It's time for another "let's see how many more people are upset with Washington this week" poll, and wow...look at that. Bush is down to 33% now.
President Bush's job approval rating slipped this week and stands at a new low of 33 percent approve, down from 36 percent two weeks ago and 39 percent in mid-March. A year ago this time, 47 percent approved and two years ago 50 percent approved (April 2004).
Approval among Republicans is below 70 percent for the first time of Bush's presidency. Two-thirds (66 percent) approve of Bush's job performance today, down almost 20 percentage points from this time last year when 84 percent of Republicans approved. Among Democrats, 11 percent approve today, while 14 percent approved last April.
And since this is FOX News, there must be a way to spin this in favor of Bush...somehow.
"It seems clear that many Republicans, while they may still like and support George Bush, are growing uneasy with what may happen to their candidates -- and the policies they support -- in the November elections," comments Opinion Dynamics Chairman John Gorman.
"This unease about the direction of the party is now showing up as an erosion of the near unanimous support Bush has enjoyed among the Republican rank-and-file for the last six years."
In a follow-up question the poll asked respondents to explain why they approve or disapprove of the job Bush is doing. Of the 33 percent who approve, 52 percent say "he is doing a good job" in general, 21 percent cite Bush's handling of the war on terrorism and 18 percent mention their agreement with him on the issues. The only other reason to receive double-digit mentions is the president's honesty and character.
Overall, 57 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Bush is doing, and the most frequently mentioned reason is Iraq (48 percent). The other top reasons include generally "doing a bad job" (24 percent), disagreement on issues (22 percent) and the economy/jobs (17 percent).
Eleven percent of Americans say they disapprove because they "don't like him" and 10 percent because he "doesn't care about average people."
There it is in all its glory--the fabulous FOX News spin!
And it seems Congress isn't doing well, either.
The other end of Pennsylvania Avenue fares even worse: 25 percent of the public approves of the job Congress is doing and 52 percent disapprove. About a year ago, 40 percent approved and 36 percent disapproved (29-30 March 2005). Furthermore, a 54 percent majority agrees that this is a "do nothing" Congress, including 56 percent of Republicans and 52 percent of Democrats.
Even poor Rummy can't catch a break.
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's job approval rating also hit a record low this week with 35 percent of Americans saying they approve, down from 40 percent in December and 44 percent last April.
Americans are split evenly on whether Rumsfeld should stay on as secretary of defense. Four in 10 Americans say they think Rumsfeld should resign, but 41 percent disagrees and one in five is unsure. Partisanship is clear on this issue: 57 percent of Democrats think Rumsfeld should resign, while 67 percent of Republicans think he should stay.
Oddly enough, people seem to love Condi whether she's buying $1000 shoes in NYC while people are drowning in New Orleans or off touring the United Kingdom admist protests.
On a more upbeat note for the GOP, a 60 percent majority approves of the job Secretary of State Rice is doing -- far more than the one in five who disapprove (22 percent). These ratings are consistent with previous results.
Tags: [Bush], [Donald Rumsfeld], [Congress], [Condi Rice], [Bush's approval rating hits new low], [Bush at 33%]
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