Bush approval ratings

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Poll: Democrats Have Changed Their Minds About Bush

A majority now give him a favorable rating

(Newser) - A lot can change in nine years, as the latest CNN poll on presidential popularity demonstrates: Some 61% of Americans now give George W. Bush a favorable rating, up from just 33% when the former president left office in 2009. The rise in popularity comes entirely from Democrats and independents:...

See? He Wasn't So Bad
 See? He Wasn't So Bad 
OPINION
Sep 16, 2010 1:56 PM CDT

See? He Wasn't So Bad

Obama's making Bush look good

(Newser) - George W. Bush left office with the lowest approval rating since Richard Nixon, while Obama took over with stratospheric numbers. But then a funny thing happened: “America woke up from its 2008 trance and is concluding that Bush was never as bad, and Obama never as good, as...

Dems Treat Obama Like GOP Did Bush in Final Year
Dems Treat Obama Like GOP Did Bush in Final Year
DAVID BRODER
Dec 19, 2009 5:11 AM CST

Dems Treat Obama Like GOP Did Bush in Final Year

... and shoulders will get colder as mid-terms near

(Newser) - President Obama’s support among his fellow Democrats—yep, looking at you, Howard Dean —is in a steeper dive than his opinion-poll numbers, and reminds David Broder of the last months of George W. Bush’s administration. But that was 7 years in for Republicans, he writes in the...

Only 50% Prefer Obama to Bush

 Only 50% Prefer 
 Obama to Bush 
Poll Numbers
Dec 9, 2009 12:44 PM CST

Only 50% Prefer Obama to Bush

Latest numbers show steady decline for president

(Newser) - Only 50% of respondents to a recent poll say they prefer Barack Obama to George W. Bush, with 44% saying they’d like Dubya back. Given Bush’s vast unpopularity at the end of his term, that’s probably the most troubling number for the president in the latest Public...

8 Candidates Face Hurdle: They Worked for Bush

But some say they'll use their past to help their bids

(Newser) - Some eight Bush administration staffers are now seeking public office—and their fates will likely be tied to Americans’ perception of the previous president, the Hill reports. While they say they value their time in the White House, their work under W will probably hurt them, writes Reid Wilson. Still,...

Prodigal Dubya, Texas Slowly Get Reacquainted

(Newser) - Former President Bush is gradually reentering life as a private citizen in Texas, Newsweek reports, but he's doing it gingerly and on his own terms. While many Texans agree that Dubya's still the friendly, aw-shucks guy they sent to Washington eight years ago, he's definitely keeping clear of dissent. “...

Bush: 'I Never Sold My Soul'
 Bush: 'I Never Sold My Soul' 
Dec 18, 2008 4:43 AM CST

Bush: 'I Never Sold My Soul'

Says he knows he's unpopular

(Newser) - President Bush knows he doesn't have a lot of fans, but is proud that he didn't "compromise my soul to be a popular guy," he tells Fox News. It's particularly tough to like him given the current economic situation, he concedes. "What do you expect? We've got...

As Election Looms, Bush Is Nowhere in Sight

(Newser) - George W. Bush is purposefully avoiding the public eye ahead of the election to do no further damage to GOP candidates, the New York Times reports. Presidents usually make a visible show of support for their party near Election Day, but presidents usually don't have approval ratings as low as...

Confidence in Bush Still Plunging: Poll

Approval hits career low; 82% believe US is on wrong path

(Newser) - Support for President Bush has sunk to its lowest level yet, according to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll. Bush's 31% approval rating marks a career low as 82% of Americans now think the country is heading in the wrong direction. Opinions were highly split along partisan lines.

Bush Reaches Historic Low
 Bush Reaches Historic Low 
May 1, 2008 6:55 PM CDT

Bush Reaches Historic Low

He gets higher disapproval ratings than Truman, Nixon

(Newser) - George Bush is the most unpopular president in modern history with a 71% disapproval rating, a new CNN poll says. It's the first time any president has cracked the 70% mark in any CNN or Gallup poll—even Nixon remained in the mid-60s on the eve of his resignation in...

