Another day, another poll showing President Bush and the Republican Congress going down a sinkhole in the public approval ratings. Yesterday, it was the New York Times/CBS News poll, "highlights" (or perhaps I should say "lowlights") of which included: *People disapprove by a 9-point margin (42%-51%) of the job George W. Bush is doing as President. This is exactly the same result that Bush received one year ago, in June 2004, and close to the lowest ratings of his presidency.
*By nearly a 2:1 margin (61%-33%), Americans now feel that the country is headed down the "wrong track." This is nothing new, with "wrong track" in the majority since January 2004. This rating has basically been in bad shape throughout Bush's presidency, with the exceptions of the post-9/11 surge in national unity, and a brief spurt after the invasion of Iraq and toppling of Saddam Hussein. Besides that, Americans simply don't see things going in the right direction under George W. Bush and the Republicans. Period.
*On the two key issues, Iraq and the economy, Bush gets terrible ratings: 39%/56% and 37%/59%, respectively. On another major issues, Social Security, Bush is beyond abysmal, at 25%/62%. The only good news for Bush? This isn't a parliamentary form of government, and we don't have "no confidence" votes. here. Of course, that brings us to the Republican-controlled Congress...
*Only 33% of Americans approve of the job the Republican-owned and operated Congress has been doing, while 53% disapprove. These are the lowest ratings since December 1997, during the days of Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America," government shutdowns, and ethical problems (Gingrich resigned after the 1998 elections).
*Only 19% of Americans feell that Congress shares their priorities, with 71% saying "no." Wait a minute, you mean we all don't have a great deal in common with people like Tom DeLay and Bill Frist? We don't obsess all day about a woman whose brain had shrunk to half its normal size, was blind, and had no hope of recovery? We don't get our jollies giving huge tax breaks to rich corporations or preventing Federally funded stem-cell research to cure terrible diseases? Geez, what's WRONG with us?!?
*Interestingly, Bush's approval ratings on Iraq, the economy, etc. are about the same as the percentage of Americans who say they are "evangelical" or "born again" Christans -- 31% according to the New York Times/CBS News poll. And it's also about the same percentage of Americans -- 28% -- who consider themselves Republican. Another 34% say they're Democrats and 31% Independents.
Just as a comparison, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner's approval ratings were 55%-31% as of May 2005. Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that the Warner/Kaine administration has governed responsibly, balanced the budget, and brought the state back from fiscal near-ruin under yet another trash-talking, pandering Republican politician, former Gov. Jim Gilmore.
Hmmm...are you starting to sense a pattern here? Let's see, just about every time we put Republicans in charge, things go to hell in a handbasket. And just about every time the Democrats in charge, they not only clean up the messes left by the Republcians, but also move things forward in a positive direction. And that's the exact choice we have here in Virginia this fall: go backwards to Republican slash-and-burn, or keep moving ahead with the wildly successful policies of Warner/Kaine.
Of coure, the Kilgore campaign knows all this very well, which is exactly why all you hear from them is scare tactics, wild-eyed talk about "extremists," and hysterical exaggeration. It's an old trick in rhetoric: when you realize you don't have the facts or the arguments on your side, change the subject and attack the person (or simply lie repreatedly). Luckily, Virginians are way too smart to fall for these old debating tricks and lies, as will become plain a few months from now.