Fox News Poll: 39% Approval for Bush, 69% Oppose Dubai Ports Deal

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,186634,00.html

NEW YORK — Most Americans oppose allowing a Dubai company to run some U.S. ports, even as a majority understands the U.S. would continue to control port security, according to a new FOX News poll. One in four sees the United Arab Emirates as a strong ally, but most either disagree or are unsure. In addition, the poll shows Republicans have lost ground on the issue of terrorism, and by a wide margin voters now think it would be better for the country if Democrats win control of Congress in this year’s midterm election.

For only the second time of his presidency, the poll finds that President Bush’s overall job approval rating has fallen below 40 percent — today 39 percent of Americans say they approve and a 54 percent majority disapproves. Late last year the president’s approval hit a record-low of 36 percent (8-9 November 2005).

This is also one of only a handful of times that Bush's approval has dropped below 80 percent among Republicans. Today 77 percent of Republicans approve, down from 82 percent in early February. Disapproval among Democrats went from 79 percent in early February to 84 percent today. Approval among independents is essentially unchanged at 35 percent.

"People's opinions of the president are based largely on how they perceive things in the country are going in general rather than how he is doing in his day-to-day job," says Opinion Dynamics Vice President Lawrence Shiman. "When you combine the fact that people are paying more attention to Iraq than any other issue with the perception of Iraq as being on the brink of a civil war, it is not surprising the president and his party are struggling in the polls." The port controversy, along with the situation in Iraq (fully 81 percent of Americans think it is likely Iraq will end up in a civil war), appears to be taking a toll on Republicans.

[bluestateguy]

1. Vindicated

subtract 5 points from any Fox poll, and you have Bush's real numbers, 34%, same as the CBS poll.

[Higans]

6. I was just thinking that very same thing.

but remember that even the CBS pool has a 5% margin of Error, so the actual approval could be as low as 29%

Faux is grasping at straws.

[katty]

8. that's right

[Jeffersons Ghost]

14. I CALL IT STICKING YOUR HEAD IN A FOX-HOLE

If locals listen to Fox news, they only want one perspective and are afraid of the truth.

[brer cat]

20. Please remember that many don't realize that they are getting

only one source. I hate to keep repeating this on different threads, but many, especially older people do NOT have internet and are unaware that they are sold a bill of goods until WE tell them. I know many blue hairs that have come around because I personally or someone else gave them more news. They didn't CHOOSE to have one news source, they don't know alternatives.

[pacalo]

2. "For *only the second time* of his presidency"...

I love how they try to minimize it.

Isn't Nixon the only president in modern history whose approval ratings were lower than the boy king's?

[Arugula Latte]

18. I noticed that too.

Other presidents had low polls at certain points in their careers (like Poppy Bush, who was in the 30s at the end of his first term, as I recall), but I think it is unusual for a second-term president to be this unpopular.

[pacalo]

25. Oops -- forgot about Poppy.

The boy king's lesson: Be careful what you wish for. His father wasn't good enough or popular enough to get a second term, so the boy king did the only thing he could do to achieve that goal himself. He stole one election to get his foot in the door, then stole a second one to avenge Poppy's failure.

[DinahMoeHum]

23. At this point, Bush is: Worse. Than. Nixon.

n/t

[pacalo]

27. He's worse than we could ever have imagined in a president.

Nixon was far more intelligent but I think the boy king's handler, Rove, far exceeds Nixon in the deviousness category.

[Arugula Latte]

38. Rove makes Lee Atwater look like a pussycat.

Hell, he makes Machiavelli look like a pussycat, too.

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. Let's see you spin this, Faux. It's funny enough to make Hume smile.

[kurth]

4. Even a 5% markup can't hide the stench

of a failed presidency.

[biscotti]

5. Oh my,

And that from his own personal network! :rofl:

[katty]

7. hey Faux News-that's more like it! even Faux can't spin this

[jaysunb]

9. 34,38,39 which one do I believe?

What the hell ! I'll just say, " 60+ % of Americans have caught on at last. :evilgrin:

[Zynx]

13. Averaging polls has historically been a good strategy.

I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it would probably come to about 37%.

[FrenchieCat]

10. That's not factoring in the Fox bias and the New Orlean revelations.....

so Substract 10 more points.....and you have his approval Fox rating!

[Faygo Kid]

11. We die by the polls. Deutschland Uber Alles. Celebrate - what?

Don't understand all these posts. Polls show. . .what? Is there no Diebold? Are there no "Pioneers?" Has Karl Rove and Dick Cheney left the scene? Is Fox News now trustworthy; has Bob Woodward now disowned his prior behavior? Are the Dems now rejecting the DLC, and has compassion and Lincoln and King and Eleanor Roosevelt and the decency of Barney Fife become role models? When did this happen? When can I picnic with each of you, with confidence that this administration will not destroy government Of, By and For the People?

[Voltaire99]

29. Excellent post!

Faygokid, didn't you get the memo? You're supposed to suspend critical thinking and celebrate every little Bush drop in the polls, however meaningless, because a drop in our Glorious Leader's popularity can only mean one thing: tomorrow, with the help of the suddenly reformed US corporate press, our directionless, Bush-lite party is going to use our perfectly functioning electoral system (pride of the free world!) to enable an informed and justice-hungry public to restore peace and prosperity to the land!

And if you're ever discouraged, remember: John Kerry said, "Send me!"

Guess I didn't get the memo, either. ;-)

[motocicleta]

40. that makes 3 of us

look at pollingreport.com. McCain is currently, and has been for a while, thrashing the field in the 2008 pres poll. Until I see something more definitive, I don't believe these numbers apply to anything wider than stated: shrub, chicanery, and the ports. I think most americans still have their heads in the sand.

edited for grammar

[Initech]

12. Bush looks like he's about ready to take a huge dump in that picture

[VP505]

16. He probably

already did, in the picture he was smelling it and wondering how he could get out of there without anybody noticing. LOL

[Randy Ranger]

15. Amazingly open for Fox

Could this mean there is hope?

