President Bush’s poll numbers continue to drop. Pew Research now puts him at 33%.
Bush’s overall approval measure stands at 33%, the lowest rating of his presidency. Bush’s job performance mark is now about the same as the ratings for Democratic and Republican congressional leaders (34% and 32%, respectively), which showed no improvement in spite of public approval of the congressional response to the ports deal.
The president’s ratings for handling of several specific issues, particularly terrorism, have also declined sharply. Just 42% now approve of Bush’s job in handling terrorist threats, an 11-point drop since February. In January 2005, as Bush was starting his second term, 62% approved of his handling of terrorist threats.
Bush’s personal image also has weakened noticeably, which is reflected in people’s one-word descriptions of the president. Honesty had been the single trait most closely associated with Bush, but in the current survey “incompetent” is the descriptor used most frequently (See pp. 7-8).
So, who are the people that still support the incompetent President?
A more detailed portrait of the falloff in Bush approval shows significant declines among groups who had been the president’s strongest supporters. In January 2005, conservative Republicans approved of the president by a margin of 94% to 3%. While still overwhelmingly supportive, today just 78% of conservative Republicans approve while 16% disapprove. Support from moderate and liberal Republicans has dropped by about the same amount, from 82% to 65% today.
It looks like his only supporters at this point are people that like Bush for his position on certain social issues. Maybe some are still unwilling to abandon a President in wartime. But that’s it.
It’s no wonder the media is bullying Bush to fire some people.
