Gallup Debunked: AP Shows Poor Bush Ratings

From good ole Faux News itself (ignore the "slightly").

"The number who think the country is headed down the wrong track increased from 51 percent to 58 percent in the past month."

"The poll, conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs (search), was taken after the president's State of the Union address and the elections in Iraq"

"only four in 10 in the poll said they approved of Bush's handling of domestic policy in general. And a majority of people disapproved of his handling of the economy."

"Just over four in 10, 42 percent, said they approved of the president's handling of Iraq, while 57 percent disapproved."

Democrats have a real opening for the first time since Bush was inaugrated, and we should exploit it to the fullest. I have to go to class now, but this was interesting and encouraging enough to post right away.

"Reid watches for newscasts that he says "tell the real story about the good things that are happening over there'"

Yeah, okay. How about the fact that U.S. soldiers need to give Iraqi children food to even begin with? The real story about Iraq is one of horror for Iraqis, but all Republicans can think about is their own selfish motivation to vindicate their precious war.

•  Say it loud

  Polling shows only a 45% approval rate for Bush

  by dddemocrat on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 04:53:24 AM PDT

  •  And then say...

    ..."WTF?!?  They don't approve of him and they voted him back into office anyway?"

    Complete exercise by putting head down on desk and wimpering in confusion.

    by kenlac on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 07:37:07 AM PDT

•  Harry watches the 'newscasts'?

  For news on Iraq?

  Isn't he a senator?  Wouldn't he like get actual briefings?  

  Well, 40% approval rating for bush across the board is pretty f'ing shabby for Junior.

  Thing is, I live in a 50/50 repub/dem town (65,000 population).  And in a full year, I have met only a handful of 'rah rah for bush' types.  Everyone else just GROANS at the mention of his name.

  If we could counteract the falsified state press' lies and convince our communities that we stand way in the majority against bush, we would have a revolution to impeach bush underway in about 5 minutes.  I kid you not!

  by Zapata28 on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 04:57:42 AM PDT

  •  No, it's William Reid

    a Republican--man on the street--from Columbus Ohio according to the AP story, no Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader.

    by sfgb on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 05:26:21 AM PDT

    •  Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

      My dense.

      Thanks!

      by Zapata28 on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 06:13:47 AM PDT

•  So why did these people vote for Bush?

  If they thought the country was going in the wrong direction, then why vote to keep the driver?  Did they think that upon re-election he would magically morph into a minimally competent President who would actually act in the public interest and not be a corporate whore?

  Grrrrrrrr...

  by LionelEHutz on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 05:40:18 AM PDT

  •  There are theories

    like, after the election, there was a sense of buyer's remorse for many. That the timing was just off. Even before the election, I kept hearing some say, "Oh, you know, I think this election is coming a little too early for Kerry." My theory falls into buyer's remorse. I think there was a small number who thought if we switch presidents in war, even though the war was going badly, it would send the wrong message to terrorists and insurgents. These people arent part of the "Kerry will kill us all if elected' group, but they feel any change could have an adverse affect. I think they thought that by re-electing Bush it would send a message that we arent divided, we are staying the course, and that the insurgency would cripple in the face it. But of course it hasnt, and now they are stuck with. You get what you vote for.

    by jj32 on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 06:05:25 AM PDT

    •  The media committing treason

      by selling the country out to foreign and business interests, for one thing.

      Timing is certainly part of it; the president manipulated events and supressed reports about 9-11 until after the election.

      But part of it is cognitive dissonance. Most Americans were so ignorant of anything Bush had done that they couldn't admit he was as much of an asshole as the middle and left said. Otherwise they'd have to admit their own total mental inadequacy.

      by Smallbottle on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 07:40:47 AM PDT

•  An interesting possibility

  As maddening as it was to hear all sorts of (somewhat) informed people saying they didn't like W. but couldn't stomach Kerry (I did say "somewhat" informed), and therefore "held their noses" and voted for W., it may be a good thing in the long run.

  I suspect were about to see the biggest case of buyer's remorse in history. Let's use it.

  by thingamabob on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 05:55:55 AM PDT

  •  One good thing about Bush being re-elected

    People who have been informed on the state of the country have known what a mess Bush has created.  The slight positive is that Bush has to face the results of the mess he created - all the problems that are now surfacing can't be blamed on a Democrat . .

    oops - I forgot . . . except Clinton.

    by dannynyc on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 07:27:43 AM PDT

•  Gallup has consistently overstated Bush fav.

  using larger Repub samples, etc.

  Then CNN picks it up, runs the story, all the right-wing pundits harp on it, until a new poll comes out debunking Gallup. Of course, the new poll doesn't get the treatment Gallup does, and the story dies--until the next Gallup outlier...

  They were doing it even when Bush was running for Gov in Tx.

  by skywalker on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 05:56:13 AM PDT

•  I hope when we look

  back on W.'s 8 years(or hopefully less) that Americans put him in the "how the hell did this guy get two terms" category along with Nixon.

  by jj32 on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 06:06:59 AM PDT

•  My favorite quote

  from the article was

  "I agree with almost everything President Bush says," said Beverly Bowman, a nurse who lives near Phoenix. "I think the Social Security thing has to be fixed."

  Yeah, let's get on that SS 'thing.'  Wonder if she even has any idea what the issues are.

  by TracieLynn on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 06:42:16 AM PDT

  •  Oh

    and the Yahoo article needs to be rated up.

    by TracieLynn on Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 06:42:39 AM PDT