"A Presidency On Life Support"...from pollingreport.com newsletter

[Career Prole]

Aaahhhhh! I love it! :D

A Presidency On Life Support

The George W. Bush presidency is on life support. At first, these words seem harsh and overstated. For starters, Bush has more than a thousand days left in office. He can nominate Supreme Court justices and get them confirmed, as the 78 to 22 Senate vote for John Roberts so easily demonstrates. He also wields other important constitutional powers, including the veto which he can use to impose his will on a recalcitrant Congress. Finally, he retains considerable diplomatic and war powers at his disposal. But for the remainder of his presidency, George W. Bush will govern without the consent of the governed.

That last fact has been underscored by a flurry of recent public polls. In nearly all of them, Bush’s job approval is hovering at 40%. Behind the job approval numbers are many other signs of a presidency in trouble. A Democracy Corps survey finds 58% want to go in a significantly different direction away from Bush; 56% believe he is "in over his head;" and 44% say they are "finished" with him.

<snip>

After claiming victory, Bush told reporters he had acquired "political capital, and now I intend to spend it . . . Social Security and tax reform, moving this economy forward, education, fighting and winning the war on terror." This accumulation of capital was evident in a Gallup poll taken two weeks after his second inauguration: 57% approved of Bush’s performance, 40% disapproved. As of mid-September, those figures were reversed: 40% approved of Bush’s job performance, while 58% disapproved, according to Gallup. Just nine months into his second term, Bush’s political capital is all but spent. If he were a bank, he’d have to declare bankruptcy.

A look behind the polls explains why. Not only are Bush’s overall approval ratings low and doubts about his leadership growing, but on a variety of issues he has been judged seriously deficient. A Zogby International survey gives Bush poor marks on a host of domestic and foreign concerns (see Table 1, below). Overall, the ratio of poor-to-excellent scores ranges from a low of 1:1 (managing the war on terror and Hurricane Rita) to a high of 8:1 (handling gasoline prices). If this were a parliamentary system, there would be a vote of no confidence and a new election held...

Much more at link

"But for the remainder of his presidency, George W. Bush will govern without the consent of the governed."

You got that shit right, my friend...

[atommom]

1. Pull the plug! Pull the plug!

:evilgrin:

[Career Prole]

4. Absolutely should! They said it's "fatal"...

The remainder of the Bush presidency will be more about limits, since his status has suffered a fatal blow.

Not "crippling"...not "severe"...FATAL!
BWAAAhahahaha! Pull the plug!!
:evilgrin:
:applause:

[atommom]

11. I've seen the video, and this administration is clearly

in a vegetative state!

[Neil Lisst]

14. Atommom, that's a PERSISTENT vegetative state!

Hmmm, you just gave me an idea for a comic that will probably be in bad taste.

[atommom]

16. Well, just be sure to post the link here then!

:hi:

[Neil Lisst]

18. You know I will! I'll even give you a shout out

Atommom, Thanks, and we will link DU and mention you as the idea source if we do one. It's gonna be in bad taste, but it has to done.

We always link any person or group who plays a role in our comic that day. I think our shout out to the posters and mods here at DU will go up tonight at midnight. We'll keep it up a couple of days. It's the least I can do with our readers. We've been read in 52 countries so far.

I like to acknowledge influences, and why not? People are too selfish with recognition. Share the wealth.


My cartoonist partner is Canadian, and we are both very much dedicated to commenting on the body politic. 90% of our stuff is harsh on the right, but we've been hammering Dems for not gutting it up more and sooner, too.

It's a challenge to find something to say every day that can be communicated in two frames and a few words. We want the comic to informative, and we want to get more people in the 18-30 demographic caring, registering, and voting.

I love to post on politics, and posting stimulates my writing in the comic and other things.

To others ... sorry if I was wordy and off topic any. I'm ON the Bush administration full time, and my comic is a POLITICAL comic, a running commentary on the same things we discuss here.

I'm not sure about posting a link to my comic any more. I see them in people's signatures, but I don't know. You can google my name and find the comic. It's easy to find, and in more languages than just English.

