Polls are Good

When polls are positive, they’re every politician’s friend… when they’re negative; they have no use for them and declare them persona non grata.

In other words, they don’t matter.

Case in point, despite poll after poll after poll after poll after, well you get the idea, showing skyrocketing and record levels of dissatisfaction with “President” Bush, the White House is still in an “upbeat mood” with aides that are still seeing a president that “gets his way.”

(Make no mistake, Bush getting his way is the fault of the Democratic-controlled Congress not treating Bush like the lame-duck he is… were it up to the people, Bush would have had the door slammed in his face a LONG time ago)

The magazine’s point is that the administration’s positive demeanor is a result of the president sensing (honestly, when was the last time this president sensed anything besides a pretzel in his mouth???) less opposition than before when facing crowds.

From the zine; “When he travels around the country, Bush feels less “antipathy” than he used to in the crowds, along the motorcade routes, and expressed by the individuals who talk to him at his events. “He feels there has been a shift in attitudes out there that’s not reflected in polling data,” the aide says. […] Reinforcing his point, the latest AP-Ipsos poll, released in mid-June, found that only 29 percent of Americans approved of Bush’s job performance, one of the lowest presidential ratings ever. White House officials, by the way, say they aren’t sure such polls should be believed because the questions are biased and the population samples are flawed.”

Back in January it was widely reported that Bush’s aides were predicting a “poll shift” to 45% favorability by the time he leaves office in early 2009.

But if polls are flawed, why should that matter?

And these ever-falling numbers (regardless of what this president “senses”) are what feeds some non-committed voter’s attitudes towards Sen. McCain… and that’s precisely why he should be worried.

With Bush’s numbers plunging, a new Gallup poll should give McCain’s campaign pause as 68% of Americans are either “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” that McCain is going to “pursue policies that are too similar” to those of Bush while 49%, almost half of those polled, said they’re “very concerned” about McCain’s policies being too similar to Bush’s.

Sure, you could look at these numbers and wonder about the 31% that support McCain and come to one of two conclusions; either they’re hooked-up to gop brand Kool-Aid IV’s or they’re totally unaware this is a presidential election year and see Bush when they look at McCain.

Perhaps the White House and “President” Bush should consider that perhaps the reason for less antipathy is the fact that the majority of the American public realizes he’s a lame duck and that in a little over 200 days, they’ll be rid of him. Truth be told, he doesn't matter and isn't worth the time or energy to think about as people’s time is better spent right now either working extra jobs in order to stay afloat in this pathetic economy he helped create or are working for the change that is coming this November. Go. Obama.

Color me NOT surprised

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll finds that 71% of Americans disapproves of the job “President” Bush is doing, marking the first time EVER that a president, any president, has had disapproval ratings over the 70% mark.

Is it any wonder George W. Bush is the first?

While his approval rating of 28% in the same poll remains better than the all-time lows (give him time, he’ll get there) set by President’s Truman (22%) and Nixon (24%) even those two presidents NEVER got a disapproval rating in the 70’s.

Ignoring for a moment what kind of mindless, sycophantic sheep the 28% are, does this surprise anyone that has use of their own brain?

Not me… but you knew that already, didn’t you?

I think it’s now safe to label him; Worst. President. Ever.

McCain's Liability

While I beg for Democrats to unite and vote the ticket this November, a primary reason for my belief that we have an above average chance to win the White House this November is finally getting the recognition from the so-called MSM.

Sen. McCain’s greatest liability this November isn’t his age (though he is too old in my opinion), it isn’t his lack of understanding about economics (a gas tax holiday? Really, that's the best you and Clinton for that matter - can come up with?), it’s not his desire to see Iraq through, it's not his failure to see the food "crisis" (for lack of a better term) for what it is, and it isn’t his Bush-repeated healthcare plan...

It’s “President” Bush himself…

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows that 43% of registered voters have major concerns about McCain because he’s too closely aligned with the Bush(whacked) Administration.

