Bush's Approval Rating: Still in the Double Digits

Jacob Sullum | June 14, 2007

According to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, President Bush's approval rating has fallen to 29 percent, his lowest level ever. But look on the bright side: According to The New York Times, Bush is nearly 10 times as popular as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, "whose approval ratings sank to 3 percent in recent months."

Comments

|6.14.07 @ 12:20PM|#

Wow. Tied with Congress. That's gotta hurt.

Lupito41|6.14.07 @ 12:25PM|#

Interesting note: The percentage of people who support Bush (according to this poll) is now roughly equal to the percentage of eligible people who voted for him in 2004.

http://www.census.gov/popest/national/asrh/NC-EST2006-sa.html

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/president/

|6.14.07 @ 12:28PM|#

At this point, shouldn't he see how low he can go? What would be the straw that breaks the two-digit camel's back? I say it's when he microwaves a cat.

|6.14.07 @ 12:32PM|#

President Bush's approval rating has fallen to 29 percent.

PU That's Watergate level

Lupito41|6.14.07 @ 12:34PM|#

It's hard for me to believe that we would ever reach a point where there are fewer people who approve of the President than there are who buy into a flat-out conspiracy to knock down TWC.

We'll see. Maybe he could punch Oprah.

Or schedule his final SotU during American Idol.

|6.14.07 @ 12:36PM|#

Any guesses as to who that 29% is? I'll tell you it's not anyone near that high in my office, my family, circle of friends, their parents/relatives, their offices... need I continue?
I would like to see those numbers broken down by state or region, because where I live, I would expect that percentage to actually be in the single digits.

|6.14.07 @ 12:38PM|#

"anyone" should be "anywhere"

Dave W.|6.14.07 @ 12:39PM|#

I like Bush a lot better now than when he was popular. he does a lot less now, and he does a lot less bad things now.

Lupito41|6.14.07 @ 12:39PM|#

Reminds me of Pauline Kael: "Nobody I know voted for him!"

If the election were tomorrow, I think he'd carry Kentucky (my state) again, FWIW. Sigh.

|6.14.07 @ 12:43PM|#

Any guesses as to who that 29% is?

Well, one of those people is my co-worker, who is a staunch Republican. He views the world as either Democrat or Republican, and his (R) President can do no wrong...

I'm sure there are quite a few people like him...

Derrick|6.14.07 @ 12:50PM|#

Reinmoose,

That 29% is the people where I live. I can tell by the "Power of Pride" bumper stickers and "Terrorist Hunting Permits" on their pickup trucks, Oldsmobiles, and Chevy Citations.

I suspect that if you surveyed my local population, you would find that the majority still believe Saddam was directly responsible for 9/11.

Thanks for asking, and thus reminding me that I live in a scary place.

Lupito41|6.14.07 @ 12:52PM|#

"I'm sure there are quite a few people like him..."

There's apparently about 87 million. Jeebus, that's a depressingly large number.

Lupito41|6.14.07 @ 12:55PM|#

It's also about the same as the number of people who watch the Super Bowl. And "everybody" watches the Super Bowl, right?

|6.14.07 @ 12:59PM|#

Derrick -
I'm sorry. Truely, truely sorry

|6.14.07 @ 1:02PM|#

Mr. Sullum,

How pissed are you that Weigel used the "Base! How Low Can You Go?" headline yesterday when it would have been so perfect for this article?

PS. Beat is for Yoko Ono.

|6.14.07 @ 1:09PM|#

3% for Olmert? What was the margin of error on that poll?

Malcolm J.|6.14.07 @ 1:16PM|#

It's time for him to exit.

Terminator X it.

|6.14.07 @ 1:18PM|#

I'm amazed his approval rating isn't higher. After all, once you take away his eternal war doctrine, we don't need to stinking borders bugaboo, no-child-left-alone policy, and massive increases in the size of government, the debt, and his friends' pocketbooks, Dubya is really a nice guy.

SPD|6.14.07 @ 1:34PM|#

Apparently, Fox News led off this piece with "71% of Americans Now With The Terrorists."

Edward|6.14.07 @ 1:40PM|#

Can somebody spin an argument that will give me some hope--even a little bit-- that Bush will be impeached?

|6.14.07 @ 1:45PM|#

Edward,

You'd prefer Cheney? Aack!!

|6.14.07 @ 2:07PM|#

I hope the bastard (Bush) cries himself to sleep at nights...

Chances are, he sleeps quite well...

|6.14.07 @ 2:10PM|#

Where I live, a scary number of people don't approve the President not because he involved us in an unnecessary war, or because he has flaunted the constitution repeadetly in a bid to increase his power, and not even because of his massive spending.

They dissaprove of his job preformance because of 1) gas prices, 2)he didn't build a wall on the border, and 3) he has been "too soft"(!) in Iraq.

Roz|6.14.07 @ 2:43PM|#

Cesar...Give on 2 Cesar that of what is Cesar's

Even if gas of $1 per gal, and the Great Wall of Mexico was complete, and he had DROPPED the NUCLEAR BOMB on IRAQ. He would still suck

|6.14.07 @ 2:45PM|#

Edward,

Here's the best scenario I can come up with for the potential ousting of Bush. Let me look into the crystal ball...

Scooter Libby's appeals will take longer than the remainder of Bush's term, so he will likely have to pardon Libby soon.

Bush, still living in his post-9/11 fantasy world (apparently, Bush has even sworn off conservative talk radio), will just go ahead and pardon Libby, you know, to show swagger or gravitas or some shit.

