I know a lot of Dems were despondent when, in late April, the disasters surrounding the Bush presidency didn’t seem to be having much of an effect on his poll numbers. April was one of the worst months of Bush’s presidency, but the numbers weren’t reflecting it. The pundits were saying that Bush had weathered the storm.
The truth is, however, it appears the polls were just a little slow.
Two major national polls were released today with encouraging results for those of us anxious to see a new president next year. The head-to-head match-up between Bush and Kerry is still very close, but if the election is a referendum on the Bush presidency, it appears that people are ready for a change.
A new Gallup poll, for example, shows the public souring on Bush’s agenda.
Americans are more dissatisfied with the nation’s direction than at any time in more than eight years and President Bush’s job approval rating has sunk into a tie for his worst-ever showing, according to a new Gallup Poll. The poll, released Thursday, indicates 62% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country.
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In the survey, 49% of Americans said they approved of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 48% said they disapproved. The approval number ties the lowest figure Bush has reached in his president, and the disapproval number ties the highest figure.
As for the election, Bush trailed Kerry, 49%-48% in a head-to-head match-up. The two were tied at 47% when what’s his name is thrown into the mix.
Nevertheless, across the board, public sentiment is against Bush’s handling of almost everything.
* On the economy — 56% of Americans disapprove of the way Bush is handling the economy and 41% approve. That is the highest disapproval number and lowest approval number of the Bush presidency.
* On Iraq — 55% of Americans disapprove of the way Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, and 42% approve. Again, the approval number is the lowest and the disapproval number is the highest of any survey Gallup has taken on the question, dating back to late October 2002.
* On foreign policy in general — On foreign affairs overall, Bush gets 42% approval and 53% disapproval — again, a record low on approval and a record high on disapproval.
* On terrorism — A bare majority (52%) still approve of Bush’s handling of the issue, but the support has plummeted and this is easily the lowest figure since Gallup began asking the question in November 2001.
Things weren’t much better for Bush in the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, which was also released today.
Six in 10 Americans say the economy is heading for more trouble rather than prosperity, while the same number believe events in Iraq are spiraling out of U.S. control. By a 50%-to-33% margin, voters say the nation is headed in the wrong direction.
Bush is particularly vulnerable to the “are you better off than you were four years ago” question — in which 55% say they are either worse off or no better off than they were when Bush was inaugurated. Perhaps more importantly, pluralities of political independents, swing voters, and senior citizens say they have become worse off under Bush.
The same poll pegged Bush’s overall approval rating at 47%, the lowest of his presidency. As the WSJ noted, every president since Ford with a May approval rating under 50% ended up losing in November.