Now, McCain shouldn't feel too bad as Bush is, unfortunately, EVERYONE'S problem… but McCain has brought this on himself.

For the last 2 years McCain has been kissing (and hugging) up to Bush and his supporters in a ramp-up to the presidential race, and now, seeing the effects that strategy was having, he’s desperately trying to separate himself from Bush now… criticizing the federal response to hurricane Katrina and blaming the administration for it’s lack of leadership in Iraq are just the latest examples, but it’s too late… especially when you have Liberal and Grass Roots blogs keeping the image of McCain hugging Bush in everyone’s heads.

I believe McCain to be a hero for what he went through in Vietnam, but I don't trust him to have the proper judgment to deal with the war, soldiers care or foreign policy, but my question is how someone who went through such an experience subject another generation of fellow soldiers with his “stay the course” mantra?

As I’ve said before, I would have considered voting for the 2000 version of McCain, but this is not the same guy that was running in 2000.

(BTW, the same poll says 36% believe Sen. Clinton’s biggest problem is shifting her position on issues after realizing Liberals don’t support them and 34% say they are bothered by Sen. Obama’s “bitterness” issue – the weakest argument of the three in my opinion.

The same poll that found that voters think McCain is too close to Bush also reports that 73% of voters disapprove of Bush’s handling of the economy (no wonder when he continually maintains we’re only in a ‘slowdown’) and 81% believe the US is in a recession… a feeling shared by a majority on national and international economists… but let’s get back to the topic at hand – McBush, I mean; McCain)

It’s no secret that the political landscape is skewed to the Democrats this cycle (much like it was in the 2006 mid-terms), and the gop is going to need a LOT of help to keep the White House.

Let’s all make sure that doesn’t happen. To help with that affect, here’s the picture I reference above…



Awwwwm, isn’t that sweet... and highly disturbing?

28%

“It doesn’t take a genius of public opinion research to isolate some likely causes. Americans are deeply depressed about the economy, gas prices are at a record high, [and] there is a war still underway that a majority of Americans call a mistake.” – Frank Newport, Gallup

Sometimes a quote says so much more than the words that are spoken… in this case it shows just how sick people are of “President” Bush's policies... and they're letting the anger be heard in polls across the country.

One such poll is the most recent Gallup poll that shows Bush’s approval rating has fallen to 28%, “a record low” for his administration.

To give some historical perspective, Bush’s approval numbers are “lower than that of any president since World War II”, with the few exceptions of Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon and Harry Truman…

What’s more shocking, that his numbers are that low or that there are still members of this population that believe he’s doing a good job?

Lame-duck fever, catch it!

It’s poll time here at TBWA, and a handful of new polls were released in the last few days that measured “President” Bush’s approval rating.

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Sorry, had to regain my composure after laughing so hard at the numbers…

A new Zogby poll shows Bush's approval rating at 26%, down dramatically from 34% in February.

A recent CNN/Opinion Research poll shows a scant 31% of respondents approve of Bush’s job performance, a new low for a CNN poll that is a staggering 40 points lower than his rating at the start of the Iraq war five years ago.

A new Reuters/Zogby poll pegs his approval rating at 32%, a 2-point drop from February.

When you consider that 19% of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction and 40% feel very secure about their jobs, you start to understand that the country has had it up to here with the Bush(whacked) Administration and their overwhelming incompetence.

Wow… nothing like following in Daddy’s footsteps, as Bush 43’s numbers are comparable to Bush 41’s numbers near the end of his term… and the numbers and the humongous drop is equivalent to those of President Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War.

And when you consider that Dubya’s approval numbers haven’t topped 40 since mid-2006, is it any wonder this country is ready for a change?

All together now; January 20, 2009 can NOT come soon enough…

Presidential Poll Positions

As mentioned in this morning’s ‘BushWhack’ing, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll is showing something interesting.

Granted, I don’t usually trust polls… but the more I think about this one, the more I think it might actually be pertinent to the campaign as a whole.

