Almost daily, for the last few years, I've visited Rasmussen Reports, particularly the page giving the daily poll ratings of Bush's Approval. You can see it yourself here.
Over the last year, I've come to expect Dubya's disapproval ratings to hover between 56% and 63% - which has always struck me as a serious underestimate of his unpopularity. What baffles me is the 35% to 42% of polled persons who allegedly identify themselves as approving of his performance.
Graphing it out over the last year (with my own average for December 2007) gives us this picture:
Actually, I don't really hate Bush, nor do I blame him for the wretched mess of this administration. I think he is, in a sort of sad way, a nice but naive guy completely inadequate for his job's challenges and maliciously misguided by his neoconservative henchmen. He's just the puppet; behind the set of the puppetshow lurk some particularly evil puppeteers. Yeah, I know. . . most of you who may have recommended this diary are unrecommending it now.
Today, Rasmussen finds the following:
18% Strongly Approve
18% Somewhat Approve
22% Somewhat Disapprove
39% Strongly Disapprove
It would seem the most popular perception reflects the greatest unpopularity. But, more than one in three people seem to approve of Bush's performance Somewhat or Strongly.
How can this be, in view of the growing perception of political analysts and historians that Bush is the WORST PRESIDENT EVER?!?
Is this some statistical aberration? More polling fraud? A shameful reflection on the intellectual deficits of the average American? Some pathology of political conservativism?
I really don't get it. I'm sorry. I really should be able to figure it out, with a Ph.D. in psychology and a successful clinical practice. But I'm at a loss. . .