Bush Approval Rating On The Rise
A trend I noticed in several polls back in June.
PRINCETON, NJ — President George W. Bush’s job approval rating has edged up slightly higher in Gallup’s latest poll, and is now at 40% for the first time since early February. The July 6-9 poll finds 40% of Americans approving and 55% disapproving of the job Bush is doing as president. After averaging 42% approval in January and early February, Bush’s ratings began to decline in mid-February, ultimately dropping to his administration’s low point of 31% in early May. Since that time, Bush’s approval ratings have shown a slow, gradual improvement.
Gaining nine points in as many weeks while knocking ten points off of his disapproval levels in the same period amounts to almost a 20-point swing. Moreover, the gain did not come strictly from his base. Although Bush gained ten points among Republicans during the two month span, he gained twelve points among independents, going from 26% to 38%. He even gained with Democrats, picking up six points from a laughable 4% to 10% now.
I know I say it a lot, but it is worth repeating: Every time Bush’s numbers go down that’s all you hear about. Even articles about the President that have nothing to do with his approval numbers start out with something like “The President, suffering from declining poll numbers” or “The President, despite record-low approval numbers…”
Yet when the President’s approval numbers are climbing you have to dig to find any mention of it in the media. Coincidence? I think not.
