BilgeKhan
2008-04-23 15:27:46 UTC
Disapproval of Bush breaks record
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,"
said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.
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's 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.
Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-04-21-bushrating_N.htm?csp=34
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,"
said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.
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's 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.
Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-04-21-bushrating_N.htm?csp=34