Bush Ratings at highest level since Saddam Capture

[Clandestino]

Bush Ratings Climb 4th Month In A Row As Even Foes Warm

Mon Dec 6, 7:00 PM ET

Ibd Staff

Americans' opinions of President Bush (news - web sites) are continuing to improve as he picks up support from some of the groups that opposed his re-election in November.


Most notable among those groups are Hispanics, who seem pleased with the Bush's nomination of two Cabinet members from their ethnic community.


Others looking more favorably on the second-termer are Democrats (admittedly coming off a low basis for comparison) and residents of the Northeast and West.


The IBD/TIPP Presidential Leadership Index rose 3.9% to 55.4 in December, its fourth straight monthly gain and highest level since January, after Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) was captured.


The index is made up of three subindexes that gauge favorability, job approval and leadership. All were up for the month, with favorability up the most (6.1%).


"In November, President Bush spoke about a mandate given to him by the American people," said Raghavan Mayur, president of TIPP, a unit of TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, IBD's polling partner.


"The across-the-board improvement and fourth-straight gain indicate that more and more Americans like the things that Bush does."


Approval of Bush among Hispanics rebounded 36% to 51.8 from a 2004 low of 38.0 in November.


"The president recently appointed two Hispanics to his Cabinet," Mayur noted, referring to Attorney General-designate Alberto Gonzales, and Carlos Gutierrez, Bush's choice for commerce secretary. "These moves have been met with great approval from the nation's Hispanic population."


Bush also gained among Democrats, up 18% to 27.7 (vs. 89.1 for Republicans); Northeasterns, up 20% to 53.2, and Westerners, up 9% to 55.3.


In so-called "blue," or Democratic, states, Bush's approval rose 10% to 51.9.


"Across the board, we are seeing Bush's traditional critics warming up to him," said Mayur. "Bush's success in Afghanistan (news - web sites), resolute determination in Iraq (news - web sites), and his willingness to reshuffle his Cabinet have all gone a long way in boosting his standing."


Groups other than Republicans with which the president remains most popular are those with incomes of $75,000 or more (66.6), white men (62.9), rural residents (62.4), investors (61.4) and those in the $50,000 to $75,000 income bracket (61.2).


Besides Democrats, groups giving him the lowest ratings are blacks (27.4), those with incomes under $30,000 (43.1) and single women (43.5).


The IBD/TIPP poll of 1,014 adults was taken Nov. 30 to Dec. 5.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=2&u=/ibd/20041207/bs_ibd_ibd/2004126feature

[Marcus Bryant]

But what do the exit polls say?

[Nbadan]

It's easy to be positive about W when your totaly ignorant to what's going on in the world, and the role the U.S. is playing. Plus, it doesn't help that the MSM has played along with all the lies and deceptions, just like the administration's own propaganda unit. Nevermind, the record deficits, the record trade imbalance, the tumbling dollar and consumer purchasing power along with it. Nevermind, the U.S.'s reputation as a fair nation, a strong but moral nation. Nevermind giving a damn about each other, as Hookdem would say, "pull your bootstrings up and shut up you bunch of whinners". Its clearly every man for himself.

[Clandestino]

the tumbling dollar has been great for u.s. exports... it sucks if you are taking a vacation to europe though..

[cqsallie]

How easy it is to win the regard of an entire culture! Do you think I'd have a favorable opinion of Bush if he nominated two people with Irish surnames to his cabinet? Of course not! Ethnicity (or claims of such) are the least important reasons for supporting a person. One has only to look to all the nefarious doings in San Antonio to realize that it doesn't much matter if you're Hispanic or Anglo - crooks will be crooks and people who do well in one position won't necessarily do well in another.
At what point are we going to stop overlooking all other faults - whether they're the faults of a Democrat or a Republican - as long as a person recognizes our own particular ethnic community? It's a selfish, and ultimately un-American stance...

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

your totaly ignorant to what's going on in the world, and the role the U.S. is playing

Yeah, it's not like we've got terrorists running around who won't stop til' either us or them are all dead.

Good call Dan, tell me more about my ignorance.

[Nbadan]

Yeah, it's not like we've got terrorists running around who won't stop til' either us or them are all dead.

Good call Dan, tell me more about my ignorance.

There have been terrorists for generations and after 1,000's of GI's have died and the NeoCons decide the war on terror is over, guess what? There will still be terrorists.

In the 60's, 70's, 80's and early 90's, did you go around screaming about the evil Soviet empire all the time? Probably not. So why are Islamic terrorists any more to be feared than the atheists Russians were? Are Islamists a bigger threat?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

There have been terrorists for generations

How many were killing three thousand on our soil?