Once pardoned, Libby will write a tell-all book in retribution for the Bush Administration's throwing him under the bus. Much will be exposed, and Bush will be impeached.

Cheney, so shocked by the scandal, will just keel over...

Ahh! No more future telling. I just looked at the Line of Succession and no one on that list is worth having as Prez.

Also, anyone know if, in the ol' Constitution, there is any automatic repeal of the acts of a tyrant (in the case, the impeached), a la ancient Rome?

Roz|6.14.07 @ 2:47PM|#

That was funny Taktix

|6.14.07 @ 2:47PM|#

Cesar,

I'd say almost everyone is angry about the war, even the people I know who are in that magic 29%. However, some think the war was misguided per se, whereas others just think he did an incompetent job of running it.

It's amazing how easy it is for those two groups to get along at this point.

|6.14.07 @ 2:48PM|#

"Cesar...Give on 2 Cesar that of what is Cesar's

Even if gas of $1 per gal, and the Great Wall of Mexico was complete, and he had DROPPED the NUCLEAR BOMB on IRAQ. He would still suck"

Yeah, and I'd hate him even more. My point is some of his base is so rabid they dislike him just because he isn't more of an asshole.

|6.14.07 @ 3:13PM|#

Almost nobody likes any of the current political class. The polling shows that congress has a lower rating then Bush. Harry Reid is coming in at an entertaining 19 % approval rating.

I hope the low approval rating limits the amount of damage they can do.

The Los Angeles Times released a poll this week that showed only 27 percent of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 65 percent disapprove.

Last April, the same newspaper poll showed a Republican Congress with 28 percent approval and 61 percent disapproval.

It took Republicans 12 years to dissolve. Democrats have done it in less than six months.

No-confidence vote shows no competence

|6.14.07 @ 3:36PM|#

If Bush poll #s fall into the single digit numbers then he would probably win sympathy of Libertarians, who go for the low digit guys. That's another of my observable rules of Libertarianism - contrary to all polls. But that clashes with another rule...no mercy.

What do the poll numbers manner at this point for a lame duck...one who is trying to get make illegal alien morph over night into legals?

When did Bush ever say that Iraq was part of 9/11? Did I miss something? He thought they had impending nukes and I believed him, and others.

As for Bush pardoning Libby...Bush will stay within the pardon guidelines set by Bill Clinton.

WWRPD?

|6.14.07 @ 3:43PM|#

Knock Knock,

Despite your Trolliness, I have to admit that first line was pretty funny...

Gahan|6.14.07 @ 4:59PM|#

Hey, he's a hero in Albania. Does that count for anything? Albania? . . .Anybody? . . .Bueller?

SPD|6.14.07 @ 5:20PM|#

Gahan, all I know is that it borders on... the... A-dri-atic....

|6.14.07 @ 9:20PM|#

"It took Republicans 12 years to dissolve. Democrats have done it in less than six months."

Er, sorry to burst your bubble, but no.

From a June 4 poll:

http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/1040a3PoliticsandtheWar.pdf

Democrats in Congress: 44%
Republicans in Congress: 36%
President Bush: 35%

Note that this was from June 5, after the no-timelines bill passed.

Polls that distinguish between the parties in Congress show the same thing - Republicans in Congress are wallowing in Bush territory, and Democrats in Congress are significantly higher than both of them.

|6.14.07 @ 9:28PM|#

Oh, the approval rating for Congress as a whole in that poll was 39%.

|6.14.07 @ 9:39PM|#

Man, the Israelis have a lot more on the ball than Americans.

When you launch an unnecessary war and it turns into a debacle, you end it.

The Commander-in-Chief responsible for that war? You reject him.

Duh. This isn't that difficult, people.

|6.15.07 @ 12:24AM|#

Joe,

I'm assuming your poll is for approval rating. It shows democrats at 44% which 8% above the republicans at 36 percent. Being 8% above the republicans only 7 months into their control of congress does not seem like good news for democrats.

I'm also not sure apples and oranges aren't being compared since the link I gave cited congressional approval as being at 27%. Which is far below the approval of both republicans and democrats in the poll you cited.

And harry reids sterling 19% rating was not mentioned

Gloom, Doom and Opportunity

Democratic supporters have been quick to point out that opinion of Congress is not the same as approval of Democrats in Congress. I made that same point here and provide regular updates of the party evaluations here as well. But I think that argument is beginning to take on a bit of desperation and denial. There is good evidence that Republicans in Congress remain less approved of than Democrats, but there is no evidence that Democrats are gaining in approval from their recent actions. The polling here is thin, with approval of the parties only asked occasionally, so it is hard to track short term change. But the evidence we have is that Democrats are suffering declines in support relative to their January numbers.

I think it is apparent that most voters are not happy with either party right now.

|6.15.07 @ 6:01PM|#

TJIT,

I was just making that point that approval ratings for "Congress" are not the same thing as approval ratings for "Democrats in Congress." There are some who try to pass off Congress's low approval ratings as if they are the ratings for Congressional Democrats.

But yeah, the Democrats took a big hit when they punted on ending the war. They were up over 50% approval after passing the timelines bill (which Bush vetoed), which is extraordinary for a Congressional majority. The post 94 Repubicans never hit the approval levels the Democrats had prior to the "benchmarks" bill.

I'm not trying to make a point about the Democrats being super-popular, just clarifying a point that some seem interested in muddying.