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| USA Today/Gallop Poll: Bush approval increases to 37%, and 76% amongst Republicans |
| 2007-02-26 |
| The Washington punditocracy has proclaimed far and wide that Republicans, disenchanted with the war in Iraq, are abandoning President Bush in droves, leaving him the lamest of lame ducks. However, the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll suggests Bush might not be as wounded as he appears — at least not among his party faithful. The Feb. 9-11 poll puts Bush's job approval at 37%, up from a low of 31% but among people who identify themselves as Republican or leaning Republican, his approval rating is 76%. Thus, despite bad news from Baghdad and carefully crafted hand-wringing by high-profile GOP war critics in Congress such as Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, three of four Republicans in the country are hanging in there with the president. The poll also shows that rank-and-file Republicans have higher regard for the president than they do Republicans in Congress. They gave GOP lawmakers a 63% job-approval rating, 13 points below Bush's. And 72% of Republicans do not think Bush made a mistake sending U.S. troops to Iraq. So if congressional Republicans figure the key to re-election in 2008 is taking a hard line against Bush on Iraq, they could be dead wrong. They might lure some independents, but they risk alienating their GOP base. To win, you need solid support from your base plus independents, not independents alone. The latest congressional skirmish over Iraq underscores the point. In the House's non-binding vote to oppose the president's deployment of more troops to Baghdad, 17 Republicans voted with 229 Democrats to pass the measure. Four GOP representatives didn't vote. Lost was the fact that 180 Republicans stuck with Bush. By that count, Bush gets a 92% loyalty standing among House Republicans who voted. Hardly a GOP exodus. In the Senate, Democrats fell four votes short of the 60 needed to force a vote on an identical Iraq resolution. Why? Not enough Republicans would go along. Indeed, seven GOP senators broke with the president, and nine didn't vote, yet 33 held firm. Among GOP senators who voted, that's an 83% Republican loyalty rating for Bush. Richard Benedetto retired last year as White House correspondent for USA TODAY. He teaches journalism and politics at American University in Washington and is author of Politicians Are People, Too. Perhaps there's yet hope for the profession of journalism. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #6 Yeah, Bush has been a HUGE disappointment. But, when you consider the alternative *spit* Pelosi, Murtha *spit*, he's not too bad. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2007-02-26 22:45 |
| #5 Bush's biggest mistake, if indeed it was a mistake, was perhaps a philosophical one. Note that he almost never vetoed a bill, save for stem cells. This leads me to suspect that he believes it is up to the Congress to *formulate* domestic policy. This was first believed by two Presidents in the late 19th Century. However, he has issued numerous signing statements, interpreting how he feels the president should *interpret* the laws passed by congress. This is very paradoxical, and down the road will set up a major fight between the two branches. Congress, for their part, abused the hell out of Bush's non-guidance, did not take their responsibility seriously, and paid for it in the election. In a way, this might be an "in your face" to the SCOTUS, for overturning the Presidential line item veto, by showing that Congress has no discipline. Or, it might be a way to get Congress to assert more authority, after giving the Presidency much more power in recent years. There is much that could be said about such a philosophy, that the President should firstly be the foreign policy of the US, and second be the executive of Congressional domestic policies. But until Congress both behaves and asserts its own power and authority, they will be the weak link in the government. But both parties' congressional leadership is very weak compared to what it once was, and lacks the firm discipline that used to exist in both houses. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-02-26 19:21 |
| #4 Prior comments in this thread: nail, meet very large and accurately wielded hammer. Repeatedly. |
| Posted by: mac 2007-02-26 17:31 |
| #3 I do not approve and am registered Republican BECAUSE he hasn't done enough. More border/illegal immigration enforcement. Stop dicking with Iran Act like we are in a war in Iraq Stop spending like a drunken sailor |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-02-26 14:39 |
| #2 And, the remaining 24% of Repubs are only dissatisfied with the Prez cause he hasn't gone far enough in many issues: * Taking the gloves off in Iraq. * Gettin' ready to rumble in Iran. * Spending issues. * Illegal immigration issues. From Southern California... at your service... |
| Posted by: BigEd 2007-02-26 14:32 |
| #1 And, the remaining 24% of Repubs are only dissatisfied with the Prez cause he hasn't gone far enough in many issues: * Taking the gloves off in Iraq. * Gettin' ready to rumble in Iran. * Spending issues. * Illegal immigration issues. Boy, the MSM would swoon if'n they knew what the "rest of us" were really thinking. But, no, they'll just spin it as 24% are dissatisfied. |
| Posted by: BA 2007-02-26 13:51 |