The poll (1,002 adult Americans conducted by telephone by on December 6-9, 2007 with a margin of error +/- 3%) pit the top 3 Democratic candidates – Clinton, Edwards, Obama – against the top 4 republican candidates – Giuliani, Huckabee, McCain, Romney – in a head-to-head mash-up.

(Aside; notice who is conspicuously absent? The man called the second-coming of Ronal Reagan, Fred Thompson. Once heralded as the savior of the republican party, his campaign has disintegrated and all’s that’s left now is a couple of endorsements and little else…anyway; back to our post…)

In the poll, the Democrats swept the republicans out the door faster than Rush Limbaugh going through a bottle of OxyContin, well, anything really...

The numbers, as the saying goes, don't lie:

Against Guiliani:
Clinton 51% to Giuliani’s 45%
Obama 52% to Giuliani’s 45%
Edwards 53% to Giuliani’s 45%

No large deficits there, but it’s still interesting… and about to get more interesting…

Against Romney:
Clinton 54 % to Romney’s 43% (11 point deficit)
Obama 54% to Romney’s 41% (13 point deficit)
Edwards 59% to Romney’s 37% (22 point deficit)

A pattern starts to emerge…

Against McCain:
Clinton 48% to McCain’s 50% (statistical tie)
Obama 48% to McCain’s 48% (statistical tie)
Edwards 52% to McCain’s 44% (8 point deficit)

Against current gop-darling Huckabee:
Clinton 54% to Huckabee’s 44% (10 point deficit)
Obama 55% to Huckabee’s 40% (an incredible 15 point deficit)
Edwards 60% to Huckabee’s 35% (a staggeringly large - and smug - 25 point deficit)

At first blush we realize a few things about this poll; John Edwards runs stronger against ALL of the republicans in the survey and John McCain is the strongest republican candidate.

So in simpler words; anyone the Democrats run will beat the republicans…

Let’s just hope we, and by we I mean ALL DEMOCRATS, don’t do something stupid and screw this up…

Color me not surprised

A new poll by the Norman Lear Center (really?) and Zogby International finds that Liberals are more open to opposing viewpoints than conservatives (no, rrrrreeaalllyyyy???) and tend to rely on Fox “News” for their information…

You don’t say, I never would have guessed…

Among the highlights…

• Fox “News” wins the prize for the most politically divisive TV channel (I am shocked, shocked to find gambling in this establishment) with 70% of conservatives watching it on a daily basis compared to 3% of liberals.


• 22% of conservatives say that they have “never” enjoyed entertainment that reflects values other than their own, compared to 7% of Liberals. (Put another way, Rush “NarcoDog” Limbaugh’s potential audience is larger than that of Liberal competitors because Liberals will listen to conservative voices but if conservatives hear other ideals, their heads would explode)


• Conservatives think “fictional TV shows and movies are politically biased” and “overwhelmingly (76%) believe that TV shows and movies ‘very often’ contain political messages, but they are the least likely to learn anything about political issues from them. Just 4% say they learn lessons from movies.”

This isn’t the first time that Fox “News” viewers have been revealed to be, shall we say, less than erudite. Back in April a Pew Research Study survey found that viewers of Fox “News” had the lowest knowledge of national and international affairs… and a more-recent AP-Ipsos poll showed that Liberals read more books than conservatives.

Liberals are more open to opinions other than their own… consider that the literal definition of ‘liberal’ means that one is open to new ideas while “conservative” means that you hold to tradition and are, for the most part, scared of change and/or innovation… but the manner in which these terms are thrown around in politics today are so-far from their literal meaning because they are more-so rolled up with each party’s ideologies.

That must be why it’s so hard to have an intellectual debate with a conservative.

Poll Positions

‘Tis the season for polling, so here’s some nice polling data to help you get through the rest of your Tuesday.

Did you know that we are a “nation of discontent”… at least that’s the findings of a recent USA Today/Gallup poll shows, with 72% of Americans saying they’re dissatisfied with how things are going in the US, as opposed to the slight 26% that say they’re satisfied with the direction the country is heading.

