Wow! What a great article to wake up to. We're well aware of Bush and the repub's sinking approvals. We wonder how low they can actually go. This
AP-Ipsos poll makes wonder if there's a floor for them to hit.
The grim details after the jump.
* Just 36 percent of the public approves of Bush's job performance, his lowest-ever rating in AP-Ipsos polling. By contrast, the president's job approval rating was 47 percent among likely voters just before Election Day 2004 and a whopping 64 percent among registered voters in October 2002.
* Only 40 percent of the public approves of Bush's performance on foreign policy and the war on terror, another low-water mark for his presidency. That's down 9 points from a year ago. Just before the 2002 election, 64 percent of registered voters backed Bush on terror and foreign policy.
* Just 35 percent of the public approves of Bush's handling of Iraq, his lowest in AP-Ipsos polling.
The signature endeavor of Bush's first 5 years, and only 35% approve?
The article doesn't say, but I have to assume this is from before Fitz's recent bombshell. Libby's contention that Bush authorized leaks to garner support for an optional war could turn out to be the final nail in Bush's coffin.
But I digress.
Just 30 percent of the public approves of the GOP-led Congress' job performance, and Republicans seem to be shouldering the blame.
By a 49-33 margin, the public favors Democrats over Republicans when asked which party should control Congress.
That 16-point Democratic advantage is the largest the party has enjoyed in AP-Ipsos polling.
On an issue the GOP has dominated for decades, Republicans are now locked in a tie with Democrats -- 41 percent each -- on the question of which party people trust to protect the country. Democrats made their biggest national security gains among young men, according to the AP-Ipsos poll, which had a 3 percentage point margin of error.
The public gives Democrats a slight edge on what party would best handle Iraq, a reversal from Election Day 2004.
For repubs, this poll is a bloodbath. But here's the number that screamed off the screen.
Six-in-10 Republicans said they disapproved of the GOP-led Congress.
The Dems certainly have a shot at retaking one or both chambers of congress. But it's by no means a done deal. Elsewhere in the article:
Strategists in both parties say it would take an extraordinary set of circumstances for Democrats to seize control of Congress.
First, the elections would need to be nationalized. Democrats hope to do that with a burgeoning ethics scandal focused on relationships between GOP lobbyists and lawmakers.
Secondly, the public would need to be in a throw-the-bums-out mood. It's unclear whether that is the case, but 69 percent of Americans believes the nation is headed in the wrong direction -- the largest percentage during the Bush presidency and up 13 points from a year ago.
Third, staunch GOP voters would need to stay home. Nobody can predict whether that will happen, but a growing number of Republicans disagree with their leaders in Washington about immigration, federal spending and other issues.
The wheels are falling off the repub machine. Their trusty wedges, like abortion, gay marriage, and flag burning don't have the sizzle to compete with the debacle in Iraq, or the day to day incompetence and corruption in DC. I can't remember seeing the repubs this discombobulated. As our great hockey annoncer, Mike Lange would say, "They don't know whether to cry or wind their watches."