Bush gets low marks in poll as he prepares exit

[retrospooty]

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken

Originally posted by: HomerJS

Originally posted by: DealMonkey

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
Does Congress still have an even lower approval rating than Bush?

I think the approval ratings are a reflection of American's disgust with politicians in general these days.

Maybe. Congress running about a 20% approval rating right now according to Gallup.

Link

That a very misleading number since most incumbant congress people win reelection.

So did Bush. I doubt that many will claim his approval rating is a misleading number because he was reelected.

His approval rating was higher (above 50%) when he was re-elected in 2004. It really plumetted in his 2nd term when most people figured out he is a complete idiot and is driving our country into a hole it will take years and years to climb out of.

 

[Lemon law]

Originally posted by: Farang

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
I have a feeling, looking back on things 30 years from now, he won't be considered the worst in history. Just my opinion.

Agreed. It was relatively inconsequential in the long run. The worst that happened was a war where 4000+ Americans died, an attack where 3000 Americans died, and a Hurricane where, what, 1700 died? Historically these will not matter so much.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I can't exactly see where Farand is doing anything other than a Mr. Magoo act, by not seeing but a tiny fraction of the other damage a GWB&co. presidency caused.

After all, GWB&co had a major role in creating a massive meltdown of the US and world economy, has doubled the US national debt, and it has all come crashing down on him on his watch after inheriting a balanced budget from Clinton. After 1 trillion and counting, we have no idea how much it will take to repair the damage, and not every US president can have claimed to achieve that, and in fact, GWB stand alone, all by his little lonesome in US history.

This is worse, not merely similar to the great depression of 1929.

Oh Farand or Magoo, you have done it again.

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Aren't we supposed to be talking about how great Obama will be? Or do we all already expect him to be a failure so we have no choice but to attack Bush?

Hold out for a couple of more days then you can hammer President Obama.

 

[MikeyLSU]

I'd still put Carter as worst. But Bush is down there for sure.

 

[tweaker2]

Although he's on his way out, he still manages to piss me off at the way he's been trying to rewrite history in his favor right up to the last minute of his time in office.

And what pisses me off even more is that he's still got some folks believing every word he says.

All those lies he and Cheney told us, and all the paranoid secrecy they practiced to hide all of those lies, and all of those conniving diversions and slick doublespeak that got thrown our way as Goebbel-style gospel that Rove conjured and alchemized in the cave he shared with his fellow neoconservative "elite", it's all wrapped up in Bush's legacy.

Hopefully, all of the above will get the exposure it deserves in a well-chronicled documentary on PBS. And hopefully, a lesson could be learned that there should never again be a Corporate stranglehold on the highest offices of our Nation.

However Bush gets treated by the Historians that write our textbooks and encyclopedics, his legacy will be remembered by many as the quintessential disaster he and his administration truly is.

 

[alien42]

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Aren't we supposed to be talking about how great Obama will be? Or do we all already expect him to be a failure so we have no choice but to attack Bush?

why is it that the right wing nutjobs always bring up Obama in threads that have nothing to do with him?

 

[tweaker2]

Originally posted by: alien42

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Aren't we supposed to be talking about how great Obama will be? Or do we all already expect him to be a failure so we have no choice but to attack Bush?

why is it that the right wing nutjobs always bring up Obama in threads that have nothing to do with him?

Because if your favorite ball player batted a perfect .000 through his whole career, then all the guys pitching against him must be two-timing, dirt-eating, spit-balling, vasoline smearing, ball scuffing chronic cheats, and no other explanation will suffice.

edit - syntax

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken

Originally posted by: HomerJS

Originally posted by: DealMonkey

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
Does Congress still have an even lower approval rating than Bush?

I think the approval ratings are a reflection of American's disgust with politicians in general these days.

Maybe. Congress running about a 20% approval rating right now according to Gallup.

Link

That a very misleading number since most incumbant congress people win reelection.

So did Bush. I doubt that many will claim his approval rating is a misleading number because he was reelected.

Americans in general like the Senators and Congressman that represent them, it's the other guys Representatives they have problems with.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
I have a feeling, looking back on things 30 years from now, he won't be considered the worst in history. Just my opinion.

Part of the equation is the current opinion, but there is a second part that we won't know for years. It just takes time to know what effects the POTUS had on our nation (economic, military, legislative, etc).

So I would tend to agree with you.

 

[Dari]

A lot of drama queens and drama kings in this thread.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

He may not go down as the worst in history, but he tried like hell to.

