Bush Losing Support From His Base

[Jon8503]

By Dan Froomkin - Special to washingtonpost.com
Friday, September 9, 2005; 1:36 PM

Through thick and thin, President Bush has always maintained the ferocious backing of his Republican base. Until now?

As I wrote in yesterday's column , partisan squabbles are something the Bush White House has found it can handle just fine, because the base hangs tough. But public outrage over the Hurricane Katrina debacle has the potential to transcend politics as usual.

And quite possibly, something is up.

According to the latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press , Bush's overall job approval rating has dropped to 40 percent -- an all-time low for this/that poll -- and his disapproval rating has climbed to an all-time high of 52 percent. That's a four-point shift in both numbers from July.

But look at the detailed results for the story behind the story.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2005/09/09/BL2005090901150_pf.html

[ThoughtCriminal]

1. I'll be happy when...

"All your base are belong to us."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_your_base_are_belong_to_us#Transcript

[FreedomAngel82]

2. Me too

But it is a start. :D

[SammyBlue]

45. Don't get too excited

The next batch of kool aid is being made as we speak. This will be a momentary blip in the radar until the Freep-tards decide to go back to being Freep-tard and lick the ass of Chimpy McCokespoon more.

When it's more than one poll on one day, let's get excited. Until then, it's a momentary thing.

[leeroysphitz]

6. What you say?!? n/t

[Miss Chybil]

19. I'll be glad when there is no such thing as a "base."

When all politicians have to earn their money representing the entirety of the American people - not just the half that happens to be in charge at the time, or the few with the most money.

I know. It's silly, but when I'm wishing for something, I like to wish big.

[Melodybe]

23. LOL I love that flash

Bushco is going down, I can feel it.

[Mutley]

33. Someone set up us the bomb.

You are on the way to destruction.

:rofl:

[NEOBuckeye]

55. PNAC has no chance to survive. Make your time.

:applause:

[awoke_in_2003]

56. actually...

the mangled translation in that instance was intentional, and read "someone upset us the bomb". Note- read it backwards, and capitalize us.

[longship]

3. Kick

:kick:

[babylonsister]

4. Hallelujah, they've seen the light! Nom! nt

[wakeme2008]

5. A lot of his base lives in the South and

were affected by the cane or know relatives/friends that were.

No matter how much you are a BushBot,,, the spending of money in Iraq and screwing the people of NO come to close to home.

[Disturbed]

8. It is astonishing that this vile asshole and his...

bunch of criminals has 40% approval rating. I lay that fault directly onto the RW Corp. Media. If facts had been displayed by the majority of the RW Corp. Media for the last 4 years the ratings would have been in the low 30s and the last election would have been quite different! Most Amerikans still have little clue of how much the Bush admin. has screwed them over.

[Pithy Cherub]

7. Now if Fitzgerald could hand down an indictment or two

of highranking bushbots, well the tipping point may just become, let's say a hurricane. But, please don't worry about bush, he has Brownie and a FEMA response all planned. :sarcasm:

[FlemingsGhost]

9. The ranks of "the haves and have mores" must be dwindling

Many of these poor babies must be figuring out that they are neither. No matter how much they want to believe otherwise, the savings account just isn't measuring up.

Welcome to the "have not" column, folks.

[Old and In the Way]

10. About f'ing time.

Sad that it takes a tragedy the size of New Orleans to show the American people how corrupt and incompetent this administration is.

[blossomstar]

11. Good read, long, but worth it. Thanks.

[Pam-Moby]

12. Nice articles, but it is to bad that it has taken so long

for them to start reporting the truth. I hope the repubs keep turning their backs on Bush. Spending his capital has left the US in a very poor position. Will we ever recover?

[Kahuna]

13. If they desert beelzebush they will desert the rest of the repubs too.

They are tied at the hip. They have defended and excused his every deplorable action. They are stuck with each other now.

[tk2kewl]

14. I won't be happy until his approval rating is 30 or less

frankly anyone that can approve of this guy makes me want to :puke: and worse

[mogster]

15. This is a landslide

Remember every soul has to be torn loose from the fundamentalist glue of propaganda and lies, with Dear Leader clutching at their feet as they go. If Bush is considered close to God, then every contender for that place must be considered ....?
That's a huge step to take, and to the republicans now turning on Bush it must be like jumping off a cliff.

[dalaigh lllama]

16. I thought his approval ratings were already down to 40%

back in August when Cindy was at Crawford.
How can they be falling further but we're getting the same number?

