George W. Bush - Following in his Father's Footsteps

Following on the heels of yesterday's CBS News/NYTimes poll, George Bush's approval rating continues it's downward spiral in this Washington Post survey:

• Bush finds himself in a statistical dead heat with
  the opposition nine months before the election. When matched against a
  generic Democratic presidential candidate -- the party held its first
  nominating contest last night in Iowa -- Bush narrowly wins, 48 percent
  to 46 percent. On the question of who is trusted to handle the nation's
  major problems, Bush is roughly even with Democrats, ahead 45 percent
  to 44 percent -- down from an 18-point advantage Bush enjoyed nine
  months ago.
  
• The number of people who strongly disapprove of his
  presidency reached 30 percent. That's the highest level of strong
  disapproval ever recorded in his presidency, and a clear sign of the
  intensifying dislike for Bush among his political opponents.
  
• By 58 percent to 39 percent, they rate the economy and not
  terrorism as the bigger problem facing the country. And when asked who
  they would prefer handling the nation's economy, more Americans favored
  Democrats in Congress (50 percent) than preferred Bush (43 percent),
  the first time in more than two years that Bush has failed to best the
  Democrats on this key issue.
  
• 54 percent were generally positive when asked how they felt
  about Bush's policies, only 12 percent said they were enthusiastic
  about them, and 43 percent described themselves as "satisfied but not
  enthusiastic." An additional 15 percent said Bush made them "angry." Even among Republicans, fewer than one in four -- 24 percent -- said they were enthusiastic about Bush's policies.

Remember - the country is currently split down the middle. If enough
Bush-leaning voters stay home out of disgust on election night, then
the Democrats will win. And if only 25% of Republicans are enthusiastic
about Bush's policies, then I'd say there's a very good chance of that
happening.
Update
These results are also echoed in a poll released by ABC News today:

Trust to Handle the Country’s Main Problems
DATE	BUSH	DEMOCRATS
1/27/02	62%	31%
7/15/02	53	37
9/26/02	54	38
4/30/03	55	37
1/18/04	45	44
Trust to Handle the Issues
TRUST TO HANDLE …	BUSH	DEMOCRATS	BUSH NET
Nation's Main Problems	45%	44%	+1
War on Terrorism	60	31	+29
Situation in Iraq	56	36	+20
Education	43	44	-1
Taxes	43	46	-3
Immigration Issues	38	44	-6
Economy	43	50	-7
Prescription Drug Benefits	35	51	-16
Federal Budget Deficit	36	52	-16
Medicare	35	53	-18
Health Insurance Issues	33	52	-19

Posted by flow Frazao on January 20, 2004 at 07:30 AM | Permalink