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I love the part about "Republican led Congress". He had to get that in there.
no one approves of Congress anymore, they have proven what a worthless lot
they are. Bush has much higher approval ratings they could hope for.
Conservatives Drive Bush's Approval Down
By RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer
1 hour, 13 minutes ago
Angry conservatives are driving the approval ratings of President Bush and the GOP-led Congress to dismal new lows, according to an AP-Ipsos poll that underscores why Republicans fear an Election Day massacre.
Six months out, the intensity of opposition to Bush and Congress has risen sharply, along with the percentage of Americans who believe the nation is on the wrong track.
The AP-Ipsos poll also suggests that Democratic voters are far more motivated than Republicans. Elections in the middle of a president's term traditionally favor the party whose core supporters are the most energized.
This week's survey of 1,000 adults, including 865 registered voters, found:
• Just 33 percent of the public approves of Bush's job performance, the lowest of his presidency. That compares with 36 percent approval in early April. Forty-five percent of self-described conservatives now disapprove of the president.
• Just one-fourth of the public approves of the job Congress is doing, a new low in AP-Ipsos polling and down 5 percentage points since last month. A whopping 65 percent of conservatives disapprove of Congress.
• A majority of Americans say they want Democrats rather than Republicans to control Congress (51 percent to 34 percent). That's the largest gap recorded by AP-Ipsos since Bush took office. Even 31 percent of conservatives want Republicans out of power.
• The souring of the nation's mood has accelerated the past three months, with the percentage of people describing the nation on the wrong track rising 12 points to a new high of 73 percent. Six of 10 conservatives say America is headed in the wrong direction.
Republican strategists said the party stands to lose control of Congress unless the environment changes unexpectedly.
"It's going to take some events of significance to turn this around," GOP pollster Whit Ayres said. "I don't think at this point you can talk your way back from those sorts of ratings."
He said the party needs concrete progress in Iraq and action in Congress on immigration, lobbying reform and tax cuts.
"Those things would give the country a sense that Washington has heard the people and is responding in a way that will give conservatives a sense that their concerns are being addressed," Ayres said.
Conservative voters blame the White House and Congress for runaway government spending, illegal immigration and lack of action on social issues such as a cons utional amendment outlawing gay marriage. Those concerns come on top of public worries about Iraq, the economy and gasoline prices.
Candice Strong, a conservative from Cincinnati, said she backed Bush in 2004, "but I don't agree with the way he's handling the war and the way he's handling the economy. I think he should have pulled our troops out of Iraq."
Hardline conservatives are not likely to vote Democratic in the fall, but it would be just as devastating to the Republicans if conservatives lose their enthusiasm and stay home on Election Day.
AP-Ipsos polling suggests that Democrats may be winning the motivation game. Fewer voters today than in 2004 call themselves Republicans or Republican-leaning. In addition, 27 percent of registered voters were strong Republicans just before the 2004 election, while only 15 percent fit that description today.
Democratic numbers are the same or better since 2004.
"This tells us we've got our work cut out for us," said Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record), a conservative Republican from Kansas who may run for president in 2008. "The key for us is to show restraint on spending and on dealing with immigration."
Bush's strong suit continues to be his handling of foreign policy and terrorism, an area in which he modestly improved his ratings since April. Still, a majority of Americans disapprove of his performance on both fronts.
It gets worse. Only 23 percent of the public approve of the way the president is handling gasoline prices, the lowest in AP-Ipsos polling. Those who strongly disapprove outnumber those who strongly approve by an extraordinary 55 percent to 8 percent.
As for his overall job performance, history suggests that Bush's paltry 33 percent spells trouble for Republicans in the fall.
In the past six decades, only one president had a lower job approval rating six months before a midterm election — Richard Nixon in May 1974, the year in which Watergate-scarred Republicans lost 48 seats in the House and four in the Senate.
By November, Nixon was out of a job too, having resigned the presidency in August.
Nearly half of the public strongly disapproves of Bush, a huge jump from his 5 percent strong disapproval rating in 2002. The poll has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
Of all Republicans, nearly 30 percent disapprove of the job Bush is doing, including 13 percent who feel strongly about it.
"Hopefully this is a wakeup call for my party to get out of its bunker and hunker mentality," said Republican strategist Greg Mueller, whose firm specializes in conservative politics.
He urged his party to start criticizing Democratic positions on the Iraq war, immigration and the economy.
"We've been like a punching bag," Mueller said.
Democrats need to gain 15 seats in the House and six in the Senate for control of Congress, no easy task in an era that favors in bents.
"What we have to do is earn the public approval of our right to govern again," said Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean.
The Democratic strategy is to nationalize the elections around a throw-the-bums-out theme.
Republicans counter that they will do better than polls suggest when voters are forced on Election Day to choose between candidates in their particular House and Senate races.
"But," Ayres said, "we better get in gear."
___
On the Net:
Ipsos — http://www.ap-ipsosresults.com
___
Associated Press writer Will Lester, manager of news surveys Trevor Tompson, and polling director Mike Mokrzycki contributed to this story.
I love the part about "Republican led Congress". He had to get that in there.
no one approves of Congress anymore, they have proven what a worthless lot
they are. Bush has much higher approval ratings they could hope for.
Much higher? Youre talking about 7 percentage points for a grand total of 33%.
Yeah, if I were in Congress, the goal of approval I wish to achieve would be one-third. You wouldnt last a term.
Everyone thinks the grass is greener on the other side, but I think the position this country has put itself in isnt going to have revolutionary change just because a bunch of liberals take office (if that even happens).
Republicans are a crafty lot....dont think they dont have something up their sleeve late i nthe game to boost ratings (and conservative voter turn-out).
