[dwbh]

Bush's poll numbers were higher on Sept 1 than Clinton's were Sept 1 of his first term. Bush's poll numbers in September were higher than Clinton's were when he left office. In other words, you are incorrect.

Oh, really? What is your source for these numbers? Gallup.com says that Clinton had a 65% job approval rating on 1/18/01, compared with 55% for Bush just before 9/11. Unfortunately, they don't go back to Sept. '93.

[Hugh Akston]

Clinton began his first term of office with the highest job disapproval rating of any president in the past six decades, when a few days after he took office a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll showed 58% of Americans approved, but 20% disapproved of his performance. [snip]

Clinton's job approval ratings dropped more quickly than those of any other newly elected president, so that five months after the new president assumed office, just 37% approved and 49% disapproved of his performance. The precipitous drop occurred as he was embroiled in controversies over his cabinet choices and how to handle the issue of gays serving in the military.

Clinton recovered by the end of his first year, and as he approached the second year emphasizing social issues and especially health care, his approval reached its initial level of 58%. But in the summer and fall of 1994, the administration's health care proposals largely backfired, as they were criticized for being too ambitious and Congress failed to enact any of the most significant pieces into law. In August and September 1994, Clinton's approval dropped to 39%, but for most of the year it fluctuated in the low to mid 40s

Courtesy of Gallup.

As far as the statement about "when Clinton left office", I do stand corrected. You go back three or four months prior, or go a few weeks after mid-January (when the public got a chance to digest his disgraceful last few acts in office) and you get a more accurate picture.

[AHerald]

Gallup.com says that Clinton had a 65% job approval rating on 1/18/01, compared with 55% for Bush just before 9/11. Unfortunately, they don't go back to Sept. '93.

Fortunately, they do go back to Sept. '93. Clinton's approval rating for the first Gallup poll of September '93 was 47%.

It's a slippery thing to equate job approval with popularity, which implies a commonly liked or appreciated figure. Popularity would be more accurately assessed by looking at polling datum on Clinton's overall favorability numbers. The last year has not been kind to Clinton in this regard. His overall favorability numbers have declined while his unfavorability numbers have risen dramatically.