Splendid… though it still begs the question as to what the hell the 26% are smoking.

And lest you think it’s only one poll that shows discontent, a new Washington Post/ABC News poll says that 75% of Americans are “eager for a change in direction from the agenda and priorities of President Bush”, with a paltry 24% of those polled believing that the Bush(whacked) Administration is leading the nation on the right track, which is the “lowest public assessment of the direction of the country in more than a decade.”

Nice…

And to pile on Bush, another new Gallup poll shows that 64% of Americans disapprove of the job he’s doing, and, for the “first time” ever in Gallup poll history, 50% say they “strongly disapprove” of Bush.

The previous high? The 1974 version of Richard Nixon, who scored a 48% mere days before an impeachment inquiry was launched.

Nice company for Bush to have, isn’t it?

Have some more polling info:

• 69% of Americans favor withdrawing U.S. forces, compared to 9% favoring an increase in troop levels.
• A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released yesterday shows, with a year until election day, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) remains the person to beat
  Another new CNN poll shows that 69% of Americans believe that waterboarding is torture and an additional 58% say that the U.S. government should be barred from using the procedure.
• All these numbers have one constant running through them, George W. Bush… his years of pathetic governing are the cause of this… and we still have a little under one year before we head to the polling booths to select who the Supreme Court will instill as our next President (sorry, I need to learn to let that go), and a large majority of Americans are distraught about the direction our nation is heading…

Bush and his cronies aren’t doing anything...

Congress isn’t doing anything...

Where in God’s name is this country headed?

Poll Position: Approval & Economy

American Research Group published new poll results today, and it’s not good for “President” Bush as it shows his approval rating to be a lowly 25%....

I’ll pause a moment to let that sink in…

The 25% mark matches Bush’s lowest approval rating by the American Research Group.

And the bad news doesn’t end there.

In addition to the approval ratings, the poll also asked Americans about the economy, more specifically if the national economy is getting better.

It’s not…

8% of Americans say that the national economy is getting better, 18% say it is staying the same, and 69% say the national economy is getting worse.

And when they were asked if the national economy will be better a year from now, 18% say yes that is will, 27% say it will be the same as it is now, and 53% say it will be worse.

But the real tell is that a total of 38% of Americans rate the national economy as excellent, very good, or good… meaning that 61%, 61%! rate the national economy as bad, very bad, or terrible.

What does this mean? It means that the only people who believe the economy is doing good fall into one of two categories; they work/live in the White House or are goats that follow the herd.

And the only group that has lower ratings than Bush is Congress... so how's about we get off our asses out there in DC and do something like, I don't know... GOVERN?

The Weekly Rewind

No glitz… no spin… no flashy intro… just a simple ‘Here ya go, help yourself to this week’s Weekly Rewind.’

Applaud: to all the delicious tidbits being strewn about in the Scooter Libby trial. VP Dick Cheney’s former communications director showed notes that detail how Cheney “could respond to allegations that the Bush administration had played fast and loose with evidence of Iraq’s nuclear ambitions,” OR how former Associate CIA Deputy Director Robert Grenier testified that he told Libby that Valerie Plame worked at the CIA in June 2003 (a month before Libby claimed to have learned that information), OR any of the other nifty little items that have, or will be, come out. (Good stuff… good times…)

Heckle: to the State of the Union address… no particular part mind you, really the whole damn thing… it was just one big heaping load of crap…

Applaud: to Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI). The shiny-new chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, has scheduled a hearing to explore whether or not Congress has the authority to cut off funding for the war in Iraq. (It’s nice and refreshing to see someone actually do something about the “surge” and not just throw rhetoric to the wind about it. Way to go Senator Feingold!)

Applaud: to the Congressional Budget Office for popping Dubya’s bubble. The CBO says that y that “President” Bush can “balance the budget within five years, or he can get Congress to extend his tax cuts beyond their scheduled expiration — but he can’t do both.” (Almost a political equivalent to a good ol’ fashioned knee in the groin, isn’t it? Could Dubya be any more of a lame duck?)