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

17. WELCOME, Randy Ranger...

...thanks for making your first post in my thread.

:toast:

[Vogon_Glory]

19. Librul Bias! Librul Bias! Librul Bias!

The right wingie-dingies will no doubt blame Buckaroo Bush's crackup in the polls on "Librul Bias" because liberal media like Faux x(??!!) wasn't reporting all the good news coming out of Mesopotamia.

[Norrin Radd]

21. Any approval less than 50% will never look good.

Those that approve are on the losing side.

[marmar]

22. Even Faux can't put lipstick on this pig...

It's official: America can't stand the SOB.

[geopol]

24. Is this a real issue?

According to serious security experts, the state of port security is appalling and has to do with the way things are organized here in the United States as much as it does with the nationality of port managers.

The UAE government, which was one of three governments supporting the Taliban, is perhaps one of the last governments one would want to have a share in the management of US ports. This is not necessarily a question of Arab bashing. There are moderate Arab governments, like that of Algeria, which is not heavily penetrated by fundamentalists and religious extremists, that one might expect to provide some kind of genuine cooperation in dealing with United States port security.

The big problem is the general lack of resources that have been allocated to providing security to ports in the United States starting with the US Coast Guard.

This is the real issue that ought to be addressed, not making political hay out something that affects Americans regardless of their political party. Cheap political shots are no way to devise a rational foreign policy.

Alan Fogelquist, Ph. D.

(I consider myself a progressive having voted in the last four elections for Clinton, Ralph Nader, Al Gore and John Kerry.)

[Chomskyite]

30. Why not keep the talks on the port deal going and see what happens?

I do think repeated and elaborated discussions about the port services sale can LEAD to a new awareness of the need for port security. Simply disapproving the transfer of ownership is not the only step to be taken, but it's a decent first one. It's the old adage about what do when you find yourself deep in a hole. Stop digging.

Chomskyite Ph.D. (but only in American Lit)

[humbled_opinion]

26. Isn't It Strange...

How he does so well with the Fox news polls... Truth be told he is probably polling in the mid 20 percentile that made up of fantic neocon Bushbots. Now is the time to bring this Administration down.

[ChiciB1]

28. Not To Burst Any Bubbles... But We Keep Hearing This IS A Done

Deal!! So the look on his face is just that! Na-Na, Na-Na, Boo-Boo!

Ya'll can all fall off a bridge. Geeeezz, as each day goes by, my IRE grows and grows!

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

31. I know it's not possible to get...

...everything from a picture, but I look at this one and I see (or at least think I do) the cold, dead eyes of a heavily medicated, not at all well, man.

[Mind_your_head]

32. Oh come on....nobody approves of this guy as *resident

except that 1% who are getting unbelievably rich from their 'connection' to him. I don't think those 1%'er folks post here on DU nor take part in 'random' :eyes: phone polling....mebbe, this shi*t is all make up, eh? Ya think???? Perception is everything.

[scab_picker]

37. 1% is way too high, only .1% of the population is getting rich

The good thing is that only a very small number of people are getting rich, and richer. That's good because when we start to eat them it shouldn't take us long to consume all of their soul dead carcasses. The bad thing is that we were done the world will be left in shambles.

[Brothaman2k]

33. It's that high?!

Bunch of dummies took that one. Then again, they're somehow associated with Fox news, so why am I surprised?

[NativeTexan]

34. And with FOX questions like...

...."you don't REALLY hate the president, DO YOU?", thats some pretty strong numbers, don't ya think?

[NVMojo]

35. Chimpy's going down! Chimpy's going down! And he didn't get a cigar!

[Singular73]

36. Freepers are imploding at this poll

ITs all a huge conspiracy lol.

Oh, and democrats dont have jobs..they sit at home watching Oprah waiting to answer these polls.

[cain_7777]

39. Outlet of Anger

I don't think that people are necessarily against Dubai as this is more of an outlet of anger for everything that has gone wrong thus far. Neocons are still in denial, moderate Republicans are finally getting fed up, and the rest of us have been screaming our heads off since Bush took office.

[Neil Lisst]

41. Fox is trying to sping the story so it is not so bad for Bush

It's only the second time THEIR poll has shown Bush below 40%. Every poll has shown him under 40% for some period of the past 6 months, and he's been lingering near 40% for months.

[rossmonster]

42. Brown gets feisty....

Anyone catch this. It was lead story on cnn.com and then went right off front page and couldnt find a link. Can still google it via "chertoff". I can create new posts so have put it in here... please feel free to put it in a new post if you can.

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/03/katrina.brown/


From cnn.com :

Ex-FEMA director admits errors, calls for Chertoff's resignation

Brown admits he should have gone public with concerns sooner

Friday, March 3, 2006 Posted: 1810 GMT (0210 HKT)


Ex-FEMA chief admits mistakes (6:52)

Video, transcripts suggest Katrina underestimated (1:51)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The former federal emergency director who resigned after the heavily criticized response to Hurricane Katrina admitted Friday that he should have been more forthcoming about problems with the government's response to the storm but faulted the performance of his former boss, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and called for his resignation.

......

[TomChicago]

43. Ports Deal

Although opposition to the Dubai deal may be motivated by an unthinking anti-Arab bias, the murky status of "security" in America may be the deciding factor in public support for making the deal. Don't expect Americans to be terribly heartened by assurances that "we" will handle security in the ports. It is not an assurance that inspires much confidence.