Bush Sets Disapproval Record
 Bush Sets Disapproval Record 
Apr 22, 2008 1:08 PM CDT

Bush Sets Disapproval Record

69% of Americans give prez thumbs down—lowest in Gallup's 70 years

(Newser) - Only 28% of Americans approve of George W. Bush’s handling of the presidency, a new low for his administration, USA Today reports. In addition, his disapproval rate—69%—is the lowest in the 70-year history of the Gallup poll. Dissatisfaction over war in Iraq and the soured economy continue...

Bush Approval Rating Hits New Low: 31%

Ratings hit their lowest yet on war's 5th anniversary

(Newser) - More than two-thirds of Americans now think George W. Bush is doing a poor job, according to a new poll that pegged his approval rate at 31%—a new low. The director of the CNN poll noted that the hefty 40-point drop in Bush's approval ratings since the start of...

Liberals Set to Bash Bush to Finish Line

$8.5M campaign aiming to keep president's approval ratings in the toilet

(Newser) - A liberal advocacy group plans to spend $8.5 million to keep President Bush's approval rating low, the AP reports. Americans United for Change will focus on what it perceives as Bush's failures in Iraq and at home, a move the group hopes will benefit Democrats in the upcoming election...

Bush, Congress Score Lowest Approval Yet

Poll finds 29% give president thumbs-up; 11% for legislators

(Newser) - President Bush and Congress scored record-low approval ratings in a Reuters/Zogby poll released today. Bush dipped 1% below his previous Zogby approval rating of 30%; the legislative branch scored 11% approval, down 3% in August. And a new "mood index" showed the country as more unhappy than in July,...

GOP Moderates in Agony Over Key Votes

Stick with the president or try to get re-elected?

(Newser) - Moderates in the GOP are dreading upcoming votes that will force them to choose between loyalty to their president and their reelection prospects, the Washington Post reports. Upcoming congressional showdowns on the Iraq war, children’s health care, and spending will be particularly perilous to those facing voters next fall....

Public Softens Slightly on Bush
Public Softens Slightly on Bush
Sep 13, 2007 9:35 AM CDT

Public Softens Slightly on Bush

New poll shows approval rating climbing; war strategy remains divisive issue

(Newser) - President Bush inched up from record lows in one poll this week, thanks in part to buzz around David Petraeus’ report on Iraq. His overall approval rating was 33% in the latest Journal/NBC News poll, up from 31% in July. The results reveal the complexity of Americans' feelings toward the...

What's Next for Bush?
What's Next for Bush?
Sep 2, 2007 4:37 PM CDT

What's Next for Bush?

'Dead Certain' includes 6 hours of one-on-one interviews with the prez

(Newser) - President Bush is fixated on how history will remember him, a new book about his presidency will reveal Tuesday. Bush was initially coy with journalist Robert Draper, but he finally capitulated to six hour-long interviews in which he slowly lets his guard down. "I've got God's shoulder to cry...

Bush Hate Hyped in Internet Age
Bush Hate
Hyped in
Internet Age
Jul 25, 2007 6:18 PM CDT

Bush Hate Hyped in Internet Age

Worse presidents had far better ratings

(Newser) - The president’s newest disapproval rating, a towering 65%, is surpassed only by Harry Truman's 67% during the Korean War and Nixon’s 66%—4 days before Tricky Dick’s resignation—the Washington Post reports. The figure suggests dissatisfaction far beyond Iraq, but it also suggests  that something new is...

It's Deja Vu All Over Again
It's Deja Vu
All Over Again
Jul 12, 2007 1:42 PM CDT

It's Deja Vu All Over Again

As Bush, Bonds race in opposite directions, Slate takes a look at numbers from 1974

(Newser) - George Bush’s flirtation with the highest-ever presidential disapproval rating has an athletic parallel in Barry Bonds’ march toward the home-run crown, a phenomenon that puts Slate's Bruce Reed in mind of two other titans in their respective fields: Richard Nixon and Hank Aaron. The president's racing toward the bottom...

Support for War Drops to Record Low
Support for War Drops
to Record Low
May 24, 2007 3:51 PM CDT

Support for War Drops to Record Low

CBS/NY Times poll suggests that fewer Americans than ever back the war in Iraq

(Newser) - Six out of 10 Americans say the US should have stayed out of Iraq, a new CBS News/New York Times poll reports. And an all-time high of 76%—including a majority of Republicans—say the war is going badly. Americans support get-tough measures tying funding to progress, including a timetable...

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