, 100% of the time, becaus ethey are so freaking amazing in their own minds that they absolutely know much more than the Prez and think they could do a better job. Most of them sound more like Dims than Repubs or Conservatives.
get some popcorn ... cause it's gonna blow up in their faces
I care what NBC has to say, why? The Lamestream media is one of the reasons we are having so many problems today.
To me, it looks like Iran will make Iraq look like not even a warm-up.
I do not recall Reagan granting amnesty unless you are thinking about the boat people that were turned lose by Castro. That group included a lot of criminals. There was no way to send them back except to allow them to die on the high seas. The most egregious act of granting amnesty was perpetrated by Clinton when he allowed amnesty to illegals prior to his second election. That was clearly a fraud perpetrated on the American people ... although the numbers were not nearly as great as what we are now seeing. We are now talking about 10,00,000 to as many as 20,000,000 million illegals. Nobody really knows how many.
Actually OBL has little to do with numbers.
Want to bet?
I think you are not correct. There has been nothing, ZERO, done on any of the values issues which many people voted on. However, do you hear GWB getting much flak on that? Not much.
The reason the immigration issue is so baffling is that it affects everything else and is not some pet issue.
Like many, I have seen many changes, not for the better, in the ladt 5 years on my own hood. Less people speak English, there are way way more illegals lines up and down the streets. Its in your face every day, every time you pick up a phone for assistance, every time you go shopping.
People's local taxes have gone through the roof, hear stories daily about illegals killing people via DWI etc, Lee Malvo anyone?????, yet we haer amnensty is a good thing???
Immigration affects national security in that everyone who read the 9'11 report knows that our refusal to deport people helped make 9'11 possible.
So, this issue is not a pet issue for most people. It affects everything, is in your face everyday, and all we hear is nonsense coming from the WH.
I, like most don't expect everything all the time, but on the biggest of issues? I at least expect more than what a RAT would do.
"From an immigration point of view, Reagan will best be remembered for signing the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (‘IRCA’). IRCA was a contradiction of idealism and pragmatism, as was the case with the President who signed the bill into law. It took the pragmatic view that the while the government frowned on illegal immigration, we could provide an amnesty to help normalize the lives of millions of American residents. Indeed, millions of American citizens were legalized under the program and owe a thanks to the President for proposing what was then a very controversial plan."....
http://www.vdare.com/guzzardi/ronnie.htm
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