In the 60's, 70's, 80's and early 90's, did you go around screaming about the evil Soviet empire all the time? Probably not. So why are Islamic terrorists any more to be feared than the atheists Russians were? Are Islamists a bigger threat?

Are you that fucking stupid? How many skyscrapers did the Soviets crash planes into here in America? How many innocent American civilians died at the hands of the Soviets?

I know you don't have a very good grasp on reality (if you have one at all), but to think that Islam isn't a bigger and more imminent threat to America, and most notably our future, well it shows you don't know what the fuck you are talking about.

[Nbadan]

How many were killing three thousand on our soil?

How many Iraqis were involved in 911 again? Did Saddam finance any part of the attacks? Seems that like a lot of posters in this forum, the W administration has trouble telling one Arab, or Arab tribe from another.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

LOL, Iraq wasn't about 9/11, I think Marcus only pointed that out about 5000 times.

Quit changing the topic Dan, I know where you stand. Cold War Soviet Union killed more Americans on our soil than Al Qaeda did on 9/11.

Tell me more, dumbass.

[Nbadan]

Are you that fucking stupid? How many skyscrapers did the Soviets crash planes into here in America? How many innocent American civilians died at the hands of the Soviets?

I know you don't have a very good grasp on reality (if you have one at all), but to think that Islam isn't a bigger and more imminent threat to America, and most notably our future, well it shows you don't know what the fuck you are talking about.

There is no telling how many innocent civilians died because money that could have been used by the U.S. to fight poverty, alcohol and drug-abuse, neglect and family abuse, and mental-illness was instead used to build more and more nuclear weapons that could never all be used even if there was a major exchange. Where is the sense in that? and how many millions of died?

Islamists are not near the threat the Soviet Union continues to be today much less the threat it was a couple of decades ago. We know the Soviets have nuclear weapons, we know that the key to any modern military is oil, and the Soviets and Chinese are a bigger threat to world oil markets than the Islamists can ever dream of being. We know that the Russians and Chinese continue to export technology to North Korea, Pakistan, Iran that could have dual-use for building nuclear weapons.

[Nbadan]

Iraq wasn't about 9/11, I think Marcus only pointed that out about 5000 times.

Marcus is a dumbass. The administration's justification for going into Iraq was that Saddam was an immenent threat with his biological and Chemical weapons. They basically played on people emotions after the 911 attacks to partake in a agenda that had been on the drawing board for years, and to make things much worse, their plan was based on 'irrational exuberance' as pointed out by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

The difference is Russia wants to be a player in the world economy. Radical Islamists want to destroy it.

I'm sorry you're too fucking stupid to understand it.

[Nbadan]

The difference is Russia wants to be a player in the world economy. Radical Islamists want to destroy it.

I'm sorry you're too fucking stupid to understand it.

Islamists want power just as bad as the Russians did, however, they feel that the West has historically detracted Middle East progress by supporting repressive regimes that suppressed the will of a majority of the people. This whole war has been about the power to control the flow of oil through Afghanistan and Iraq.

[smackdaddy11]

Islamists want power just as bad as the Russians did,

Wow. You have reached step 1 in your treatment program.





however,they feel that the West has historically detracted Middle East progress by supporting repressive regimes that suppressed the will of a majority of the people.

Those Taliban guys sure helped the Afghans find a gov't made of the will of the people, didn't they?

So, your plan would have been to let the Middle East totalitarian regimes be ignored or forced to change to democracies during the Cold War? That would have defeated communism. It would help if you would examine foreign polocy decisions of the U.S. during the time it is being implemented and the reasons for it at the time.


This whole war has been about the power to control the flow of oil through Afghanistan and Iraq.

So, Islamakazis controlling the worlds oil would be better than the western world and free Arab gov'ts? Holding the world hostage whenever they wanted would be a good thing?

The only thriving economic society in the Middle East is Israel. They are the only democracy. Think their is a correlation?

[JohnnyMarzetti]

What I find funny is that there has not been much talk lately of terrorism or raising of the "terror level" since the election.
Could it be because the duping of America is over (and 51% of America fell for it) and now Bush can just waltz his way through the rest of his term?

Bush is so full of himself he thinks he can just pick one of the popular NY fellas to be Head of Homeland Security without checking the guy out first?

What an idiot!

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Islamists want power just as bad as the Russians did,

No, they're worse, because they use religion to stoke their drive and fire.



however, they feel that the West has historically detracted Middle East progress by supporting repressive regimes that suppressed the will of a majority of the people.

You're on the right track here, but it's deeper than that.



This whole war has been about the power to control the flow of oil through Afghanistan and Iraq.

