Bush Job Approval Remains Steady in Mid-50% Range...

Fifty-five percent is average job approval rating across time, but majority of presidents since World War II had higher ratings at this point in their first term

PRINCETON, NJ -- President George W. Bush’s approval ratings have been remarkably stable since early July, with between 55% and 57% of the American public approving of the way he is handling his job as president in six separate measures.

Bush’s approval rating is 55% in Gallup’s most recent survey, conducted August 24-26. The average rating across all presidents since Gallup began measuring job approval in April 1945 has been 55%, so Bush’s rating is neither high nor low from a historical perspective.

Since World War II, seven other presidents have been elected to their first terms. How is Bush doing compared to these predecessors at roughly the same time -- August of their first year in office? Bush's current rating is below that of five other presidents (including his father) at similar points in their first terms, just slightly higher than Ronald Reagan’s, and much higher than Bill Clinton's.

Since 1953, Gallup has measured eight first-term presidents at this stage in their presidencies. Among the eight, Bush’s current approval rating ranks sixth. John F. Kennedy has the highest approval rating at 76% in August 1961. Coming in a close second behind Kennedy is Dwight D. Eisenhower, with a 74% approval rating in August 1953. George H.W. Bush ranks third with 69% in August 1989, followed by Jimmy Carter with 66% in 1977 and Richard Nixon with 62% in 1969.

At the other end of the scale, Bill Clinton ranks the lowest with a 44% approval rating in August 1993.

Ronald Reagan ranks somewhat higher with a 52% approval rating in August 1981, and George W. Bush comes in slightly higher than that, with his current 55% approval rating.

One interesting thing to note is that GWB has more approval now than when he was elected in November, whereas Clinton had about the same or less approval at this point than when he was elected.

It will be interesting to compare Clinton's numbers after his "Gays in the military" fiasco and his Nationalize Healthcare fiasco to GWB's when those points come around, too.

All things considered (such as the heavy press attacks on GWB for Jeffords, Kyoto, ABM treaty, close election, etc.), GWB is in great shape. More people have rejected the establishment's Left Wing propaganda since Bush was sworn in than when we voted for him in November. The Democrats and the press (boy, that's redundant) have failed to bring him down in the public's eyes. Quite the contrary, really.

Another tax cut, some lower interest rates, drilling in the ANWR, some further successful anti-ABM missile defense tests, et al., and Bush will swing the rest of the Independents over to our/his side.

Let the Democrats vote against the ANWR development and watch the unions come over to our side, mad as they can be at their betrayal by their former party.

Let the Democrats vote against protecting our nation from a rogue nuclear missile, and watch the rest of the patriots in this country come firmly over to our side, too.

Let the Democrats vote against vouchers, and watch Black Americans start questioning why their children aren't going to Gore's children's all-white private schools.

Frankly, I think that Bush has set the tone and the agenda in such a manner that the Democrats can do nothing right. The Democrats can vote against everything, but look who it will alienate in their own party. On the other hand, if they vote for Bush's ideas, then Bush becomes even more popular.

Vote "yes" and Bush becomes more popular. Vote "no" and the Democrats create dissention in their own ranks.

This isn't just fun, it is hillarious!

There are a bunch here on FR that say Bush is the worst since Hitler!

Yes, I see a discouraging amount of Bush-bashing on FR these days. Would these people rather have had Gore? Or did they expect GWB to come in and make everything perfect in eight months and are disgruntled that he has not done so? I personally think he's done a great job and I'm delighted to have him in the White House. There are a couple of issues where I don't necessarily agree with him, but that beats not agreeing on ANYTHING which was pretty much the case with Clinton's regime.

"There are a bunch here on FR that say Bush is the worst since Hitler!"

Of course! The forums over at Democratic.com and Democraticunderground.com are so boring that it doesn't really surprise me to see them come over here and pretend to be more Conservative than we are just so they can say "Bush isn't far-enough to the Right."

Disrupters will always be around in many forms. For me, I'm comforted that Bush cut off foreign "family planning" funds, brought our military EP-3 crew safely back from China without blooshed or bribes, passed the tax cut (with rebate!) that he promised during the campaign (imagine a politician actually keeping a campaign promise), repealed the Clintonian home-office regulations (OSHA ergonomic rules), knocked the ABA out of its position reviewing our Federal Judge candidates first, killed Kyoto, and canceled Clinton's CO2 regulations that would have crippled California during its energy crunch this summer.

Heck, the fact that Bush has changed the tone in Washington, set the agenda for Congress, brought up issues such as ANWR, vouchers, and NMD that divide the Democrats, and risen in popularity since his election in the face of massive media criticism is all just icing on the cake. Bush has done more for America this year than the sum of Clinton's positive contributions of a combined 8 years in office, and he's done it without the press carrying his water.

We haven't heard about Bush admins taking the 5th, getting sued, getting caught with their pants down, or heck, we haven't even seen a new country get bombed to divert attention from the scandal de jour.

But we have seen the sheltered, urban, green-but-never-been-in-the-woods Washington Press Corps taken down to Crawford, Texas during an August Summer! What a pleasant change from the previous 8 years before Bush.

Shoot, we haven't even heard the press try to convince us that Clinton has a "legacy" anymore. Even the diehard Washington kneepaders seem to have given up trying to find some silver lining on Clinton's reign.

Bush has won more than 55% of this country over to our side, and we've got almost all of the issues currently under consideration in Congress on our side.

In contrast, the Democrats still have to explain why Condit is still on an Intelligence Committee and still in office, and NOW has to explain why a powerful executive sleeping around on his wife with an intern isn't bad for women.

Could it be any better for us?!

While it could be a lot better for us (one can dream), this has been as good as it should considering the current political climate.

I think many on this forum tend to lose touch of their surroundings. I am as Right as they come (don't call me "conservative", I am, to quote Whittaker Chambers "a man of the Right") and do not consider myself a defeatist, however I live in New York City amid millions of people who might as well come from Stalin-era Soviet Russia with their peasant-like mindset and bigotry against people of success. In this enviornment one tends to be a hard, cold realist.

I'll take these numbers as a hard-earned victory.

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