:eyes:

[Dem Agog]

17. The only Bush numbers I want to see...

Are the ones he's holding on a placard in front of him for his mug shot.

[rateyes]

30. You know, when Bush was arrested for DUI...

didn't they get a mug-shot of him. I would LOOOOVEE to see that picture.

[mark11727]

57. Probably shredded and buried with the rest of the evidence...

...of that pathetic string of wrongdoings * calls his life.

[MADem]

18. Who will deliver the message to him?

It was Barry Goldwater who told Nixon he was fucked...will it be Frist and Lott, together??? Or perhaps Frist, Santorum, and McCain?

Who will tell the monkey he's screwed?

[DBoon]

40. There is no one left in the Republican Party

there is no such thing as an independent republican office holder at the federal level.

The Bush machine has intimidated and bribed every one of them into a fearful loyalty

I'm sure they have some real dirt on John McCain that keeps him in line. Same with the rest.

I think it will take a special prosecutor to deliver the news this time.

[MADem]

41. Trent Lott is my choice, actually

He harbors ENORMOUS resentment at the way his faux pas re: Strom was handled. He had, and still has, real clout, but was shoved aside for Toady Frist to do the WH bidding. Even now, he is used as a Leader's leader to shove through problematic legislation, and he always extracts concessions for MS as part of the deal. He still has his mega-staff, he still has his big office, he still has his car and driver. The only thing he does not have is the Leader title...and he blames the White House for taking it from him, and he has a point. That Strom thing was dying down, Trent had publicly apologized, gone on BET and submitted to a long interview and apologized again, and people were willing to, if not give him a pass, realize where he came from, what he was, and let him stay in place--the old "devil you know" philosophy. But the WH thought he was too damn independent, and had too much of his own power, so they wanted him neutered.

And I think he is thirsting for a bit of revenge. He'd deliver the death blow with great, concealed pleasure, I suspect, while adopting a statesmanlike aura of regret about the whole process.

[CorwinB]

42. But poor Trent...

...lost his house.

[MADem]

48. He (Trent) made some interesting comments about that

Without actually coming right out and saying it, he left me, and no doubt his constituents, with the sense that the monkeyking was a total ASS for even mentioning HIS house, his porch, his lemonade.

Trent said he was fine, he had somewhere to go, a place to live, a roof over his head and a pillow to lay his head on, and his concern was for his people who had NUTHIN'. And he was riled up at the feds for being so damn slow out of the gate.

Trent played it right--it was Chimpy McCokespoon who was totally tone deaf.

That whole Trent's Porch deal made me believe that monkeyboy is skeered o' Trent. Either Trent has something on him, or Trent still commands sufficient loyalty from within the ranks of the GOP Hill denizens to effectively stage a revolt of the sane Republicans...

[sallyseven]

51. They hated Trent Lott because he could and would deal

with the democrats. They didn't want that so they replaced him. They didn't give a rozzen toot about what he said.

[bunkerbuster1]

63. Trent seemed pretty not-crazy on the Daily Show

for what that's worth.

[DBoon]

43. I hope you are right

But the republican party of 2004 isn't the republican party of 1974

[MADem]

49. Yeah, but back then, Goldwater was considered to be a crazyass

nutcase who would blow the world up with nukes (remember that Daisy commercial that LBJ ran, once, that essentially tanked Barry's shot at the Presidency??). It seems quaint now, but in the context of the day he was Newt Gingrich and the Club for Growth and PNAC all rolled up in an Arizona package with a sabre to rattle. People thought he was insane, and slightly to the right of Atilla the Hun.

[Nothing Without Hope]

64. Somehow, I can easily see it being Cheney. He's insane, but he's the

grownup in that loathsome criminal gang. Like Oliphant showed with Cindy Sheehan:

[ailsagirl]

20. I thought it had already dropped to 40% ?? Must have been

a different poll. I do trust Pew Research Center.

But still-- 40% seems inordinately high-- considering what
a total, miserable failure he is.

(Has anyone ever googled "miserable failure?" Try it sometime.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3298443.stm

:evilgrin:

But I'm glad it appears his numbers are going down. About
time!!

[oasis]

21. Most "Christians" care about black people. You messed up Georgie.

[laureloak]

39. Christians take care of the poor, the sick, and the elderly. nt

[BrklynLiberal]

22. Let me know when it is down to 13%.......

[Joebert]

24. The most conservative of them have abandoned him as well

but for different reasons.

