Since Friday afternoon, three major polls have been released. For those of anxious to see a new president next year, all three offered excellent news.
CNN/Time not only showed Bush’s support dropping precipitously, but also Kerry with a 5-point lead over the incumbent in the election match-up.
Bush’s overall job approval rating fell from 49 percent to 46 percent since the last CNN/Time poll on April 8, while his disapproval rating rose from 47 percent to 49 percent — the first time that more people disapproved of Bush’s job performance than approved….
On the question of who would do a better job, Kerry had big leads on health care, protecting the environment, reducing the deficit and reducing unemployment. He even did better than Bush on the question of taxes.
In the fight against terrorism — one of Bush’s strengths in many polls — this poll showed a split over whether Bush is doing a good job. Forty-six of those polled said he was, but 47 percent said he was doing a poor job.
The most surprising part of the poll shows that Bush’s pillars of support — public confidence in his handling of Iraq and the “war on terror” — are falling apart. Bush still enjoys small leads on who is better suited to manage the war in Iraq and handle terrorism, but what were once seemingly insurmountable leads are now just a few percentage points.
Perhaps best of all, the poll showed the public souring on the GOP in general. When asked how they planned to vote in congressional elections, poll respondents favored Dems by a whopping 13 points. Amazing.
Zogby, meanwhile, shows Bush’s approval rating dropping to a stunning 42%, while Kerry enjoys a 5-point lead in the general election match-up. The details were even better.
Kerry leads Bush among self-identified moderates by 25 points (55-30), and among Hispanic-American voters by 20 points (59-39), while nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) now say they disapprove of how Bush is handling the war in Iraq.
But my favorite results came with the question about candidate support in Red vs. Blue states.
In the Blues States, those that were won by former Vice-President Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election, Kerry receives 49.1% of support, as compared to Bush with 38.4%. In Red States Kerry and Bush are in a statistically tie with 45% a piece. The results here are reflective of a polarized and partisan electorate.
And finally, Newsweek’s poll also shows Bush in freefall.
As his administration grapples with the fallout from the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, President George W. Bush’s approval ratings have dropped to 42 percent, according to the latest Newsweek poll, a low for his presidency. Fifty-seven percent say they disapprove of Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq. And 62 percent say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States, a number that has been steadily increasing since April, 2003, when it was 41 percent.
Obviously, it’s hard to get too excited about these results six months before a vote is cast, but I think polls like these make it painfully clear that Bush’s support is evaporating quickly. If nothing else, this has to be a morale booster for Dems everywhere.