Heckle: to an inactive Parliament. As insurgency attacks have grown, the Iraqi Parliament “has been at a standstill” with almost every session being adjourned because so few members make it into work,. Officials fear that the members were and are “losing confidence in the institution.” (Excellent, I’m sure the troop escalation will be just what the doctor ordered and will help immensely. As I’ve always said; sarcasm is so hard to express in the written word)

Applaud: to over-analysis of this past week’s SOTU. According to this interactive graph from the New York Times, Bush used the word Iraq 37 times in his State of the Union and the word “freedom” just three times. (And yet absolutely no mention of Hurricane Katrina… hmmm, interesting. HT to Thinkprogress.org for the link)

Heckle: to “President” Bush for stating in an interview with USA Today, that he “can’t guarantee that all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of his presidency because ‘we don’t set timetables.” (I’m sorry… you don’t do what? Set timetables?? Are you fuc**** kidding me?? That’s all your administration does is set timetables. So instead of fessing up that you screwed-up big time, you’re gonna leave a nice mess for the next president to clean up?? Mark my words, doing that will tarnish his already-hazy legacy even more. What. A. Tool.)

Applaud: to the Washington Post (did I just write that??). In the SOTU, Bush said he wasn’t the U.S. to reduce “U.S. gasoline usage by 20% in the next 10 years.” All fine and good, right. Wrong. The Washington Post looks at the fine print in really small letters and finds that the administration says that the goal is 20% below projected annual gasoline usage and not based off today’s levels.” What does that mean? It means that carbon dioxide emissions from transportation fuels will “drop only slightly from today’s levels” (Rhetoric is as rhetoric does…)

Heckle: to the news that the Taliban (Yes, that Taliban) plans to open its own schools in areas of southern Afghanistan that are under its control. (Words coming from the White Hosue: ‘Taliban? What Taliban? Afghanistan? What Afghanistan?” I swear, this administration has to be the most inept group of idiots to ever be in charge of anything, ever!)

Applaud: to former VP Al Gore and his Oscar nomination in the Best Documentary category for “An Inconvenient Truth”

Heckle: to conservatives in the Senate that blocked legislation to raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25. They insisted that it “include new tax breaks” for restaurants and other businesses.

Applaud: to polling data. New approval numbrs are out, new approval numbers are out! AWashington Post-ABC poll puts him at 33%, CNN/Opinion Research has him at 34% and a CBS poll shows yet another record low with a 28% approval. (Nothing I say could improve on the beauty of the numbers themselves…)

Heckle: to even more putting of foot into mouth by “President” Bush. Despite getting ridiculed after he labeled himself ‘The Decider’, Dubya is up to naming himself again… Currently on a collision course with Congress over the troop escalation, Bush said today; “I'm the decision-maker” about sending more troops to the war. (It would be funny if he didn’t actually say it… but he did. This man just does not get it. And it’s also good to know he’s able to ignore all those checks and balances things that our forefathers thought of. Idiot.)

Applaud: for dis-proving any true evidence of Iran’s links to the insurgency in Iraq. According to the LA Times, “evidence of Iranian involvement in Iraq’s troubles is limited.” While U.S. troops have found mortars and antitank mines with Iranian markings dated 2006… there’s been “little sign of more advanced weaponry crossing the border, and no Iranian agents have been found.” (Good news to see there isn’t any real evidence of Iran’s involvement, bad news that real evidence doesn’t mean a damn thing to the man in the oval office. Everybody panic…)

Heckle: to Fox “News” host Sean Hannity. In an interview with former Presidential candidate and retired 4-Star General Wesley Clark, the idiotic host had the audacity to essentially claim that Clark doesn’t know much about military strategy. What an asshat…

Heckle: to news stories that really shouldn’t catch anyone by surprise. It seems that Diebold voting machines have a key (a key that can open every single Diebold machine by the way) that can be copied from a photo on the company's website. (Lovely… and this is a surprise… how?)