He is spending tax money on poor people.
He is a lame duck, and they need to pick their next candidate.
I haven't seen any religious statements by Bush lately.
He didn't come to Robertson's rescue after people heard his assassination remarks.

The tax cut or the removal of the estate tax will bring his numbers back.

[Douglas Carpenter]

25. still great news

[Dulcinea]

26. Hurricane Katrina will be his undoing.

Even Boy George's precious "base" has seen the misery & suffering of its fellow Americans.

Flame me all you want, but only the really hardcore sickos can watch the news from the Gulf Coast & not be horrified! They know this calamity could have been lessened, & aren't buying any of the administration's bogus reasons for dropping the ball.

[panzerfaust]

27. Dreams ARE important

Sigh.

Bush is not supported by his base: He is supported by the ruling class.

"President" Bush does not, in any meaningful sense, truly exist: He is just the WalMart greeter for the corporate state.

Bush will go, the police-state being created in his name will remain.

[AverageJoe]

28. "Just the WalMart greeter for the corporate state"

Yep, spot on. That would be funny as hell if it weren't true.

[July]

29. You've expressed my fears perfectly, panzerfaust.

Oh, I'll be happy if the chimp or Cheney or Rove goes down. But they've thoroughly transformed our government into a playground for their true constituency, corporations and wealthy individuals. All of the regulation rollbacks, executive orders, suppression of dissent, bureaucracy purges, placement of cronies in high positions (and low), and piratization, I mean, privatization schemes to loot the Treasury will leave us screwed for years to come.

[Aviation Pro]

31. Wait until Ophelia hits....

...South Carolina, one of the other poorest states in the nation. Then you'll see some real erosion of the base. Pretty soon, everyone in the South is going to see Stupid Bastard for what he is: a pure blue blood Yankee, brain damaged retard (nice of you to drink during your pregnancy Nana Popeye) akin to the hemophiliac rulers of old Europe.

[Mist]

32. seems like I'm always reading *'s approval is around 42%, then

I read that it DROPS to 42%. I would think in reality it's somewhere around 30% or lower.

[mwb970]

58. I think the real number has been in the low 30s for some time.

Of course that may be because (1) I don't know any Republicans; and (2) I can't believe ANYBODY would support such an obvious failure, so 40% just seems insane.

[riverwalker]

34. the 2nd amendment base

is unraveling too. In Minnesota, there is a large electorate who will vote for a rock if the NRA endorsed it. With the Republican federalized troops confiscating weapons from New Orleans citizens, the NRA doing nothing about it, is creating some murmurs of discontent up here in the woods. If we were smart, we would use this. Pick at it until it bleeds.

[McCamy Taylor]

35. He will lose the South when truth about what he did to Blanco comes out

The South isnt about to tolerate the feds declaring martial law and taking over any portion of the South ever again.

Bye bye safe GOP voting base in the South, welcome back two party system.

[Mike_The_Computer]

36. Gay-bashing = instant Bush base. Just add Bible.

It's true, wait and see. Gays have become the Red Menace of the Bush admin. and Rove and Co know it's the quick, easy way to stir up that idiotic Bible-bangin' base.

[UrbScotty]

37. Time to attack them gays! (nt)

[laureloak]

38. Oh-Ohh. Babs is gonna hear about this. nt

Seriously though, the disapproval numbers need to be higher.

[leftofthedial]

44. their PR blitz is a pack of unbelievably absurd lies

but it is targeted at their base, not at undecideds

If they succeed at shoring up the base ove rthe next week, they'll survive

[FlaGranny]

62. *'s hard core base

are his very own brownshirts. They'll never abandon him. His hard core base are the same kind of people who supported Hitler, joined the SS, and ran the concentration camps.

[Nothing Without Hope]

46. A historical lesson to remember: Hitler's popularity was never above about

the same level - 40% - despite massive, relentless campaigning. I'll get you a link for this if you want, but it's common knowledge in Europe. Not what I was taught in my crummy grade school and high school history classes, but it is a fact.

He crushed resistance anyway. Fascism works, as far as pushing a minority with power and money into control. This is a lesson we forget at our peril. And by the way, when you hear people say (usually freepers bashing the legally elected Hugo Chavez of Venezuela) "Hitler was elected too!" - EDUCATE THEM.

Lower poll numbers are encouraging, BUT THEY ARE NOT ENOUGH. We must drive the cabal from power. An important aspect of how to do this is to show the country how much they have to FEAR from this administration, not just express our anger. Too many people buy the propaganda that the administration makes them safer and are willing to suffer the price to buy that safety. We have to show them they are LESS SAFE because of what the administration is doing, and that this will be ever worse in the future.

