NPR: People Are Not Happy With President, Congress

People Are Not Happy With President, Congress

It's like a race to the bottom.

President Bush hit his lowest approval rating of his entire presidency, registering a lowly 30 percent in the most recent Associated Press-Ipsos poll. His support among his fellow Republicans also plummeted - just 61 percent gave Bush positive reviews and only 28 percent of them expressed strong approval.

Those surveyed were particularly unhappy with the president on issues like health care, energy and the environment, His approval rating on Iraq was 33 percent, unchanged since the last poll.

But he's not alone - the Democratic-controlled Congress did worse, getting only a 22 percent approval rating. As AP reports, "It's almost as if people can barely stand the thought of President Bush and Congress anymore."

The Congress is only four points from its lowest approval rating ever - 18 percent. That occurred in 1992 during a furor over lawmakers who bounced House bank checks.

8:01 AM ET | 02- 8-2008 | permalink

Comments

I don't see that Bush's approval ratings are even relevant any more, especially when that 33 percent figure remains stubbornly in place. All I take from it is that the truth about Bush has long been out of the bottle, and if somebody wants to belong to the 33 Percent Club, they are welcome to it.

Sent by George de Man | 8:36 AM ET | 02-08-2008

Because Congress and the president are not listening to the mandate the American people issued in the last election. We want things to change, but both Congress and the president are continuing with (big) business as usual.

Sent by Dan Busse | 9:25 AM ET | 02-08-2008

These approval ratings, for Bush AND Congress show that the (opinionated) American public want change.
Guess what? We elecet a new president this year (Bush can't run again). That's change! Like praying for rain, and watching it rain (months later). It's certain the change will come.
But, Congress needs to change too!!

In the time since Nancy Pelosi assumed leadership of the House, the approval rating has DROPPED. Ms. Pelosi's agenda has been a flop. Even when the House puts down it's Dem. drums, and actually works (bi-partisanly) with the President, the Senate Dems. try to de-rail the effort.

In the time since the Dems. took control of the Senate, the Senate has been paralized. Too busy wailing against the President to do their job.

These debater's need to go! Elect people who will represent our actual needs. Not partisan debater's (posturing and wailing for what the party wants).

Sent by Harold | 10:00 AM ET | 02-08-2008

I continually am amazed by this failed presidency. Now that his party is not in control of all three branches of government, he puts the blame on congress not being willing to work with him. It seems to me that what he really means when he says "work with me" is "do what I want constitution be damned!".

Sent by rodger davidson | 11:05 AM ET | 02-08-2008

The majority of real "American" want to keep our country as the United States of America. And the only way we can keep our country is by having borders. We can't be a country otherwise. Why in the world does our President not want to protect us by keeping the door open. Immigration is a much bigger problem than people are realizing. Unfortunately, none of the candidates on either side seem to want to do anything about it. When did this stance become politically correct? We need a third party - one that truly represents the middle class which is shrinking by the day.

Sent by sheron | 1:38 PM ET | 02-08-2008

Impeach him!

War crimes, perjury, fraud??? just pick one!

Sent by Rick S | 2:39 PM ET | 02-08-2008

The unhappy truth is people are upset with the Democratic congress, but it's a bad rap. There just aren't ENOUGH Democrats to overcome the deeply entrenched reactionary and religiously leaning Republicans. The general public is more interested in the Superbowl-type events than they are about the machinations of Congress.

Sent by Bob Doke | 5:06 PM ET | 02-08-2008

There was this thing called the American Civil War, oh, back about a century or so ago.

Today, a good many Americans participate in Civil War recreation events on the national battlefields of Antietam, Gettysburgh and Red River, to name a few events.

There are some 1800 Civil War recreation events held annually in this country, of one size or the other. I've had occasion to attend a few, manning a Civil War era artillery piece while re-reating a few of the battles between Grant and Lee.

Besides being something of an historical event, these Civil War re-creations are very much political gatherings. Men, women and children continue to vent their differences in a very unusual form of shooting at each other with old fashioned black powder sans bullets during the day, then getting together at night around campfires to argue modern politics.

America is a country whose dynamics are based on differences. Political arguments fuel initiative.

This weekend I'm in North Carolina. Within easy driving distance of where I'm at are three colleges who regularly host three of the top college basketball powerhouses: Duke, North Carolina, and North Carolina State.

The talk I've heard so far around here is that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Much like I heard the talk that Mitt Romney is a Mormon.

From what I've heard thus far, Barack Obama is going to have a lot more difficult time with North Carolina than the easier success he enjoyed in South Carolina.

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 7:46 AM ET | 02-09-2008

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