Why ALL FReepers Should Care About Dubya's Opinion Poll Ratings (Vanity)

[xm177e2]

As a FReeper, you probably don't like polls, or the incessant polling. You remember how far off "Portrait of America" and most of the other polls were during the 2000 election (yes, I know Zogby was dead-on nationally, but come on! He said California was up for grabs and that Florida was locked in for Bush! Give me a break!) You're probably annoyed with all the media Hoop-De-La surrounding the release of this poll or that poll, and with the elected officials who govern by them. You probably don't care very much about polls, but you should. For the wrong reasons. Not because they are actually wonderful and relevant to the business of governing our country, but because a lot of people THINK they are.

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If you like George W. Bush, you should want him to do well in the opinion polls, for obvious reasons.

But even if you dislike him, as long as you are a conservative (and even if you think Bush isn't), you should be rooting for him in the polls.

Why do the polls matter? Polls matter because they keep the media from calling Bush "unpopular" just because they feel like it. Polls matter because if Bush is popular, the media has to treat him more nicely than if he wasn't (if you think they treat him mean now, imagine if he only had a 25% positive rating!)

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The more popular George W. Bush is, the bigger the tax cuts will be.

Conservative senators will be much more likely to fight for tax cuts if they think they are popular. Moderate senators will be much more likely to sign on to the tax cuts, and liberal senators... well, they'll continue to make asses of themselves.

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The more popular George W. Bush is, more Republicans will be elected during the 2002 midterm elections. And at the very least, every Republican in Congress is one person who is not a Democrat. Even if you hate Republicans, you probably like them more than Democrats (I hope so, otherwise you probably belong on a different forum)

[xm177e2]

So even though polls shouldn't matter, and don't matter, they do matter.

If Bush polls strongly, we get: More Tax Cuts, More Republicans in Congress, and better media treatment of the conservative agenda.

Of course, I want all your thoughts and opinions on this. Are there any possible downsides to Bush being popular?

[beekeeper]

Reagan was low in the polls during his recession. Bush is actually about average at this time in his presidency, even with the downturn. You can be driven by polls or you can do the right thing. Peer pressure is a nasty thing. It makes the weak do the wrong thing.

[xm177e2]

Peer pressure is a nasty thing. It makes the weak do the wrong thing.

If it wasn't for peer pressure, people would litter more, they'd cheat on their wives more, they'd do a host of bad things more often.

Pressure can be good or bad. Right now I hope Bush starts feeling some pressure to back off from the whole amnesty thing.

[Hugh Akston]

and that Florida was locked in for Bush

Actually, 8 days before the election, he had Gore up 11 in Florida.

Don't forget the biggie- if Dubya is tanking in the polls, there is no chance of him getting any sort of conservative through the Senate confirmation process. If he is soaring in the polls, it will be difficult for the Democrats to hold back all of his nominees.

[xm177e2]

Excellent point about the Supreme Court. I can't believe I forgot all about them, they're the most important ones, and they're where Bush's poll numbers will have the biggest impact.

[ImpBill]

"Why do the polls matter? Polls matter because they keep the media from calling Bush "unpopular" just because they feel like it."

I applaud your naiveté, however it has been my experience that the media and their "talking head" groupies have never let something like "facts" keep them from spewing their liberal lies.

[Mr. Mulliner]

I applaud your naiveté, however it has been my experience that the media and their "talking head" groupies have never let something like "facts" keep them from spewing their liberal lies.

I don't applaud your naiveté. Yes, of course the media does what it wants and facts don't seem to matter to them because they're so smart that no one can tell them what to think. But it's just plain wrong to think that it doesn't matter to them whether they bash a popular president or an unpopular one or how much force they will unleash on someone who is dying in the polls. I'd much rather see the media have to rely on their pea-shooter criticisms that don't do much damage and are laughable to anyone in the know than see them have a free swing at Bush with their big weapons. Like it or not, popularity DOES matter in politics and the media knows it.

[A Vast RightWing Conspirator]

If you like George W. Bush, you should want him to do well in the opinion polls, for obvious reasons.

My problem is that I do NOT like either W or just about anything the DemoGOPs are doing to our country these days.

If W were compassionate, we would announce now that he has no intention to re-run for an office he does not deserve.

[elfman2]

People who expect a moderate country to elect a true Constitutionist president get so angry that they fail to close their tags…