Bush's Dismal Approval Ratings in the 20s

In a parliamentary government, President George W. Bush would be gone by now. But we're stuck with the most failed president in American history for another year and a half. Of course, the amazing thing is not Bush's low poll numbers, but the fact that so many Republicans in the House and Senate refuse to hold the president and vice president accountable. They insist on standing by a failed vision that is damaging the United States. Both men in the White House are impeachable. I suspect if Cheney alone were impeached, that action would go a long ways to forcing President Bush to clean up his act.

According to Newsweek, 26% percent of Americans still stand by a man who has done almost nothing for Americans in the last six years:

In 19 months, George W. Bush will leave the White House for the last time. The latest NEWSWEEK Poll suggests that he faces a steep climb if he hopes to coax the country back to his side before he goes. In the new poll, conducted Monday and Tuesday nights, President Bush’s approval rating has reached a record low. Only 26 percent of Americans, just over one in four, approve of the job the 43rd president is doing; while, a record 65 percent disapprove, including nearly a third of Republicans.

In case anyone thinks that's a fluke, here's another poll from the American Research Group:

Over two out-of-three Americans say they disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president according to the latest survey from the American Research Group.

Among all Americans, 27% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 67% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 29% approve and 64% disapprove.

Among Americans registered to vote, 28% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 66% disapprove. When it comes to the way Bush is handling the economy, 30% of registered voters approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 63% disapprove.

And yet, when you watch TV or pick up the paper, Wolf Blitzer, Tim Russert, David Broder and the Washington Post editorial staff still seem to think that Bush is doing a good job. Even Hillary Clinton seems to complain that only if Bush had been competent he might have been all right. Conventional wisdom in Washington and the media towers of New York are still behind reality.

I notice that a third of Republicans now disapprove of Bush. But one has to be careful. Most Republicans who disapprove of Bush disapprove of him for the same reasons as the rest of us. But a significant number of right wing conservatives disapprove of Bush for a strange array of reasons involving various reasons such as Bush's immigration policy, Iran, and the economy. Some right wing conservatives are whining that Bush isn't conservative enough. Some clowns are saying that Bush is actually a liberal since he's for big government, big spending, etc. Sorry, but Bush is no liberal. He's a radical conservative with a strong authoritarian streak (and there are Republicans who want to see more of that authoritarian nonsense; they get plenty of it in presidential candidates like Giuliani).

But what of the two thirds of Republicans who still approve of Bush? How can they approve of a man who went to war in Iraq without a legitimate reason for that war, without a plan, without enough troops, without allies and without an exit strategy? How can they support a president who refused to do anything before 9/11 despite clear warnings of a terrorist attack? How can they cheer a president who let Osama bin Laden get away so he could pursue his bizarre war in Iraq? How can they stand by him? How can Republicans stand by Bush's lawbreaking on a wide range of issues? Why are Republicans silent every time the president ignores the US Constitution for petty political reasons? How can Bush's remaining supporters approve of his behavior after Hurricane Katrina? Katrina, by the way, was simply an indicator of Bush's failure and indifference on a wide range of issues.

I know, I know, human nature is human nature and part of our nature is stubbornness even when we know we're probably not being led well by our politicians. But if Republicans who approve of Bush care about their children and the future of their children, they better think long and hard about continuing to support a man who has been wrong on so many issues and who has put politics of the presents well ahead of our future needs. The future is coming and it's coming faster than most of us realize.

Oklahoma 2008 Presidential Poll

There are no real surprises among the leaders in an Oklahoma poll of the likely GOP and Democratic contenders. Here's the story Tulsa TV station KOTV:

The latest violence in Iraq has left at least 120 dead and hundreds more injured. The Iraq War will be a defining issue in the 2008 Presidential Campaign. With A growing field of candidates, we wanted to know who Oklahoma prefers as America’s next leader. We teamed with the Tulsa World to see who leads the race for the GOP nomination. Twenty-five percent of Oklahoma Republicans say they'd support Arizona Senator John McCain. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani is second with 17 percent. With 16 percent Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has said she will not run, is third. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was fourth with 14 percent.

(snip)

Twenty-eight percent of Oklahoma Democrats put Hillary Clinton in the driver's seat. Former Senator John Edwards did well in Oklahoma when he ran for president in 2004 - he comes in second with 23 percent. Senator Barack Obama from Illinois is third with 14 percent, and former Vice President Al Gore is fourth, polling in the single digits.

It's interesting who the Republicans support. McCain is no longer the maverick he once was and is now largely an illusion who's trying to woo the far right; and he continues to support Bush's failed presidency. Guiliani is the most moderate of the four but there are serious questions about his fitness to serve and his character. Newt Gingrich is the architect of the Republican Party's failures over the last twelve years and he clearly is itching for World War III. And Condi Rice is imcompetent. This is the best the Republican Party can do? This is their response to Bush's failed presidency? At some point, reality has to kick in and Republicans have got to start rebuilding their party. I notice the poll doesn't mention Chuck Hagel or some of the other Republican candidates.

In the Democratic poll, I'm surprised to see Al Gore listed since he says he's not running and most Democrats know that. I'd like to see a poll where voters are asked to suppose or assume that he's running and then see how he does. I think the former vice president would do well.

My one concern about the poll is that the story doesn't say how many people were polled or how many candidates for each party were mentioned or how many people are undecided. But I'm willing to assume it's reasonably accurate for Oklahoma.