[LiberalinNC]

47. 40% is still too high!

[Bossy Monkey]

50. Whoopee! 10% of Republicans draw the line at domestic genocide

Y'all don't need the 'sarcasm' smilie on this one, do you?

[gimama]

52. IMPEACH BUSH & CHENEY petition

Visualize IMPEACHMENT!~===]

http://elandslide.org/elandslide/petition.cfm?campaign=impeach&refer=friend
Sign,~smile!~pass it on & on...

REAL conservatives, REAL GOPers, are NOT happy.
By the Way,
2 REPUBLICANS have become my personal HEROES(hear me out,now)!

Congressmen Ron Paul of TEXAS & Walter JONES,NC are 2 of the MOST CONSERVATIVE Men,I've seen:they would like to CONSERVE the LIVES of AMERICANS, PRESERVE AMERICAN Ideals, USE American reSources for Healing,Building, Educating..Hey, I know it sounds like CRAZY-TALK!!

BOTH are CO-Authors to HJRes#55, THE HOMEWARD BOUND ACT,with Kucinich & Abercrombie; This real piece of STATESMANSHIP,practical, reasonable,instructing Mr.bush to GIVE US AN EXIT IRAQ PLAN..not blaming,no bs, not running out on responsibility to Iraqi PEOPLE,yet saying, BRING THE TROOPS HOME,here's OUR PLAN.
You just gotta SEE these guys! They speak so simply,so sanely, and it sounds so WISE,so PROFOUND.
Thurs pm, on the Cspan, Walter Jones' speech laid out ALL the LIES behind bush-Iraq war, how he tricked us in, what we need to do NOW to get OUT..and he is shocked at the American TRAGEDY & TRAUMA in the GulfCoast. He will NOT shut UP. I LOVE that when I see it! ;} ~g

[Gloria]

53. That's OK--the next 2 Supreme Court nominees will let them forget....

They'll be back in the fold...

[savemefromdumbya]

54. 38% and falling - Newsweek

Would you buy a used car from this guy?

FIFTY-SEVEN PERCENT OF AMERICANS HAVE LOST CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT TO DEAL WITH ANOTHER NATURAL DISASTER; 52% DO NOT TRUST PRESIDENT TO MAKE RIGHT DECISIONS IN A CRISIS

BUSH'S JOB APPROVAL AT RECORD LOW: 38 PERCENT
SIXTY-SIX PERCENT DISSATISFIED WITH DIRECTION OF COUNTRY

SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT OF MINORITIES BELIEVE RACE WAS THE REASON FOR SLOW RESPONSE: 47 PERCENT SAY 'MAJOR REASON;'

64 PERCENT OF WHITES SAY IT WAS NOT A REASON AT ALL

New York-President George W. Bush's approval ratings have fallen across the board in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and a seemingly flawed government response to the disaster, according to the latest Newsweek Poll. Bush's job-approval rating dropped to 38 percent, the lowest ever in the Newsweek Poll. Sixty-six percent of those polled say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time; just 28 percent are satisfied, another record low in the poll.

A 52-percent majority of Americans say they do not trust President Bush to make the right decisions during a domestic crisis, 45 percent do. The same number-52 percent-do not trust him to make the right decisions during an international crisis, again, 45 percent do. In addition, 57 percent of Americans say the slow response in New Orleans has caused them to lose confidence in the government to deal with another major natural disaster, 41 percent say it has not; 47 percent say it has made them lose confidence in government to prevent another 9/11-type attack; half (50%) say it has not, the poll shows.

The president's ratings on issues having little if anything to do with domestic disasters also declined. Bush's approval on handling terrorism and homeland security is 46 percent, a five-point drop from the August 2-4, 2005 Newsweek Poll. For the first time in the Newsweek Poll, more Americans disapprove of Bush's handling of terrorism and homeland security (48%). And almost half (49%) of all those polled say taking military action against Iraq two years ago was not the right thing to do; 46 percent say it was. This is the first time ever in the Newsweek Poll that more Americans have said going to war was not the right thing to do than said it was.

A plurality of Americans also rates the federal government's response to the problems caused by Hurricane Katrina as poor (40%). Thirty-two percent say the Feds' response was "only fair;" and 21 percent believe the response has been "good," the poll shows. State and local governments did not fare better: 35 percent say they did a poor job and 34 percent say they did a fair job.

