Posted on 04/16/2008 9:11:18 PM PDT by moderatewolverine
It is only four months into 2008, but the presidential campaign — already too long and nasty — is still a long way from over. And the casualties are mounting.
First, George W. Bush’s popularity remains dismal — even though some of the complaints about his first term have gone by the wayside. The French and German governments are now staunchly pro-American. Violence in Iraq is still way down from a year ago. America has been free from a terrorist attack since 9/11.
No matter. Nothing has seemed to help the president. His approval rating stays at, or sinks below, 30 percent.
Why? The current gloomy economic news and the continuing human and financial costs of Afghanistan and Iraq explain a lot. But another reason is this present election cycle. For the first time in nearly six decades, no incumbent president or vice president is daily hammering back in defense of the recent four years.
(Excerpt) Read more at primetimepolitics.com ...
That last line says it all.
Nothing should help this president. After today’s b.s. about global warming, I’m convinced he is just an eyelash better than Jimmy Carter, and his presidency was criminal in it’s ineptness.
He’s just been terrible, an abomination.
Well, historical perspective is an interesting thing. GW himself said that his legacy may not even be decided in his lifetime. Harry Truman’s approval rating was even lower than W’s when he left office. Churchill was NOT popular and was much criticized over the course of his time. Tony Blair’s stances basicaly cost him his political career. Yet, I believe ALL these men were good and righteous leaders (W’s made some big mistakes but I believe history will show that he did many important things right). So many real facts and classified information only come out years and years later.
“For the first time in nearly six decades, no incumbent president or vice president is daily hammering back in defense of the recent four years.”
Actually, President Bush hardly ever defends himself or his policies. That’s my chief complaint about him. I don’t regret voting for him, but I resent the fact that he let Pelosi, Reid, Kennedy, both Clintons, Boxer, Carter, and the whole stinking crew get away with spreading vicious lies about the Iraq war.
As Commander in Chief, he has a duty to defend and explain the mission he ordered our troops to carry out. To be brutally honest, he’s done a terrible job at both.
I have my problems with McCain, but at least I know he won’t sit back and let his enemies define him and his policies.
By "his enemies" do you mean conservatives?
okay, I’m gonna get blasted for my last posting. Listen, I agree about this (WTF?) latest “global warming” crap that W just spoke about. I can only think that it’s one of those things that, because he’s about to leave, he wants to do PR on, to help the next Republican candidate fight the Dems (ever think of that?) About Carter, no, no president (so far) has been quite that traitorous (no, not even Bill). Shame, shame on him.
Bush’s low approval rating has two causes. First, the Democrats have no ideas other than to make the opposition look like the bad guys and themselves, by comparison, look like a better choice. That is why we hear the constant mantra of “change”. “Change” from what? Change from the image they have created of the Republicans and George Bush specifically.
Second, Bush has adopted the strategy of imposing conservative solutions on government problems by joining the opposition and working from the inside. The education plan was like that. He let Kennedy write most of it but he won the key points. That was accountability. The teachers unions had three years to improve the schools or face loss of federal funds, then two more years to take corrective action. After that, the funds would be cut. We are there and now the Democrats are squealing about the coming loss of funds.
His plan may not work but it was a reasonable one.
The same with illegal immigration. It is a complex problem that has been going on for a long time. The Democrats encouraged it because the illegals become illegal voters for Democrats, keeping them in power. We all have our opinions about simple solutions, like just enforce the existing laws, but getting the left to go along with it and allow it to happen is not easy.
Bush has gotten a bad rap and he allows it to happen because he doesn’t try to correct the record, preferring instead to leave it to future historians.
(W’s made many big mistakes but I believe history will show that he did some important things right).
you know, I pray you’re right about McCain et al by the time November comes, because he’s currently taking the “high road, Mr. nice guy” approach, and maybe that’s okay for now, but timing is everything and it’s coming soon where he and his peeps MUST hit hard. As for W, maybe he’s so stubborn that he refuses to get into what he perceives as a pissing match with the even more stubborn opposition. I mean, they absolutely HATE him, to the point that nothing, nothing gets done in this congress and it’s a travesty for this country and the good of its people.
I disagree. He saved all of us from further attacks by wild Islamics.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
History will regard President Bush as the man who saved the world from Islamist terror. He will be remembered as a great man - the Charles Martel of the 21st century.
So well said. BTW, off the subject, I just caught a little gem on cspan 2 -The Radio and Television Correspondents Association 64th annual dinner. It included a video from W, remarks by Cheney, and entertainment by Mo Rocca. Dana Perino was at the stage table aos. Tough audience, but both Cheney and Rocca were very good (Mo, imho, is a brilliant wit, he’s just not liberal enough for this crowd to love him). For those of you who watch cspan, they’ll likely run it again over the next day or two (and maybe weekend).
“By ‘his enemies’ do you mean conservatives?”
I mean Dems. As a “Decline to State” (as they call us in California) who only started voting Republican after 9/11, I’m going to stay out of the RINO versus conservative fight.
I’ll vote for whoever is the Republican nominee.
My own entirely personal philosophy is you campaign with the candidate you have, to paraphrase Rumsfeld. I don’t let myself get upset or wistful over what might have been.
Just think of the alternative - Gore as president. The mind boggles.
“you know, I pray you’re right about McCain et al by the time November comes, because he’s currently taking the ‘high road, Mr. nice guy’ approach[.]”
He’s being nice about Hillary and Obama personally, but he and his campaign staffers are absolutely eviscerating their positions. Over and over again McCain is hammering them on how they’re going to raise taxes and how their approach to fighting the jihadis is dangerous and wrong.
Because of the media double standard, if McCain goes negative, he’ll be painted as just another “mean-spirited” Republican, and Hillary or Obama will be positioned as a helpless female or black victim.
The gender and racial issues this time around—as well as the nation-wide disdain for Republicans—make McCain’s job even tougher. I think he’ll pull it off, but the irony is he’s going to have to work twice as hard and be twice as smart as his opponents, which is what feminists and black activists always say about their own groups.
Lest we forget!!!
Bush has low numbers but the Dems have the most abysmal numbers ever in history. Avg approval rating of this Congress is 11-14%.
VDH ping.
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