Heckle: to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who apparently is a cheap date. Come on Blago, hows about making job buying a little more pricey of a proposition…

That's all I have, take 'em as you will...

Twixt Dwindling Polls and the SOTU

With the State of the Union fast-approaching (it’s tonight – do you have your SOTU drinking game ready?) some would think that now would not be a good time to release new approval polls for “President” Bush… well… it would be a bad time for Bush and Bush-supporters, but a good time for anyone who thinks he’s driving this country further and further into the ground (such as me).

Two new polls were released this week, and both paint an even-more dismal picture for the “President” than prior months (hard to think that was even possible – but it is)

A Washington Post-ABC poll puts Dubya’s job approval at a scant 33%.

I’ll pause a moment to let that sink in…

It should be noted that only two presidents have ever had lower approval ratings while on the cusp of the State of the Union address: Nixon & Truman.

A CNN/Opinion Research Poll has his approval at 34%.

A new CBS poll shows yet another record low with a 28% approval rating. You read that right, 28%… I’ll pause again to allow that number to sink in.

So with these new numbers in their back pocket, what should one expect the administration to come up with for tonight’s performance?

Like previous years I would imagine more of the same, even though this time he’s facing a much-more cynical audience… with Congress and a good portion of the U.S. population tired of his ineptitude and piss-poor work.

One thing he will mention (besides mention Iraq, terrorism, OBL, etc a dozen or so times) is that he wants the U.S. to reduce gasoline consumption by 20% over the next 10 years…

In my opinion, this smells greatly like a last-minute, hail mary-type act of desperation… especially coming from someone who has made a lot of money and has a LOT of friends in the gas industry… makes one think that maybe, just maybe, the negative talk is finally starting to sink-into that un-level head of his…

But I doubt it…

Very interesting polling data

Quick post about some interesting results from a CNN poll (along with our own special brand of commentary) released earlier this week.

• Allowing the government to negotiate with drug companies to attempt to lower the price of prescription drugs for some senior citizens: 87% approve of the plan, 12% oppose the plan (young college republicans must have made up this result pool) and 1% have no opinion on the matter and should be jettisoned from the earth.
• Raising the minimum wage: 85% approve. 14% oppose and 1% have no opinion and should be jettisoned from the earth.
• Cutting interest rates on federal loans to college students: 84% approve. 15% oppose, and 1% have no opinion and should be jett— well, you get the idea.
• Creating an independent panel to oversee ethics in Congress: 79% approve. 19% oppose (obviously the respondents were members of Congress) and 2% have no opinion and, well, you know...
• Making significant changes in U.S. policy in Iraq: 77% approve. 20% oppose (I really would like to meet the people that make up this 20% and ask them what they hell they’re thinking… wouldn’t you?) and 3% have no opinion.
• Reducing the amount of influence lobbyists have on congressional decisions: 75% approve. 21% oppose (those 21% obviously must have been lobbyists or members of congress…) and 4% have no opinion
• Implementing all of the anti-terrorism recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission: 64% approve. 26% oppose and 10% have no opinion (can I confess I’m a little scared that 10% have no opinion on this matter? Should we check the 10% for terrorism ties?)
• Maintaining the current Social Security system to prevent the creation of private investment accounts: 63% approve. 32% oppose and 6% have no opinion.
• Funding embryonic stem cell research: 62% approve. 32% oppose and 6% have no opinion

What do these numbers say? That the gop has been ignoring the will of the people (the people they allegedly represent) and screwing the nation with its pants on for the last decade.

What else do these numbers say? That the Dems better mind their P’s and Q’s and listen to what their constituents are telling them… lest they also be shoved out the door in the years ahead…

Looking at these poll questions, does anything strike you about them?

They’re all things that are on the Democrat’s agenda, which gives much insight to our lovely gop smackdown back in November, doesn't it?

Now let's not blow it...