The racial explanation for Bush’s precipitous decline

July 6, 2006

In June 2004, the president’s [tag]approval ratings[/tag], according to Gallup, were in the upper 40s. A year later, in June 2005, Gallup showed Bush in the mid-40s. By last month, the [tag]president[/tag]’s support had slipped further, down in the mid-30s.

So, which former [tag]Bush[/tag] supporters gave up on him? [tag]Gallup[/tag] released a report today examining the president’s approval rating among whites, blacks, and Hispanics, but the polling outfit buried the lede.

Gallup’s annual poll on Minority Rights and Relations finds little change in [tag]blacks[/tag]’ and [tag]Hispanics[/tag]’ evaluations of George W. Bush compared with last year. The vast majority of blacks continue to give Bush low marks for his job performance, while Hispanics are more likely to disapprove than approve.

Gallup focused on the wrong results. It’s interesting that Bush has maintained a 15% approval rating among African Americans consistently for three years, and in light of the immigration debate, it’s worth noting that Hispanic support for Bush has dropped slightly over the same period (from low 40s to high 30s), but Gallup overlooked the key detail: the president’s overall level of support has faltered because white people have left him in droves.

In June 2002, 74% of non-Hispanic [tag]whites[/tag] approved of the way Bush was handling his job as president. In June 2003, it had dropped a bit to 69%. A year later, support was down to 61%. By June 2004, non-Hispanic whites were almost evenly split of Bush’s job performance, 47% approved and 47% disapproved. And by last month, it was much worse — Bush’s support among whites has dropped to 42% (while 53% disapprove).

Might this also help explain the “revenge of the Wal-Mart voters“? Hmm.

What is that line of the despicable Daniel Carver, KKK, of Howard Stern Radio Show fame?

Oh, yah!

In a thick southern accent: “Wake up White People!”

Apparantly, they have 😉

I’m sure the Bushites are noticing this decline and freaking out. Gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling just thinking about it. Probably why Boy George II is caving on Immigration.

  • We can expect that white people actually think and therefore know why they have left Bush or we can say it’s subconscious, some sort of reflex. I think it can be explained by the latter. What are white folks thinking and don’t realize it? Perhaps they remember Patton.

    Patton said, “let the other poor dumb bastard die for his country. You live for yours.” Bush, taking Patton’s advice dodged the draft by joining the ANG. “He let the other poor dumb American bastards die for his country in Viet Nam.” Chaney has taken Patton’s advice to a much higher level by, “sending the poor dumb American bastards to Iraq to die for his corporation, Haliburton.”

    The test is: After reading the above did you already know it but just didn’t consciously think it? I think you already knew it and it’s like a rock in your shoe. Now get the rock out of Iraq. That begins with, “mission accompolished.” WMDs gone. Saddam gone. Time for our troops to be gone. Make Bush say what the course we are staying in Iraq really is and don’t get tagged as cut and runners. We’re not running, mission accompolished. Well, unless the poor dumb bastards are there for Haliburton. Make them say it or back off.

  • I think it’s “class consciousness”, almost the way Marx used the term. Blacks and Hispanics know where they stand. It’s taken a while for the beclouding fog to burn off in most White’s view of things, to realize that they’re not so much Middle Class or White Collar or the Backbone of Our Democracy or God’s Chosen … whatever. Like Blacks and Hispanics (and workers in foreign nations) they’re simply simply working people whose welfare is of concern neither to their employers nor those who market to them. In the past one could’ve expected the government to care about, or the press to describe, abuses in the marketplace. But no more. Maybe, just maybe, the Whites are beginning to realize they’ve been had.

    Now, if only our elected representatives hadn’t fortified their office tenure.

  • Lance, I miss Howard and his friends on the FM dial.

    In a thick southern accent: “Wake up White People!” — Just hilarious!

  • First, CB, thanks for the welcome string of words “Bush’s precipitous decline”–absolute music to the eyes! But one aspect of his fall from grace with white people that must be considered is the hard right voter who was aghast at the Dubai ports debacle and his more liberal stance on immigration. These are not people who are ready, or even capable, of seeing the light on Iraq and the lies–Bush has just offended their prejudices and raised their fears, so he has lost them for good. I have a southern, middle-aged, businessman friend (the quintessential Bush-man) who considered him “dead” after Dubai. I wish all his rising negatives were due to realization of the truth, but, sadly, it’s not.

  • “It’s taken a while for the beclouding fog to burn off in most White’s view of things, to realize that they’re not so much Middle Class or White Collar or the Backbone of Our Democracy or God’s Chosen … whatever. Like Blacks and Hispanics (and workers in foreign nations) they’re simply simply working people whose welfare is of concern neither to their employers nor those who market to them.” – Ed Stephen

    This may be because for eight years, under Clinton/Gore, the working class of this country really had a chance to move up. They felt like they were being let into the opportunities that America promises. Under Bush/Cheney, the gaps between worker and employer, between rich and poor has widened. Maybe the Nascar dads and Walmart shoppers are starting, slowly, to realize they’ve been conscripted into service keeping the Blacks and Hispanics in the ditch while the Rich sit on their verandas sipping mint julips and laughing at everyone at the bottom of the hill.

    Please forgive the flight of poetic imagery 😉

    Americans don’t like to admit to being lower-middle class or working class. They want to think of themselves as part of the upwardly mobile real middle class. That’s why they insist on supporting policies that are detirmental to their own interest.

  • All anyone in this country has to do (should do) is ask where their income comes from. If it’s a paycheck, then they’re working class (or middle or whatever). If they think that’s demeaning then they’ve been had. It’s time the Democratic Party face up to that. Encourage “working people” to be proud of that fact and vote their interests. Very few of our potential candidates (except Edwards) understand this truism.

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