Thread: Bush's disapproval rating worst of any president in 70 years

Bush's disapproval rating worst of any president in 70 years
By Susan Page
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Bush has set a record he'd presumably prefer to avoid: the highest disapproval rating of any president in the 70-year history of the Gallup Poll.

In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday, 28% of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing; 69% disapprove. The approval rating matches the low point of his presidency, and the disapproval sets a new high for any president since Franklin Roosevelt.

The previous record of 67% was reached by Harry Truman in January 1952, when the United States was enmeshed in the Korean War.

Bush's rating has worsened amid "collapsing optimism about the economy," says Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies presidential approval. Record gas prices and a wave of home foreclosures have fueled voter angst.

Bush also holds the record for the other extreme: the highest approval rating of any president in Gallup's history. In September 2001, in the days after the 9/11 attacks, Bush's approval spiked to 90%. In another record, the percentage of Americans who say the invasion of Iraq was a mistake reached a new high, 63%, in the latest poll.

Assessments of Bush's presidency are harsh. By 69%-27%, those polled say Bush's tenure in general has been a failure, not a success.

Low approval ratings make it more difficult for presidents to maneuver, limiting their ability to get legislation passed or boost candidates in congressional elections.

"The president understands war and the slowdown in the economy weigh down public opinion, but the situation in Iraq is improving, and the economy is about to get a big boost from the stimulus package," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.

Bush has had dismal ratings through most of his second term. His approval rating hasn't reached as high as 50% since May 2005. He has been steadily below 40% since September 2006.

Views of Bush divide sharply along party lines. Among Republicans, 66% approve and 32% disapprove. Disapproval is nearly universal — 91% — among Democrats. Of independents, 23% approve, 72% disapprove of the job he's doing.

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http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/ne ... 22.art.htm

<<< one that disapproves.... BIG TIME

Bush is just lucky that these polls do not go back to the Hoover administration.

I've been predicting for four years now that George Bush Jr. will do down in history as the most despised President since Hoover.

W

IMO Bush has already passed Hoover on disapproval rating . plus he's an Elite Snob to top it off

Bush IS the WORST president ever!

I HATE TO THINK HE GETS TO PLAY PRESIDENT FOR THE NEXT 7 MONTHS!

Butthead Bush is so out of touch, I wonder if he knows what time zone he's in.

I live in an ultra conservative area. I don't near as many "W" bumper stickers as I once did.

Unfortunately some people will follow him no matter what because they don't want to admit that they were wrong to vote for him.

And which of the three leading contenders will do better?

Where is the silver lining?

RP?

While Bush IS bad, NONE of his potential successors is MUCH better!