From the WaPo: (not on the site -- it's associated with
a tidy story of
King George's frefall numbers but its only in print.
It be funny.)
Just how low is 18%?
These must be sobering days for VP Cheney as he reflects upon recent events from his secret Fortress of Solitude.
Iraq teeters on the brink of civil war. The Bush agenda is in tatters. And one of his friends is recovering from an accidental gunshot wound inflicted by Cheney on a hunting trip. A particularly unfortunate mishap, as we learned last week, because Cheney wounded one of the rarest birds in America: Someone who actually likes the VP.
The latest CBS News poll found that only 18 percent of the public has a favorable view of Cheney. How bad is a rating of 18?
It's BAD
Michael Jackson has a score of 25%
Joseph Stalin has a score (with Russians) of 20%
Ex-Gov Jim McGreevey had a score of 45% after going Brokeback Mountain public with his homosexuality.
OJ Simpson had a score of 29% AFTER his acquittal.
There is a bright spot: He does rate higher than Paris Hilton (15%)
The risk for the White House is that a revolt by House and Senate Republicans could further undermine the president's standing among Republican voters, leading to a vicious cycle of declining popularity and declining congressional support.
It is arguably too late for Bush to salvage any of his major domestic policy initiatives. Tax reform and Social Security reform have already been abandoned and health care savings accounts appear to be dead in the water. But if the president loses the confidence of Republicans, his effectiveness in foreign affairs may also be compromised. And with the nation facing a continuing threat from al-Qaeda as well as major challenges in the Middle East and elsewhere, a rerun of the Carter presidency is not in anyone's interest. In dangerous times, Americans of all parties place a high value on competence.
I don't know if that last part is necessarily true. You could have had Gore in 2000, and Kerry/Edwards in 2004 and this retard nation chose the chimp both times. (narrowly, but still). But it's never too late to change.
This convinces me that at least one of the keywords that should repeated ad nauseum by Dem campaigners and supporters this year is
COMPETENCE COMPETENCE COMPETENCE.
Shout it from the rooftops till yer lungs are sore.