(no subject)
I was reading Robert's post yesterday on Barack Obama's rare show of disdain for his political opponents. I wondered why he had to say anything at all. Surely they're completely discredited in the eyes of the American public? But no, it seems, they're not*:
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that just 50% of voters now say they prefer having President Obama in the White House while 44% would prefer George W. Bush.
Analysis: "Given the horrendous approval ratings Bush showed during his final term that's somewhat of a surprise and an indication that voters are increasingly placing the blame on Obama for the country's difficulties instead of giving him space because of the tough situation he inherited. The closeness in the Obama/Bush numbers also has implications for the 2010 elections. Using the Bush card may not be particularly effective for Democrats anymore, which is good news generally for Republicans..."
Bush left office with an approval rating consistently between 20% and 30%. His party had suffered big losses in the last two elections. Yet now, eleven months later, a large minority of Americans appear to want him back. Fed up with two stagnant, ceaseless wars, a devastating recession and vast budget deficits and national debt, they want a return to those salad days of... two stagnant, ceaseless wars, a devastating recession and vast budget deficits and national debt. Unfortunately, for all the obloquy directed at Bush, the important message is often neglected: he was a really disastrous president. To think this is not to exhibit 'Bush Derangement Syndrome'; it is merely any sensible person's conclusion after a sober appraisal of the facts. I disliked John Howard's socially conservative-economically liberal program, and I think he wasted an economic boom. But he'll be regarded as a successful PM and I can't really quarrel with that. Save for one or two policy areas (homelessness, Africa), though, Bush had a kind of anti-Midas Touch in governing. America and the world are profoundly worse off for his having been president.
*Unless the poll is an aberration.
A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that just 50% of voters now say they prefer having President Obama in the White House while 44% would prefer George W. Bush.
Analysis: "Given the horrendous approval ratings Bush showed during his final term that's somewhat of a surprise and an indication that voters are increasingly placing the blame on Obama for the country's difficulties instead of giving him space because of the tough situation he inherited. The closeness in the Obama/Bush numbers also has implications for the 2010 elections. Using the Bush card may not be particularly effective for Democrats anymore, which is good news generally for Republicans..."
Bush left office with an approval rating consistently between 20% and 30%. His party had suffered big losses in the last two elections. Yet now, eleven months later, a large minority of Americans appear to want him back. Fed up with two stagnant, ceaseless wars, a devastating recession and vast budget deficits and national debt, they want a return to those salad days of... two stagnant, ceaseless wars, a devastating recession and vast budget deficits and national debt. Unfortunately, for all the obloquy directed at Bush, the important message is often neglected: he was a really disastrous president. To think this is not to exhibit 'Bush Derangement Syndrome'; it is merely any sensible person's conclusion after a sober appraisal of the facts. I disliked John Howard's socially conservative-economically liberal program, and I think he wasted an economic boom. But he'll be regarded as a successful PM and I can't really quarrel with that. Save for one or two policy areas (homelessness, Africa), though, Bush had a kind of anti-Midas Touch in governing. America and the world are profoundly worse off for his having been president.
*Unless the poll is an aberration.