Their methods of governance have differed greatly, and their respective poll numbers reflect that. Pollingreport.com's compilation of
Bush's and
Clinton's job ratings over the course of their terms in office provides an great deal of insight into how the American public looks at the work its President is doing.
Overall, Clinton's polls are rather bland. For most of his career, the numbers wavered between the 50th and 70th percentile. He rarely held a consistently high number, but neither did he hold a consistently low number for long. Furthermore, even when he was testing low in one poll, he was often testing high in another.
Bush has had a much rockier ride. His numbers have seen greater highs than Clinton's ever did, but each sudden rise occurred at the same time as a major event, most especially 9/11. Furthermore, there is a lot less wavering of his polls: instead, from each momentous increase, there has followed a steady decline. This has been evident across the board. When Bush tests low in one poll, he consistently tests lower in other polls. Right now, in ever poll, he is testing at or near 50%.
Now, here's my opinion about what this means:
These polls reflect not so much the U.S. population's opinion regarding the job the President is doing as the population's opinion regarding how things are going in America. All-in-all, I believe that Clinton's polls reflect a much more favorable public attitude. A steady ride is preferable to a bumpy one.
By comparison, this could mean bad news for Bush, even as his supporters say that his polls somehow prove he will be easily reelected.