The one bright spot in the mess that the Bush administration has left in its wake is that during his second term Bush has been so unpopular that it has really limited his ability to push new initiatives. Bush's disapproval rating worst of any president in 70 years By Susan Page USA TODAY WASHINGTON — President Bush has set a record he'd presumably prefer to avoid: the highest disapproval rating of any president in the 70-year history of the Gallup Poll. In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday, 28% of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing; 69% disapprove. The approval rating matches the low point of his presidency, and the disapproval sets a new high for any president since Franklin Roosevelt. The previous record of 67% was reached by Harry Truman in January 1952, when the United States was enmeshed in the Korean War. Bush's rating has worsened amid "collapsing optimism about the economy," says Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies presidential approval. Record gas prices and a wave of home foreclosures have fueled voter angst. Bush also holds the record for the other extreme: the highest approval rating of any president in Gallup's history. In September 2001, in the days after the 9/11 attacks, Bush's approval spiked to 90%. In another record, the percentage of Americans who say the invasion of Iraq was a mistake reached a new high, 63%, in the latest poll. Assessments of Bush's presidency are harsh. By 69%-27%, those polled say Bush's tenure in general has been a failure, not a success. Low approval ratings make it more difficult for presidents to maneuver, limiting their ability to get legislation passed or boost candidates in congressional elections. "The president understands war and the slowdown in the economy weigh down public opinion, but the situation in Iraq is improving, and the economy is about to get a big boost from the stimulus package," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said. Bush has had dismal ratings through most of his second term. His approval rating hasn't reached as high as 50% since May 2005. He has been steadily below 40% since September 2006. Views of Bush divide sharply along party lines. Among Republicans, 66% approve and 32% disapprove. Disapproval is nearly universal — 91% — among Democrats. Of independents, 23% approve, 72% disapprove of the job he's doing. http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080422/a_pollbox22.art.htm
Yes, but he did make an appearance on Deal or No Deal, so I think that is a step in the right direction.
What country do these republicans live on. I guess there are more TJ's and Bigtexxx's than I thought.
McCain will be more of the same. He has flipflopped on abortion and has never been a global waming denier. He has been a bit less for torture. On the stuff that really matters for most people, what government spends money on and what taxes we raise he is the same as Bush. His big deal is earmarks which are like 1% or a meaningless part of the budget. He is for fighting lots of wars, cutting taxes on the rich ( he has flip flopped, but I believe he has taken the no new taxes pledge). On health care he is a leave the system alone type like Bush. It will be interesting to see if the Swift Boat politics of personal destruction against Obama will prevail and we will have a continuation of the Bush Administration with McCain despite Bush's unpopularity.