Not really. If Osama gets his way, the world goes back to pre-industrial revolution days, the modern global economy collapses, but yeah, Osama and Co. would control Mideast Oil.

For the life of me I don't see what your problem with Bush is. If we lose you'll be paying $10 a gallon at the pump, because that's what Osama and those who think like him think it should cost the rest of us.

I guess if you like the idea of an apocolyptic collapse of the world as we know it, continue to root for Osama. If they win, the global economy and western civilization collapses, you and I take up Islam or get a bullet in the back of the head (if we haven't already been nuked), and those that are lucky enough to survive will bemoan the fact that we lost the war on terror.

But if that's what you're cheering for, I guess it's better proof than ever that too many hits to the head playing football can really fuck a person up.

[scott]

Anyone care to provide an update on those Approval ratings?

[Nbadan]

Depends on the source, but generally W's approval rating is lingering between 48-51%. The lowest of any incumbant President beginning a new term ever.

[ClintSquint]

That's what I've been hearing too.

[RobinsontoDuncan]

How many were killing three thousand on our soil?



Are you that fucking stupid? How many skyscrapers did the Soviets crash planes into here in America? How many innocent American civilians died at the hands of the Soviets?

I know you don't have a very good grasp on reality (if you have one at all), but to think that Islam isn't a bigger and more imminent threat to America, and most notably our future, well it shows you don't know what the fuck you are talking about.

are you that fucking stupid? Osama said there is a reason he didnt attack Sweden and your it.

[MannyIsGod]

AHF, I think you (and much of America) have a huge misunderstanding of the motivations of terrorists.

[Extra Stout]

AHF, I think you (and much of America) have a huge misunderstanding of the motivations of terrorists.There are some things, like decisions made during the Cold War, for which the U.S. holds some culpability. There are others, like overthrowing Mossadegh to protect British Petroleum, which were stupid and ineffectual.

However, frequently during the Cold War, there were just a repressive right-wing tyrant suppressing the people's will and a repressive left-wing tyrant suppressing the people's will who were vying for control of whatever oil-rich Arab country you want to examine. It's not as if we were preventing them from translating the Federalist Papers into Arabic or something. After World War II, Arab nations tried modernizing by pasting the superfacie of parliamentary democracy onto their traditional autocracies, which of course failed miserably. The U.S. makes a nice scapegoat for that.

There aren't a whole lot of cultures in the world that can adapt successfully to the modern industrial world without a serious overhaul. The West -- well, the West was the innovator, so obviously them... and the Asians along the Pacific Coast. So far, those are the only ones. Indonesia has been getting there, so we know Muslims can do it.

Arabs are incredibly frustrated that they cannot adapt. They are the guardians of the holy cities, the followers of the Prophet, submissive to Allah, and yet rather than being the most blessed of all peoples, they struggle in squalor and poverty under oppressive rule while the infidels of the West flourish, and this great infidel nation seemingly rules the world.

This great infidel nation supposedly is ahl al-kitab, and yet all the Arabs see of their culture is this secular filth which degrades all that Islam holds dear. Through popular media the wealth of these pig-eating, imbibing, sexually loose infidels is dangled in front of their faces, close enough that they can taste it but knowing they can never have it. To them, all we are is Will and Grace, and Sex and the City, and Britney Spears, and J Lo, and Temptation Island, and porn. Of course they hate us.

And smack dab in the middle of the dar al-Islam, another of the ahl al-kitab has overthrown the Muslim state and instituted a Jewish one! They have built great wealth and industry while the Muslims are fenced in like cattle! How can a few million Jews flourish and prosper when hundreds of millions of Muslims stand against them? How have they not been defeated and thrust into the sea? It must be the great infidel nation helping them.

Why is the Muslim in the Arab street hungry? Their rulers are not to blame, they hear. It is not the corruption and ineptitude of their own governments. It must be the great infidel nation.

Why is the great infidel nation so powerful while the collected body of Islam is so weak? This is not the way their world is supposed to be. The Muslims are supposed to be the conquerors, not the conquered. There is so much frustration and shame that they experience.

So while the U.S. has screwed up in the past, I really think the inescapable juxtaposition of our success and their failure is what motivates them. It must be our fault -- they are faithful to Allah and we are not, and we have the great power that is "rightfully" theirs.

The terrorists say that Muslims must take their rightful place in the world and defeat the great infidel nation by jihad. The Muslims will eventually reconquer what is theirs and retake their rightful place as the world's rulers, though it may take centuries. The Muslim in the street is hungry, dirty, angry, and without hope, and the terrorist gives him hope and purpose.

There has to be some other, more moderate voice offering these people hope and purpose. They don't understand what it is about our way of life that makes us prosper, and that the biggest thing keeping them from it is themselves, not us.