Poll: Bush most unpopular President in modern history

Political Ticker ^ | May 1st, 2008 | Paul Steinhauser

[The_Republican]

A new poll suggests that George W. Bush is the most unpopular president in modern American history.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday indicates that 71 percent of the American public disapprove of how Bush his handling his job as president.

"No president has ever had a higher disapproval rating in any CNN or Gallup poll; in fact, this is the first time that any president's disapproval rating has cracked the 70 percent mark," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

"Bush's approval rating, which stands at 28 percent in our new poll, remains better than the all-time lows set by Harry Truman and Richard Nixon (22 percent and 24 percent, respectively) but even those two presidents never got a disapproval rating in the 70s," Holland added. "The previous all-time record in CNN or Gallup polling was set by Truman, 66 percent disapproval in January 1952."

CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider adds, "He is more unpopular than Richard Nixon was just before he resigned from the presidency in August 1974." President Nixon's disapproval rating in August 1974 stood at 67 percent.

The poll also indicates that support for the war in Iraq has never been lower. Thirty percent of those questioned favored the war while 68 percent opposed the conflict.

"Americans are growing more pessimistic about the war," Holland said. "In January, nearly half believed that things were going well for the U.S. in Iraq; now that figure has dropped to 39 percent."

The numbers on the Iraq war come on the five-year anniversary of President Bush's "mission accomplished" moment onboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, when Bush proclaimed that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended."

[proudpapa]

Methinks Bush would kick Ohilarma A$$ if he could run again.

[AuntB]

Yep. This is the point I’m at. I can see only one good thing coming out of this election and that’s to elect Obama. Why? Because it’s real hard to blame the man, when you ARE the man.

Besides, a few years of the dems and the repubs will look pretty good.

[Husker8877]

You’re what, 29, 30? Pretty much nobody you grew up with has “ended up” anywhere yet! LOL!

Plenty of pendulum swing left with both the previously unpopular ones (who currently have the smokin’ hot spouses), and the previously popular ones (who currently sling french fries at Micky D’s)!

Check back in 20 years or so...you might be surprised yet again!

[uncbob]

Guess a lot of people are either too young or too stupid to remember Stagflation Misery Index Malaise Carter

[SnakeDoctor]

>> You’re what, 29, 30?

Yes — 29.

>> Pretty much nobody you grew up with has “ended up” anywhere yet! LOL!

True enough ... it was a gross generalization, of course. Though, I was relatively unpopular, and am now an attorney with a smoking-hot lovely Christian housewife ... so there is at least some truth in my statement.

Though, it remains an anecdotal generalization, not a statistical study.

>> Plenty of pendulum swing left with both the previously unpopular ones (who currently have the smokin’ hot spouses), and the previously popular ones (who currently sling french fries at Micky D’s)!

Hope springs eternal I suppose ... but someone’s got to serve my fries and wash my car. :)

H

[GunsareOK]

I agree. Reagan did much more with what overall was a much less favorable congress. It’s the difference between real leadership and the lack of leadership.

[hinckley buzzard]

This should not be overly surprising. When you take into consideration the psychotic rage reaction of leftwing nutcases stemming from the 2000 election; and the fact that Bush has indeed done a variety of stupid things, leaving him open to criticism; and the fact that he has, apparently deliberately, refused to defend himself or his administration, and refused to fight the information/public relations war with the left; then it follows that an irrational, one-sided media will have their way with him. And so they have.

Nobody's fault but his own.

[hinckley buzzard]

I remain confident that, like Reagan, history will judge Bush favorably.

There's an old saying that "history is written by victors." I doubt there will be any development forcing the leftists to rehabilitate Bush the way the collapse of the USSR did for Reagan.

[HIDEK6]

I suppose that puts me in the distinct minority.

[engrpat]

Thank you. I too would give a unfavorable response. He has been good on the WOT and judges, soft on domestic issues. He gave in to the democrats to go along to get along and it is the nation and the conservative movement that will pay. I worked twice and voted twice for his election, last time more because of Kerry than voting for Bush.

[T. Jefferson]

Liberal polls aren’t worthy of toilet paper. CNN had Mondale ahead of Reagan by 4%. Reagan won 49 states.

[tpanther]

A CNN poll?

Frankly, when I hear hypocrats say things like “we need to return to our good standing in the world”, I cringe.

“The world” outside the US is a broken immoral mess in most places. FEW places, GB, Australia and a few others, I’d even care to visit, and then only briefly.

If a president is seen by the majority of the world as bad, that tells me he’s on the right track and if a liberal drive-by media says so, well that clinches it!

KUDOS W!

[Cyman]

Unfortunately for President Bush, it will take another cataclysmic event like 9/11 to make the fickle and selfish people of this nation realize his worth.

Also, most unfortunately, that day is coming. Soon.

[Graybeard58]

Thanks G.B. for the two S.C. appointments.

With John McCain we might get two or three more good ones.

With either of the two democrat/communists, we will most certainly get communists appointed.

[Gator113]

President Bush has been and remains my president. I’m a “Build the damn wall” supporting Bushbot.... and proud of it.

I don’t always agree with him, but I continue to love the guy and I thank God he was here on 911.

Heck, I don’t always agree with my Bride, but after 37 years I remain convinced that she came into my life at the right time, and I’m living a good life because of her.

[Clintonfatigued]

Well, Bush has betrayed conservative values on multiple occasions. Expanding entitlements faster than the Democrats, pushing for open borders and free trade, supporting ever-increasing surveillance all Americans (like supporting the Government's “right” to monitor all internet traffic). While he's well-intentioned on the WOT, the fact that The Surge was needed proves that the war wasn't going well before The Surge began.

I'll be glad when he's gone.

[LS]

He was also the most highly rated in American history. All that shows is that people are fickle and have short memories. As another poster noted, half of this is gas.

[reagan_fanatic]

If gas was 1.50/gal, he would be in the the seventies favorable.

And if we weren't being swallowed whole by illegal aliens, and if there wasn't a concerted effort on behalf of the MSM and the dims to paint the war in Iraq as a lost cause.

[airborne]

Here's the crowd CNN interviewed for the poll.

[tpanther]

The VAST majority hate him for just about anything and everything conceivable but it sure isn’t because he’s too liberal!

I think FAR more hate him for being too onservative far outweighs your view.

And just wait...even if McCain is elected, Bush will look like freakin’ Reagan comparatively! AT BEST! Or worst compared to Shrill or ObamaNATION of ISLAM!