NBC/WSJ shows GWB as SOL

March 16, 2006

There were two major national polls released yesterday, both with filled with interesting data on the political landscape. I’m going to take these one at a time, starting with the latest from NBC News/Wall Street Journal.

The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll might sound like a broken record, but the tune grows louder as congressional midterm elections get closer and closer: President Bush is once again facing the lowest job approval rating of his presidency, the lowest percentage of Americans who believe the country is headed in the right direction, and an electorate that greatly prefers a Democratic-controlled Congress over a Republican-controlled one.

Yet the poll also shows something else that goes beyond the November midterm elections: A strong majority believes Bush is experiencing a long-term setback from which he’s unlikely to recover. “He’s losing his grip on governance,” says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican Bill McInturff. “It’s now a sense that we’ve seen the best that he’s going to produce as president of the United States.”

Across the board, the president and his party are reeling.

* Bush approval rating: According to the poll, only 37% approve of Bush’s job performance — his lowest mark ever in the survey. In addition, 58% believe Bush is facing a long-term setback from which he’s unlikely to improve.

* Direction of the country: Just 26% believe the nation is headed in the right direction. It’s the lowest it’s been in an NBC/WSJ poll since Bush’s father was president.

* Iraq: 61% disapprove of Bush’s handling of the war, and the exact same percentage believe we should reduce the number of American troops in Iraq. Moreover, 57% are less confident that the war in Iraq will come to a successful conclusion, which is a seven-point increase since December. A majority said the war has weakened America’s standing in the world, and a plurality (44%) said the conflict has increased the potential threat from Iran.

* Congress: With a 33% approval rating, Americans are even less fond of Congress than they are the president.

* Midterm elections: The poll shows that 50% prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress versus 37% who want it controlled by Republicans.

* Bush on the ballot: By 44%-40%, voters say that national issues will be more important than home district performance of congressional incumbents — the factor Republicans have hoped to emphasize.

That last point is probably the number that has the GOP most concerned. If Dems can successfully nationalize the elections, it will give them yet another advantage in November.

“* Direction of the country: Just 26% believe the nation is headed in the right direction. It’s the lowest it’s been in an NBC/WSJ poll since Bush’s father was president.”

oh the Oedipal irony. nearly everything about W’s presidency was a reaction to his father, and designed to ensure son would not suffer the father’s fate. he spurned his father’s relative moderation, his relative civility, his relatively high-brow view of the role and grandeur of the office. he would be bold, full of bluster, at the far edge of his party — he would relentlessly cut taxes, he would “go to Baghdad” — all to differentiate himself from daddy, in the hopes of escaping the shadows of fate.

how truly, truly beautiful were he to finish his term a useless lame duck, with the exact same “right direction-wrong track” number that pulled his father down serving as the final definition of his time in office.

i’m kind of twisted until i’ve had my coffee in the morning.

  • I want to see the Democrats turn the 50% preference into real success at the ballot box in November, otherwise none of this makes more then a marginal difference. Sure, the Republicans in Congress will be less respectful of President Bush and his Texas yokum administration, but that doesn’t really improve things in the country.

  • If Dems can successfully nationalize the elections…..

    If just 26% believe the nation is headed in the right direction that does
    not mean that Democrats will know what would be a better direction.

    Right now it’s “play it safe, say nothing” and get in power by being the least revolting of the two options…..but then what?
    The newly elected democratic majority will be facing a ruined economy, an over extended military, big money corruption, a divided nation, globalization of our middle class, and nuclear confrontation in the inflamed middle east with no clear plan or consensus.

    Why would they behave any differently than they are right now?

    It’s time for the Dems to show that they have a different direction in mind..

  • Hey Zeitgeist,

    Are you saying that you don’t need coffee to enjoy schaudenfraude (and that ain’t Danish)?

  • The related article says the following:

    The poll, however, contains a slice of good news for the Bush administration: A small majority approves of the administration’s controversial use of domestic wiretaps without a court order to track calls between terrorist suspects and U.S. residents. But a majority also believes that these wiretaps could be misused.

    However the poll sample doesnt appear to provide the actual question asked. The wording makes a huge difference does any one have access to the actual question asked?

  • Kali brings up a really good looking at things in the long term. I have wondered if creating a disaster wasn’t a part of the Republican methodology.

    If the Democrats are given a mess that can’t possibly be cleaned up in one election cycle, Iraq and the budget deficit would seemingly qualify, I expect to see the Republicans hammer us with a repeat of the “government is the problem” meme in about 3 and 1/2 years. With the short memory of the electorate in this country, the Republicans could probably sew up a couple more election cycles using this tactic.

  • marcus, this is a perpetual catch 22. i recall in 2004 friends of mine saying “why would we want this mess? we can’t get it cleaned up; make the R’s clean up their own mess first.”

    of course, the longer the R’s are in power, the bigger the mess, the harder to clean up, the more vulnerable we’ll be to charges of failure to clean up the mess.

    not sure what we do, other than learn to communicate better, but I am sure that it is better to start the cleaning sooner rather than later.

  • Though part of me loves these ever lowering numbers, another part fears that it is seriously pushing the administration to “do something about it” and attempt what worked before, emphasize the War President angle by launching air strikes against Iran. I just know we will wake up one morning soon and be informed that we have struck at Iranian facilities.

    On the other hand, maybe they know that there is no way in hell we can afford (either economically or militarily) a conflict with Iran, and all the Iranian Nuke talk is just fear fodder to help hang on the 30% who still support these assholes.

  • it is seriously pushing the administration to “do something about it” and attempt what worked before, emphasize the War President angle-from sad Clown

    So trure…..
    Today’s breaking news of the massive airstrikes in Iraq are political.. just at the time when polls reach an new low and the third year anniversary protests scheduled for the weekend.

  • And “Wag The Dog” was just on cable two nights ago. Dumbya and his strategy team must have been watching.

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