...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Monday, August 22, 2005
      ( 11:38 AM )
 
Plunging Numbers

Daily Kos summarizes the new poll numbers:

8/18-21. MoE 3% (July results)
Bush approval ratings

Approve 36 (42)
Disapprove 58 (52)

As Think Progress notes, these are lower numbers than Nixon during Watergate.

At this point of his second term, Clinton was at 59 percent. Reagan was at 60 percent. Nixon at 39. (Though to be fair, the Nixon numbers were Gallup, while this poll is ARG.)

So what's causing the downfall? On the domestic front, Bush has had a pretty good last couple of weeks, with passage of the energy and highway bills and CAFTA. So what's causing the meltdown?

Well, his Republican support is starting to crack (down to 77 percent approval). His favorability on the economy is 33 percent despite the administration's economic triumphalism in the past few weeks (down from 38 percent in July). Seems that the public isn't happy with the kind of jobs that are being created.

And Iraq (not addressed in this poll) obviously isn't doing Bush any favors either.

Then again, Bush insists he doesn't make his decisions according to polls. This is a faith-based administration! Anyone's faith being tested yet?

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