NBC-Wall St. Journal poll finds a SLIGHT uptick 38 to 39% (OH BOY!!!)

[kpete]

(Kpete: please forgive sarcasm - I am feeling good today)

A slight uptick

Poll suggests Bush’s free-fall appears to be over
But majority still down on his performance, NBC-Wall St. Journal poll finds

By Mark Murray
Political reporter
NBC News
Updated: 6:14 p.m. ET Dec. 14, 2005
According to the poll, 39 percent approve of Bush’s handling of his job while 55 percent disapprove. That’s a slight improvement from the NBC/Wall Street Journal survey last month, when 38 percent gave him a thumbs-up. In fact, it’s the first time since January that Bush’s job-approval rating has increased in the poll.

The survey of 1,006 adults, which was taken from Dec. 9-12 and which has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percent, comes after a month in which Bush has tried to dominate the political discourse. In advance of Thursday’s elections in Iraq, Bush has given four major addresses in the last three weeks on the situation there. He also has talked about the recent gains in the nation’s economy (such as the 215,000 jobs added last month and the 4.3 percent growth last quarter).

“I think the president’s speeches on Iraq have helped him,” Hart explains. Indeed, while 54 percent say Bush has not given good reasons why the United States should keep its soldiers in Iraq, 42 percent believe he has — a four-point increase since November.

And 39 percent say they’re more confident the war in Iraq will come to a successful conclusion, which is a seven-point gain since last month. Nevertheless, 50 percent say they are less confident about success in Iraq.
http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10469950/

[VolcanoJen]

1. Russert was super-happy about it on NBC Nightly News

He said something to the effect of, "The President has reversed his fortune, and is now on an upswing. Republicans are relieved that the bleeding has stopped, and that the people are coming back around."

1 point. And well within the margin of error.

I was just shaking and shaking my head.

[missouri dem 2]

2. Yep and it's a dead cat bounce.

[VolcanoJen]

8. I found the news to be ominous for Bush, but check out the coverage.

Two consecutive NBC/WSJ polls over two consecutive months, with essentially the same finding. Less than 40% of Americans approve of the way President Bush is handling his job. Still. Not something anyone at the White House should be feeling relieved over. In fact, it's a political certainty that they're continuing to sweat over on Penn Ave.

So, the story here, clearly, is "Bush Approval Rating Remains Below 40%."

However, the actual story is titled, Poll suggests Bush’s free-fall appears to be over. The MSNBC homepage takes the cheerleading even farther, by titling the linked-to story "NBC: Poll Shows Good News For Bush."

Crazy, isn't it? Up is down, black is white, and 39% is "good news."

[missouri dem 2]

11. Through the looking glass.

But it is good news for the crime family. In a more rational country the natives would be outside the gates with pitchforks.

[aquart]

3. See, if they tell us he's popular, that MAKES him popular.

Right?

[SushiFan]

10. Hey Volcano,

did you see yest.'s MSNBC? Chris Matthews was bustin a nut about the 1 point rise. Yet I hardly heard him quote polls back when gwb was down and almost out.

Matthews and Williams and Hannity all suffer from GOP toxic koolaid shock.

[newyawker99]

16. Hi SushiFan!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[BobRossi]

4. Amazing.

When his numbers tumble 10 or 15% they don't even mention it.

[Rosco T.]

5. They have a copy of the book "How to Lie with Statistics" I bet.. n/m

[NanceGreggs]

6. And he can prove it with an Etch-a-Sketch ...

"39 percent approve of Bush’s handling of his job."

"Last month, 38 percent gave him a thumbs-up."

"Margin of error: plus-minus 3.1 percent."

'Nuff said?

[CatholicEdHead]

7. Right.....

Nobody even listened to his rant speech earlier today. The uptick is within the margin of error.

[enki23]

9. well within any reasonable confidence interval = no change.

there is no remotely sound basis for saying bush's approval rating among the actual population has changed since the last measurement.

[LostInAnomie]

12. Tweety could barely hide his erection over the news.

He is claiming that it is all because of *'s glorious plan for victory and how clear he has made his case.

Never mind that it's a Wall Street Journal poll. Never mind that it is well within the margin or error. Never mind that it is only a 1 pt. uptick after an all out Administration media blitz and PR offensive. Never mind that it is the holidays and *'s poll numbers have always gone up when the focus of the country isn't on * or Iraq.

Tweety will always fall for and repeat the party line.

[Zynx]

14. I bet Tweety's problem isn't that he can't hide his erection...

I bet the problem is that he can't show it when it counts.

[Zynx]

13. Oh crap! I'm scared.

That extra one percent that is statistical noise scares the shit out of me.

[last_texas_dem]

15. How can a one-point increase be considered an uptick

when it's movement well within the margin of error? For all we know, factoring in the margin of error, Shrub's approval may have actually dropped several points. Anytime I see headlines like this I wonder why more Americans don't wake up to the rightward slant of the corporate media.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

17. Well, I am worried. You can tell B** is listening to someone other

than Libby and Rove. He is acting better and you can tell someone with more sense is counseling him.

I am worried because if he gets his groove back, the Repigs will do more harm.