If the Republicans lose control of either House, that effectively castrates Bush. This is ultra-important for the White House.
Dark, I know I am cast as a NeoCon, but you know something I am not
so sure we aren't going to go through a revolutionary change in the near
distant future. Neither the dimm-o-craps or Republicans have shown the
ability to govern. Bush, who everyone loves to hate, may be the only
honest to goodness person in Washington who has the best interest of
the country at heart. The rest of those folks are so damned wrapped up
in themselves that it is pitiful. There is nothing wrong with politics so
long as somewhere along the line the person doing the politicking
realizes the country has to be utmost important thing to consider. And
this has been forgotten by nearly everyone in Congress. Votes are
all that matters now days. Not too many up there in Congress has the
guts to tell the American people this is what we have to do, like it or
not. But no matter. The chickens are coming home to roost and it
has already proven not to be to popular with the American public. Oil
prices (gas) is only the beginning. Soc, Medicare and many social
programs are coming along. Government cannot be all things to all
people.
dubya is already less.
Threatening to veto it, he got handed a spending by bill his own party that had gone and passed the bill anyway.
Other than trying criminalize and intimidate the press under espionage laws (so the WH can continue lying and being incompetent in total secrecry), re-classsifying 1000s of old do ent as secret, including those in private hands, what other major WH initiatives are being talked about? Absolutely nothing. And we won't see a re-composed and weakened Repug Congress until next January.
The WH ducks have lamed themselves. In other fowl news, the phony Iraq war chickens have come home to roost.
btw, the WH has group right now in Geneva explaining away the US's systematic torture and abuse in Abu Graib and Guantamo, extraordinary rendition, etc to a UN panel on torture. In the past, the WH wouldn't have given a about any UN panel (except the ones the WH cherry picks as convenient).
Potential October suprises:
Cheney resigns for "health reasons"
Iran is bombed.
Rummy steps down.
Another hurricane?
Either Zarqawi or Bin Laden are caught or killed.
Russia leads the oil producing nations into dropping production.
My point exactly. These are just a few possible Trump cards to be played/possibly played.
I completely concur on everything in bold.
Im sorry, I just dont like Bush at all.
Yea Sean Hannity is a dumb ass...
He thinks the far right is what elected and re-elected Bush.. It was the centrists Soccor moms and F250 guzzler drivers (centrists) that elected him.
Rush keeps it cool and plays a good game but hannity acts like a total ass over things.
Ever since the Meyers nomination he has been bashing bush.. Then he cries about Nancy Pelosi becoming majority leader..
MAKE UP YOUR ING mind Hannity..
Neither the far right or the far left CAN HOLD POWER without the centrists vote. They are the only ones that swing..
People like me will just pull the right lever. Anyway Hannity needs to stop being stuck on stupid. You can't "hannitize" lefists one day then bash Bush the next.. you wont retain anyone "won over".
It was only a matter of time before the Christian Reich woke up and realized, in the words of Stevie Wonder, "You haven't done nothing".
The only interest Bush has are his own.
WP: Hard-Core Republicans Are Fleeing President
Spending, Immigration Cited by Conservatives
Thursday, May 11, 2006; A01
Washington PostDisaffection over spending and immigration have caused conservatives to take flight from President Bush and the Republican Congress at a rapid pace in recent weeks, sending Bush's approval ratings to record lows and presenting a new threat to the GOP's 12-year reign on Capitol Hill, according to White House officials, lawmakers and new polling data.
Bush and Congress have suffered a decline in support from almost every part of the conservative coalition over the past year, a trend that has accelerated with alarming implications for Bush's governing strategy.
(snip)
There are also significant pockets of conservatives turning on Bush and Congress over the their failure to tighten immigration laws, restrict gay marriage and to put an end to the Iraq war and the rash of political scandals, according to lawmakers and pollsters.
Bush won two presidential elections by pursuing a political and governing model that was predicated on winning and sustaining the loyal backing of social, economic and foreign policy conservatives. The strategy was based on the belief that conservatives, who are often more politically active than the general public, could be inspired to vote in larger numbers and would serve as a reliable foundation for his presidency. The theory, as explained by Bush strategists, is that the president would enjoy a floor below which his support would never fall.
It is now apparent that this floor has weakened dramatically and collapsed in places.
Yes, the conservatives are mad - and the GOP better take notice or they will be out of power soon. The Republicans have forgotten what got them elected to a majority status in the first place. They have abandoned their roots on spending and on this issue of illegal immigrants.
Conservatives will not vote Democrat - they just won't go to the polls.
That's what people like Hannity and Laura Ingraham are trying to tell Washington. If the Republicans want to stay in the majority - they better wake up and listen to the grass roots organizations.
It was evident to me in early 2003 that Bush would ultimately be known as one if not the worst in American history. Every passing day just confirms it. You've got to be pretty for even your own blind-sheep partisan base to turn on you. Now if the blind sheep partisan Democrats can turn on the morons they've placed into office - we could see some real positive change in the next few election cycles.
More likely, however, we'll stick to the two-party circle-jerk we know and love.
Yeah, just ask Abraham Lincoln.
Only you would compare Bush with Lincoln.
What Party was that?
History. Well, todays or tomorrow's? And who is writing it. Seems as if everything,
including history is corrupted by politics. But I wont be around and some of you wont
either to argue the point. Bush may go down as one of the best as well as Reagan.
Carter as a real loser. LBJ as simply a crook. Who knows. They were elected and
served and we lived under their administration. And survived. I am sure we will
survive under the Bush administration. If I were writing history I would say the man
did a sterling job considering what he has had to put up with.
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