However, views are starkly different when examined by political party. Fifty-three percent of Democrats polled say the federal government did a poor job vs. just 19 percent of Republicans. Thirty-seven percent of Republicans believe the federal government did a good job and 11 percent believe it did an excellent job. The Democrats are more forgiving of local and state governments, though not as forgiving as the Republicans are of the Feds. Twenty-four percent of Democrats believe the state and local governments did a good job and four percent say an excellent job. Thirty percent of Democrats believe the local and state governments did a poor job, vs. 43 percent of Republicans; 35 percent of Dems and 29 percent of Republicans say they did a fair job.

While 66 percent of all those polled say a "major reason" for the government's slow response to the disaster was because of poor communication between federal, state and local government officials, 57 percent say a major reason was that the amount of destruction was unexpected and overwhelming. Fifty-five percent believe that incompetence of federal officials whose job is to prepare and deal with natural disasters is to blame and 57 percent believe state and local officials incompetence is to blame.

Whites' and non-whites' opinions also differ sharply. Twenty-two percent of all those polled say a "major reason" the response was slow was that it was not a priority because the people affected were mostly African-American. However, 47 percent of non-whites believe race was a major reason, while only 13 percent of whites believe it. And 29 percent of all those polled and 53 percent of non-whites say a major reason was that the people affected were mostly poor. (Only 20 percent of whites feel that way.)

In general, 35 percent say that the heads of federal agencies such as FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security are most to blame for not getting help quickly enough to the people in New Orleans; just 17 percent say that President Bush himself is to blame and 48 percent do not feel that someone in the administration should be held accountable and fired.

On the topic of rising gasoline prices, 36 percent of those polled say major oil companies are to blame for the rise and 22 percent say the federal government, the poll shows. Seventy-one percent say they have cut back on driving in some way in response to the increase in gas prices and 57 percent say they have given serious thought to buying or leasing a car with that gets better gas mileage. Just 31 percent have actually started car-pooling, ride sharing or using mass transit more often. And 65 percent of Americans say they have taken special steps to conserve energy at home because of rising costs of other fuels like oil and natural gas

On the topic of President Bush's appointments to the Supreme Court, 44 percent say that John Roberts should be confirmed to succeed William Rehnquist as the new Chief Justice. Sixty-six percent say Bush should strongly consider naming another woman to serve and 60 percent say he should strongly consider naming another black or Hispanic, the poll shows.

For this Newsweek Poll, Princeton Survey Research Associates International interviewed 1,009 adults aged 18 and older on Sept. 8-9, 2005. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. This poll is part of the September 19 issue of Newsweek, on newsstands Monday, September 12.

[Teena]

59. CALL NOW!

Unhappy with the way things are going in the United States?
Launch a complaint. Let the Commander in Chief know you think
it’s time he and his cabinet stepped aside so that competent leaders
can begin to restore dignity, order, and progress to our nation.
The phone number for the White House is as follows:
[phone]

[BreakForNews]

60. Washington Post Finally Catches up with BreakForNews

...Only two weeks later.

Bush Losing Support From His Base
By Dan Froomkin washingtonpost.com
Friday, September 9, 2005; 1:36 PM

Through thick and thin, President Bush has always maintained the
ferocious backing of his Republican base.

Until now?

Not really "until now". Even before the latest poll,
the writing has been on the wall since the previous Ipsos/AP poll,
in late August, 2005.

Well before Katrina.

As we reported then:

Tipping Point' on Iraq is a Media Con
http://wagnews.blogspot.com/2005/08/tipping-point-on-iraq-is-media-con.html

Sat Aug 27, 2005

"The key development of the last three months is not the overall
figures, but the collapse in support among strong backers of the Bush
administration's Iraq policies."

"As measured by an Ipsos/AP poll, strong support has crashed from a
quarter of the U.S. population to one fifth, in the period June to
August, 2005."


"We now have a meltdown of core Bush support."

"The latest poll shows core Bush backers on Iraq at only 20%. That's
much more like the measure of the Bush bedrock support -a far cry from
a majority. Tough luck cowboy....

http://wagnews.blogspot.com/2005/08/tipping-point-on-iraq-is-media-con.html

[Jamison]

61. The thing about these polls is that they differentiate so much.

I've seen some polls for his approval as low as 33%, and some as high as 48%, so who knows what his REAL approval rating is. It also varies as to where you are at. I live in a total FReeper area where his approval rating is probably 80% or more...no shit.