Bush’s disapproval worst of any president in 70 years
By Susan Page |
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.
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5 Responses to “Bush’s disapproval worst of any president in 70 years”
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steve k
Posted: Apr 26th, 2008 at 7:02 pm | Link to this
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steve k
Posted: Apr 26th, 2008 at 7:03 pm | Link to this
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jim s
Posted: Apr 27th, 2008 at 6:54 pm | Link to this
ReplyBush’s presidency will carry a shame that Americans will bear for years to come. We once could say “who cares” when the rest of the world disagreed and distanced themselves from us. Now, we are weak in every way — morally, financially (dollar at it’s lowest in decades), politically (worldwide). We allowed people to take control of government who promised us everything and hid behind God and the flag. Their hubris and corruption has caused immeasureable pain to much of the world. Can you imagine sending your 18-year old to war? People, these are just babies — they’re just kids — and someone’s kids at that. THE WONDER IS THE REMAINING 28% approval. All I can ask myself is “Really?”
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jim s
Posted: Apr 27th, 2008 at 7:03 pm | Link to this
ReplyWhat I also meant to say is that the world has shunned us and will punish us for years to come. We can no longer say “f**k the rest of the world” because they have diminished us to look on from the sidelines. Their refusal to be our silent partner in “democracy building” has caused dollar weakness, American product boycotts, etc. They laugh at President Bush when he comes on their TV’s and they think we are all idiots and fools for electing him — and they are right! For all the billions going into war machinery and making billionaires from war profiteering — just think what we could have done here for the middle class instead…. We’ve built bridges in Iraq after blowing them up (nonsense) and the Bush’s government won’t even help rebuild one collapsed bridge in the U.S. that killed our own people????? The only silver lining is that he only has a few more months in office to cause any more damage. I pray that he doesn’t hear God’s voice any more directing him to wage any further wars.
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whistler
Posted: Apr 29th, 2008 at 8:55 am | Link to this
ReplyBush’s rhetoric “I am the president of war” and welcoming silver spooners at a convention as “The haves and have mores” I wonder how he has any approval rating at all.
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I will make this comment very bried . I can only assume that the american public are wising up too being dupped by the president over various reasons towards the ongoing battle in iraq and are sick and tired of seeing their constitutional civil rights being erroded almost on a daily basis , and i cant blame them for feeling let down , after all this is a president who said that THE CONSTITUTIONAL BILL OF RIGHTS was only a PIECE OF PAPER ! . You can only push people so far .