Bush decline and its effect
Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2005 4:01 pm
George Bush's poll numbers are in decline because the Iraq war hangs around his neck like a two-ton albatross.
The latest AP-Ipsos poll puts approval for Bush's handling of the war at only 38 percent and his overall job approval at only 42 percent. (In addition, 50 percent of the country says he is dishonest and only 48 percent says he is honest.)
Since Bush doesn't have to run for office again, you might wonder why this matters. There are at least two reasons:
Republicans in Congress have to run for re-election next year; these figures terrify them. The numbers are getting so bad that some are already wondering whether a campaign visit by the president would be a plus or a minus in their districts.
One reason the administration is now talking about a pull-down of troops in Iraq next year is that congressional Republicans are virtually demanding a return of some U.S. troops before Election Day. And the Republican Party does not want to even think about trying to run a presidential campaign in 2008 if large numbers of U.S. troops are still fighting and dying in Iraq.
The best thing the Republicans have going for them, in fact, is that the Democrats are not offering many solutions. Most Democrats just parrot what the White House is saying: We must stay the course in Iraq. It's not over until it's over. We will have accomplished our mission when our mission is accomplished.
For voters this is not a choice, but an echo.
The other reason that Bush is upset with the polls numbers is that they show his political capital now running a deficit.
Those who hailed Bush's recent legislative "triumphs"--the energy bill, the highway bill, and CAFTA--overlook political reality. In the real America, you can't find a hundred people who know anything about the energy bill, highway bill, or CAFTA.
Average Americans--and this is due in large part to a ferocious publicity campaign by the White House--are familiar with only one legislative initiative: Social Security. And whatever happened to George Bush's plans to privatize it?
Gone and buried--along with his high poll numbers.
The latest AP-Ipsos poll puts approval for Bush's handling of the war at only 38 percent and his overall job approval at only 42 percent. (In addition, 50 percent of the country says he is dishonest and only 48 percent says he is honest.)
Since Bush doesn't have to run for office again, you might wonder why this matters. There are at least two reasons:
Republicans in Congress have to run for re-election next year; these figures terrify them. The numbers are getting so bad that some are already wondering whether a campaign visit by the president would be a plus or a minus in their districts.
One reason the administration is now talking about a pull-down of troops in Iraq next year is that congressional Republicans are virtually demanding a return of some U.S. troops before Election Day. And the Republican Party does not want to even think about trying to run a presidential campaign in 2008 if large numbers of U.S. troops are still fighting and dying in Iraq.
The best thing the Republicans have going for them, in fact, is that the Democrats are not offering many solutions. Most Democrats just parrot what the White House is saying: We must stay the course in Iraq. It's not over until it's over. We will have accomplished our mission when our mission is accomplished.
For voters this is not a choice, but an echo.
The other reason that Bush is upset with the polls numbers is that they show his political capital now running a deficit.
Those who hailed Bush's recent legislative "triumphs"--the energy bill, the highway bill, and CAFTA--overlook political reality. In the real America, you can't find a hundred people who know anything about the energy bill, highway bill, or CAFTA.
Average Americans--and this is due in large part to a ferocious publicity campaign by the White House--are familiar with only one legislative initiative: Social Security. And whatever happened to George Bush's plans to privatize it?
Gone and buried--along with his high poll numbers.