 

[Lemon law]

To some extent, GWB tries to compare himself with Harry Truman, who at the time was a fairly unpopular President, but has since been redeemed in the eyes of history because it hindsight, we can now see Truman made unpopular decisions that now are seen as the right decisions to make at the time.

Truman like GWB had to over see two unpopular military occupations in Germany and Japan, and conducted them well when many in the USA wanted to punish them, Truman pulled the fallen foe up gently. And he also supported the then unpopular Marshall plan that created the economic recovery of Europe, and helped flesh out what would later be called the free world.

That is going to be a redemption wise, a tough act for GWB to follow when he has created two intractable quagmires and his legacy has been to strain all those free world alliances. Alienating all those old allies and emboldening our enemies. Tearing down old conventional wisdom's while building nothing lasting to replace them. And what few good ideas or noble goals GWB may have had, totally failed in the competently
able to administer initial phase.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken

Originally posted by: HomerJS

Originally posted by: DealMonkey

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
Does Congress still have an even lower approval rating than Bush?

I think the approval ratings are a reflection of American's disgust with politicians in general these days.

Maybe. Congress running about a 20% approval rating right now according to Gallup.

Link

That a very misleading number since most incumbant congress people win reelection.

So did Bush. I doubt that many will claim his approval rating is a misleading number because he was reelected.

Americans in general like the Senators and Congressman that represent them, it's the other guys Representatives they have problems with.

The most recent Congress had the lowest approval rating since they began recording such ratings. Seems there's more to it than just not liking the other guy's politician.

 

[Genx87]

BDS to the grave I see. Instead of focusing on Obama, people would rather beat the dead horse about Bush's approval ratings.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken

Originally posted by: HomerJS

Originally posted by: DealMonkey

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
Does Congress still have an even lower approval rating than Bush?

I think the approval ratings are a reflection of American's disgust with politicians in general these days.

Maybe. Congress running about a 20% approval rating right now according to Gallup.

Link

That a very misleading number since most incumbant congress people win reelection.

So did Bush. I doubt that many will claim his approval rating is a misleading number because he was reelected.

Americans in general like the Senators and Congressman that represent them, it's the other guys Representatives they have problems with.

The most recent Congress had the lowest approval rating since they began recording such ratings. Seems there's more to it than just not liking the other guy's politician.

Seems sort of silly to me to attempt to equate the approval rating of a body of 535 people to the approval rating of a single man. What people think of Bush can be directly tied to his approval rating, what people think of Congressmen can only be tangently linked to their feelings on the body as a whole. You rate people on what you think of THEM, not the group they work for.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Originally posted by: Genx87
BDS to the grave I see. Instead of focusing on Obama, people would rather beat the dead horse about Bush's approval ratings.

Actually, dumbya made his legacy one that our grandchildren will be remembering and paying for, so it's more pathetic to think the horse is dead when it's barely started its' race.

 

[rpanic]

What about Ronald Reagan? Seems like most of our current economic problems started with him, with massive deficit spending. Also laid the groundwork for a lot of the terrorists that we have to deal with today. Bush was a horrible president but as far as causing long term damage to the US Reagan seems far worse.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
I have a feeling, looking back on things 30 years from now, he won't be considered the worst in history. Just my opinion.

So, you expect us to elect a worse president during the next 30 years? I hope you're not one of those crazies clinging to the belief that Sarah Palin is electable.

Originally posted by: Lemon law
To some extent, GWB tries to compare himself with Harry Truman, who at the time was a fairly unpopular President, but has since been redeemed in the eyes of history because it hindsight, we can now see Truman made unpopular decisions that now are seen as the right decisions to make at the time.

I don't think that in the future we'll be looking at all the decisions he made that were contrary to the advice of experts in their respective fields, simply because his gut told him it was the right thing to do. It isn't that he made unpopular decisions - he made stupid decisions.

 

[chrisho]

I do not agree. He was not the worst, of course you would have had to live under Carter to put that into a true context.

No, he just did what he said he would regardless of what press engineered polls declared were our opinions. There are times where we need leaders who do what is necessary even if we don't like it.

For that he deserves some praise.

For his blank check signing off whatever spending bill Congress sent him he should he held in contempt

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken

Originally posted by: HomerJS

Originally posted by: DealMonkey

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
Does Congress still have an even lower approval rating than Bush?

I think the approval ratings are a reflection of American's disgust with politicians in general these days.

