Tuesday, November 15, 2005

 

A most encouraging poll

What has grabbed everyone's attention in the latest USA TODAY/CNN GALLUP poll is George Bush's overall job approval, which like George himself has sunk to a new low—37% to be exact. But there were other findings that have gone unmentioned by the MSM. Too polite, I suppose.

Bush hatred

First, there is a question that I am surprised was asked. Of those who said they "disliked Bush a lot" (33%) it was asked: Would you say you hate Bush, or would you say you dislike Bush but do not hate him?

They asked this question back in May and only 2% hated Bush. That figure is now up to 6%, though with a margin of error of ±5 percentage points I like to think it's more.

Strong vs. weak President

For the first time the pollsters asked whether the repondent would describe Bush as a strong or a weak President. The results were split 49%-49%.

Watch this number. The question is significant. Americans in general—but Red-Staters in particular—can't abide a "weak" President. The ridiculous perception that George Bush was "strong" accounted for a great deal of his popularity. It is my earnest hope that he will be caught on camera as he really is—drunk and sniveling—before he is impeached or his term in office ends, whichever comes first.

Lying

This is a fun one. The pollsters nowhere mention "lying," but you will see that that is what this question is about.

The respondents were divided into two groups. Half were asked if they trusted what George Bush says more, the same, or less than "previous presidents." The other half were asked to compare him with ... Bill Clinton!

Though Bush came up better against Bill Clinton than against the generic "previous presidents," he didn't do well when compared with either. When compared with Bill Clinton, 48% said they trusted him less; 15% said they trusted him about the same; and only 36% trusted him more. Against previous presidents, 53% trusted him less; 16% about the same; and 30% more.

The Kiss of Death

And here's the killer question: If George W. Bush supported a candidate for political office in your area, would you be more likely or less likely to vote for that candidate?

56% said they would be less likely to vote for a Bush-supported candidate, and only 34% said they would be more likely to support such a candidate.

If that figure holds steady for the 2006 midterm elections, think of what this will mean for Republican candidates—(1) there'll be no national leaders flying in to build interest and raise money for the candidate and (2) the candidates will have the uphill fight of explaining why they're running on the Republican ticket but don't support the party's President.

Have a pleasant day!

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