This time, it’s personal

November 4, 2005

There have been five national polls released this week and all four show Bush’s approval rating tanking. The three latest are WaPo/ABC, which shows Bush dropping to 39%-60%; Zogby, with Bush down to 39%-61%; and AP, with support at 37%-59%.

But the new data suggests something has changed beyond just public disappointment with the president’s ability to do his job. Americans seem to no longer like Bush personally.

For years, even when Bush’s approval rating would sink, he could take some solace in the fact that people seemed to like him despite his incompetence. In May 2004, for example, a Post-ABC poll showed Bush’s approval rating down to 47%, the first time in the post-9/11 era that the number had dropped below the 50% threshold. And yet, while Americans weren’t terribly impressed with Bush’s on-the-job performance, they still liked him — at the time, 62% said he’s a “strong leader”; 60% said he could be “trusted in a crisis”; and 53% said he is “honest and trustworthy.”

A picture emerged of a nation that thought of their president as off the mark on policy, but fundamentally a dependable person. Now, however, Bush’s job-approval ratings are in the toilet and Americans question his character and integrity.

For the first time in his presidency a majority of Americans question the integrity of President Bush, and growing doubts about his leadership have left him with record negative ratings on the economy, Iraq and even the war on terrorism, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows.

On almost every key measure of presidential character and performance, the survey found that Bush has never been less popular with the American people.

This is what makes a Bush comeback remote — he has no pillars of support left. During the Lewinsky scandal, Clinton’s integrity numbers fell, but his approval ratings went up. The public questioned Clinton’s character, but recognized him as a capable and effective president.

Bush, for the first time, is left with nothing. Americans don’t believe he’s capable of handling issues like the war and the economy, and they also believe he’s untrustworthy, lacks the values they share, and is heading an administration with deep ethical problems.

Keep an eye on Republicans in Congress as they begin to sweat over their connections to the least popular president since Nixon during Watergate.

My question is what took the American people so long?

  • The smoke and mirrors style of governing is breaking down. I think many have been on the verge of insanity trying to figure out how half of this country could look at this president and see a honest, competent leader.
    The frustration and anger of watching this country being trashed by this administration is finally starting to diminish as his support crumbles.

  • His ratings have a long way down yet to go. Just wait until the housing slowdown really takes hold and sends the economy back to reality. My guess is by midterm elections he is under 30%

  • There’s no best place to bring this up, but this is as good as any. I’ve been thinking that there’s a corollary to the thesis that Bush wrecks everything he’s ever touched (the oil business, his baseball team, the state of Texas, our nation, etc.). The corollary is that he will leave the Republican Party in a shambles also.

    After being handed a virtual Republican monopoly over the courts, both houses of congress, and all the major media, on his father’s silver platter, he now seems determined to lose it all. If Nast were still drawing cartoons, I think he’d come up with a King Sadim character (Midas in reverse: all the gold he touches turns to mud).

  • I think the fall of the Republican Party is wishful thinking to say the least. Many Americans still like tax-cuts even if they only really benefit the wealthy. Also we still have Fox News.

  • I don’t see my frustration and anger diminishing in the face of his diminishing popularity ratings. Bush has yet to be held accountable in any real way for the abysmal Katrina response. He’ll never accept responsibility for, apologize for or demand the resignations of anyone in Plamegate. Any criticism is met with a pissy, petulant response, and further attempts to screw the American people.

    But what makes me especially frustrated and angry is that the Democrats have NEVER successfully and consistently tried to take advantage of Bush’s weaknesses. Mid-term elections are a LONG time away. And while things look promising, Bush’s unpopularity isn’t going to be enough to propel Democrats to majority status in either the Senate or the House.

  • Ed Stephen makes an excellent point. All available evidence suggests that Bush can do to the Republican Party what he did to Harkin and Arbusto.

    Dems in the meantime should be working on a platform that deals with the ‘worst case scenario’ in 2008. Republicans are legislating knee-jerk response policy which has the combined effect of not working and making government bigger, less responsive and more expensive.

    And anything Harry Reid can do which causes Bill Frist to throw a hissy fit in the hall has to be considered progress for Democrats.

  • I think Ed Stephan makes a good point. I don’t know if Bush can singlehandedly wreck the Republican party, but he’s done a thorough job on the nation. I agree, also, that Bush has come to be personally disliked.

    While the mid-terms and presidential elections are a long way off, I don’t see things improving for the GOP. They’ve lashed themselves to Bush, and his fortunes will be theirs. With three years to go, Bush can do untold damage. So much, in fact, that he could make it impossible for the Democrats to commit their ritual electoral suicide.

  • I had to chuckle when I heard Prince Charles talk about the last time he visited the White House – it was during the Nixon Presidency. Satirists don’t need to make this stuff up when it’s right there for the picking.

  • My question is what took the American people so long?

    Comment by Rege

    Like the lottery players and casino lovers that they are, American’s were hoping that Shruby’s B.S. was for real. They’re beginning to see him for the inept grifter that he is but that doesn’t mean they’re not holding out hope that the real thing is just around the corner. Nixon wasn’t that long ago. People have short memories.

  • Alibubba

    I don’t know if Bush can singlehandedly wreck the Republican party, but he’s done a thorough job on the nation.

    But, my dear Alibubba, Bush has all kinds of help: Abramoff (this is the one that’s really gonna wreak the party), Safavian, DeLay, Frist, Rove-Libby-Cheney/Plamegate, Iraq, fake Niger docs, gas prices, Katrina, cronyism, etc.

    Ten years of kleptocratic principles has left them a party with no ideas and no honor or heart. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer group of, of — gads, I can’t even express what they’ve become…

  • Reminder – in the CBS poll, 51% of the people
    think of Plamegate as political hijinks, not
    serious stuff. Reminder, too, that the Dems
    approval rating in Congress is louzy, just
    not quite as louzy as the Repubs.

    Bush’s falling out will not wreck the Repubs,
    in my opinion, and if the Democrats don’t
    get off their asses and present an
    alternative to the American people, they’ll
    have lost a golden opportunity to change
    the course of this country.

    I am guessing, right now, in a hypothetical
    poll, McCain wipes any Democrat off
    the map. Prove me wrong, and maybe
    I’ll start to become a believer.

  • Between Bush’s malfeasance and the Abramoff-Scanlon memo, we can surely hope for a fracturing of the Republican Party. A take-over (taking back) a house in Congress would be sweet. But, past disappointments tell me to keep my expectations in check.

  • Once people see you as foolish and incompetent, if you really are foolish and incompetent, that’s pretty much the ballgame. But, I would expect that grown-up Republicans will try to finesse the issue, by engineering a changing of the guard among the White House staff. Lots of people are prepared to believe that an incompetent President can (be) survive(d), if he is surrounded by competent advisers.

    I expect that the most immediate struggle will be over getting Rove out and an assortment of David Gergin types in.

  • Bush’s poll numbers were already sliding when he “won” last year’s election. The current toiletesque numbers are what you’d expect when not even half the country had faith in him in November ’04. Funny how he managed to get back into that White House a second time with 48% approval…

    One can only hope that as Bush continues to do the limbo over the next three years, he and his White House, Congressional and K Street pals will succeed in discrediting their party for the next 40 years…just as LBJ did his.

    • Comments are closed.