Maybe. Congress running about a 20% approval rating right now according to Gallup.

Link

That a very misleading number since most incumbant congress people win reelection.

So did Bush. I doubt that many will claim his approval rating is a misleading number because he was reelected.

Americans in general like the Senators and Congressman that represent them, it's the other guys Representatives they have problems with.

The most recent Congress had the lowest approval rating since they began recording such ratings. Seems there's more to it than just not liking the other guy's politician.

Well a number of incumbent Republicans did lose their elelctions.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Only time will be able to tell what GWB's legacy will be. I mean we consider a president that tore our country apart and allowed the military to use scorched earth warfare to conquer the lost territory a hero. It is hard to see how Bush could be considered to have done worse.
And as for congress investigating, it won?t happen. Obama has, when asked about investigating any possible crimes the Bush administration has comitted, "My instinct is for us to focus on how we make sure we're moving forward, we are doing the right thing. That doesn't mean that if somebody has blatantly broken the law that they are above the law, but my orientation is going to be moving forward." The thing is congress is neck deep in
most of the crimes committed by the administration and are in no hurry to air dirty laundry that has their names attached.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: chrisho
I do not agree. He was not the worst, of course you would have had to live under Carter to put that into a true context.

No, he just did what he said he would regardless of what press engineered polls declared were our opinions. There are times where we need leaders who do what is necessary even if we don't like it.

For that he deserves some praise.

For his blank check signing off whatever spending bill Congress sent him he should he held in contempt

Wait, first you accuse the press of creating false opinions for the electorate through polls, then you state that we need leaders to sometimes take actions that are unpopular. Which is it? If the press was making shit up, then he wasn't taking action that was unpopular.

(I won't get into the fact that wide swaths of polling from sources across the ideological spectrum largely confirm each other's results as to what is popular and what is not, because HURR HURR librul media.)

 

[Lemon law]

As Red Dawn points out, " Well a number of incumbent Republicans did lose their elelctions."

But two points are missed, (1) Many of the incumbent GOP senators that lost elections in 2008 were basically moderates who had a prior history of working with democrats on a bi-partisan basis and were basically punished for the sins of their more extremist collages. (2) Quite a number of moderate GOP senators simply retired rather than run, again losing the GOP many Senators of long standing who knew how to work on a bi-partisan basis. John Warner, Pete DiMedichi, and Chuck Hagel are going to be tough losses for the GOP to replace.

In terms of what is left in the GOP, all too many know little more than the tactics of obstructionism, and its why GOP losses increased in 2008. And why congressional approval ratings became mired in the sewer.

 

[Fear No Evil]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
As Red Dawn points out, " Well a number of incumbent Republicans did lose their elelctions."

But two points are missed, (1) Many of the incumbent GOP senators that lost elections in 2008 were basically moderates who had a prior history of working with democrats on a bi-partisan basis and were basically punished for the sins of their more extremist collages. (2) Quite a number of moderate GOP senators simply retired rather than run, again losing the GOP many Senators of long standing who knew how to work on a bi-partisan basis. John Warner, Pete DiMedichi, and Chuck Hagel are going to be tough losses for the GOP to replace.

In terms of what is left in the GOP, all too many know little more than the tactics of obstructionism, and its why GOP losses increased in 2008. And why congressional approval ratings became mired in the sewer.

Non-Lemon Law,

Can you explain to me why when the Republicans have the majority it was expected that they reach out to the minority, but when they are in the minority its expected that they reach out the majority? When do democrats ever have to reach out to republicans?

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken

Originally posted by: HomerJS

Originally posted by: DealMonkey

Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
Does Congress still have an even lower approval rating than Bush?

I think the approval ratings are a reflection of American's disgust with politicians in general these days.

Maybe. Congress running about a 20% approval rating right now according to Gallup.

Link

That a very misleading number since most incumbant congress people win reelection.

So did Bush. I doubt that many will claim his approval rating is a misleading number because he was reelected.

Americans in general like the Senators and Congressman that represent them, it's the other guys Representatives they have problems with.

The most recent Congress had the lowest approval rating since they began recording such ratings. Seems there's more to it than just not liking the other guy's politician.

Well a number of incumbent Republicans did lose their elelctions.

A number of incumbent Republicans lost their elections in '06 too. After a short spike, Congressional ratings went even further into the cellar after people realized that the beards had merely grown longer overnight. But, hey, it's '09 now. We won't get fooled again.