Bush ratings continue to drop to new lows
NBC/WSJ poll: Majority now prefer a Democrat-controlled Congress
By Mark Murray
Political reporter
NBC News
Updated: 7:36 p.m. ET March 15, 2006
WASHINGTON - The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll might sound
like a broken record, but the tune grows louder as congressional midterm
elections get closer and closer: President Bush is once again facing the
lowest job approval rating of his presidency, the lowest percentage of
Americans who believe the country is headed in the right direction, and
an electorate that greatly prefers a Democratic-controlled Congress over
a Republican-controlled one.
Yet the poll also shows something else that goes beyond the November
midterm elections: A strong majority believes Bush is experiencing a
long-term setback from which he’s unlikely to recover. “He’s losing his
grip on governance,” says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who
conducted this survey with Republican Bill McInturff. “It’s now a sense
that we’ve seen the best that he’s going to produce as president of the
United States.”
Despite this grim outlook for the Republican Party, it still holds
advantages over Democrats — albeit by narrower margins — when it comes
to Iraq and homeland security. And that could benefit Republicans in
November, especially if national security issues dominate the landscape,
as they did in 2002 and 2004.
According to the poll, only 37 percent approve of Bush’s job performance
— his lowest mark ever in the survey. That’s a two-point drop since the
last NBC/Journal poll, and a one-point decline from his previous low of
38 percent last November. In addition, just 26 percent believe the
nation is headed in the right direction, a tie from the previous Bush
administration low, which also occurred in November.
What’s more, 58 percent believe Bush is facing a long-term setback from
which he’s unlikely to improve. Twenty-six percent think he’s
experiencing only a short-term setback, and 11 percent say he’s dealing
with no setback at all.
The last NBC/Journal poll, which was released on the eve of Bush’s State
of the Union address in late January, had shown a slight uptick in the
president’s handling of the economy, foreign affairs and Iraq. But since
then, a new round of embarrassments, miscalculations and violence in
Iraq all have rocked the administration.
NBC News-Wall Street Journal Poll responses
Click here to read a sampling of the latest NBC/WSJ poll
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11843659/>
In February, Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a hunting
companion in the face at a South Texas ranch, which created a weeklong
distraction for the White House. Soon after, voters and Congress became
furious at the news that the administration approved a ports sale to a
United Arab Emirates state-run firm; the deal was later scuttled. And
then a wave of sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites erupted in
Iraq.
Indeed, it’s the situation in Iraq that appears to be at the heart of
Bush’s problems. According to the poll — which was taken of 1,005 adults
from March 10-13, and which has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1
percentage points — 61 percent disapprove of Bush’s handling of the
situation. Moreover, 57 percent are less confident that the war in Iraq
will come to a successful conclusion, which is a seven-point increase
since December. And 61 percent say the United States should reduce the
number of troops there, while just 31 percent want to maintain the
current troop level.
“Everything comes back around to the war,” Hart says. “That seems to set
up the president’s basic problem and his basic challenge.”
Republican pollster McInturff puts it this way: “It is hard to pivot …
when every day the core decision in your presidency is Iraq” — and the
situation there appears grim.
Looking ahead to the midterm elections in November, the poll shows that
50 percent prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress versus 37 percent who
want it controlled by Republicans. McInturff says it’s a “problematic
environment” for the Republicans. “You are working harder as a
Republican [candidate] because you are pushing uphill.”
But Republicans still have some advantages — beyond their campaign cash
and the small number of competitive races this fall —that could benefit
them in November. In the poll, they hold the advantage over Democrats on
Iraq and homeland security. (However, Democrats have the edge on health
care, the economy, taxes and ethics in government.)
In addition, Hart says the poll shows that Americans don’t dislike Bush
as much as they dislike his policies. And so a change in policy —
especially regarding Iraq — could benefit Bush and the GOP.
“The upside for the president is, Can he find a way to get the troops
out of Iraq and begin to make the public feel a lot more comfortable
about that?”
/Mark Murray covers politics for NBC News. NBC’s Huma Zaidi contributed
to this article./
--
“Peace is not the absence of war. It is a virtue, a state of mind, a
disposition for benevolence, confidence and justice”
_______________________________________________
M-net mailing list
[email protected]
http://mauritanie-net.com/mailman/listinfo/m-net_mauritanie-net.com
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Mauritanie-Net" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected]
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/Mauritanie-Net
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
