National polls released last week showed Bush’s approval rating creeping back up a bit. This was not entirely unexpected. The federal response to Hurricane Katrina — and Bush’s cluelessness during the crisis — hurt the president’s support badly, and his numbers dropped into the high 30s.
The anger, however, subsided, and the less-painful response to Hurricane Rita helped Bush pick up a few points in several polls. Was it a sign that the president is back on track, prepared to make a comeback? Or was it a temporary respite before his numbers tanked again? As it turns out, it was the latter.
This CBS News Poll finds an American public increasingly pessimistic about the economy, the war in Iraq, the overall direction of the country, and the President. Americans’ outlook for the economy is the worst it has been in four years. Most expect the price of gas to rise even further in the next few months.
A growing number of Americans want U.S. troops to leave Iraq as soon as possible, rather than stay the course, and the highest percentage ever thinks the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq. When given a set of options for paying for rebuilding the hurricane-racked Gulf Coast, only one — taking money from the Iraq War — gets majority support.
President George W. Bush’s overall job approval rating has reached the lowest ever measured in this poll, and evaluations of his handling of Iraq, the economy and even his signature issue, terrorism, are also at all-time lows. More Americans than at any time since he took office think he does not share their priorities.
The closer one reviews the details, the worse the poll data looks for the Bush gang.
Not only has his overall approval rating dropped to a stunning 37%, his support for his handling of Iraq has dropped to 32%, and only 32% believe Bush shares their priorities for the country, all the lowest of his presidency. Even his one area of perceived strength — handling the war on terror — has finally dropped below the 50% mark for the first time, falling to 46%.
Moreover, a breathtaking 69% say things in the U.S. are “pretty seriously off on the wrong track” — the highest number since CBS News started asking the question 22 years ago.
There is literally no good news for Bush here. But unlike some recent polls, there are signs that Dems are finally capitalizing on the GOP’s misfortune.
The public’s overall support for Congress has dropped to 31%. That alone suggests voters are almost desperate for a change in leadership, which invariably hurts the party in power. But when asked about the parties specifically, Dems fare better.
To be sure, the public isn’t thrilled about either party, but Republicans are clearly suffering more in the public’s eye. When asked for their view of Democrats in Congress, 43% have a favorable impression, 46% have a negative one. Asked about Republicans, 37% have a favorable impression, while 53% do not. In other words, Dems are -3, Republicans are -16.
It’d obviously be better for Dems if their numbers were a bit higher, but the poll suggests public discontent is not hurting both parties equally.
There is, in other words, reason for some optimism.