[atommom]

30. If you're a political junkie, you've come to the right place.

DU is all politics and snarkiness, 24/7. ;)

(Edited to add that if you don't want to post your link directly, you can still put your website URL in your user profile, if you like. That's another option.)

[Neil Lisst]

45. atommom, we're still working on it

We've been working on this idea for two days now, using your comment as the starting point. I've written it several ways, and we've just about got it where we want it. We're planning on using it this Friday.

We have a number I've already written, sort of generic days, but we much prefer running with some hot topic that is NOW. We can do what most cannot - produce overnight a timely commentary.

This one for Friday will be up all weekend, so we are making it a little more than the norm. Be looking for it. We give you and the DU a Shout Out and you a specific thanks for the idea.

Tomorrow will be about Bush, Rove and the Constitution.

http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst/

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. and it is days like this

when I say....

In the course of human affairs, and all that ...

[jody]

3. "govern without the consent of the governed"? Not if Dems take the House!

:hi:

[spooky3]

5. he's never had the consent of the governed, thanks to BBV and other

voting abuses.

What's sad to me is that gas prices, for which he probably bears less responsibility than for many other problems, is what is pushing the people out of the approve column and into the disapprove. Apparently the hundreds of examples of outrageously bad management and poor stewardship of the countries' resources aren't enough for them, but paying $3 per gallon hits them on their long exurban commutes, so THAT matters.

[verse18]

15. Also, I think

people realized their elderly parents would have to choose between food, heat this winter and their medications.

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. I'm big in to energy conservation. Yank the plug right now.

[Career Prole]

8. It would be his wish...

"We can all pitch in . . . by being better conservers of energy."

--Shrub, 9/26/05--

Pull the plug!!
:applause:

[yorkiemommie1]

22. he conserves energy, all right, his OWN !

takes lots of vacations, goes to bed early ...works hard at it !

[AuntiBush]

25. And Very "Conservative" at that!

Good call, Lastlaughin08!

[senseandsensibility]

7. kick

Love the blunt language; love the message. I'm almost afraid to believe it though!:-)

[Indykatie]

9. Fascinating Read

I don't know how to kick" but if I did I would. LOL

[achtung_circus]

13. Youy just did. nt

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

10. "How you win determines how you govern."

GREAT article. This part was interesting:

<snip>

The Lost Center
By itself, George W. Bush’s inability to capture significant Democratic backing is not crippling to his presidency. But his failure to win support from independents and moderates imperils his Administration’s future. Until 2004, it was believed that these two groups were crucial to winning elections and establishing a governing coalition. Bush has proved this maxim requires rethinking. According to the 2004 exit poll, John Kerry won 49% backing from independents to Bush’s 48%. Among moderates, the Kerry advantage was even more decisive: 54% to 45%. Knowing that the president could not count on independents and moderates, Bush campaign strategist Karl Rove decided he had to find more Republicans and get them to the polls. The so-called "72-Hour Task Force" Rove designed masterfully accomplished this objective, and sent Democrats off trying to replicate it.

But the limits of Bush’s strategy are apparent. Since winning reelection, Bush has continued to shed independent and moderate support. On nearly every major issue presidential disapproval among independents and moderates is higher than the national average (see Table 2, below). By reducing his base of support to hard-core Republicans, Bush has insured that the politics of polarization will continue. As historian Arthur M. Schlesinger once observed (in The Cycles of American History), ideology is the curse of public affairs "because it converts politics into a branch of theology and sacrifices human beings on the altar of dogma." Independents and moderates believe they are being sacrificed by an ideological president and a Congress that fails to provide the concrete results they crave.

[Der Blaue Engel]

19. "Karl Rove decided he had to find more Republicans..."

Oh, he did that all right...he invented them right out of thin air.

Pigfucker. :mad:

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

12. Cross-posted in GD with link to this thread. Nominated.

Thanks Career Prole for posting this article.

[Pirate Smile]

17. "If this were a parliamentary system, there would be a vote of no confiden

"If this were a parliamentary system, there would be a vote of no confidence and a new election held...

[Blue Topaz]

20. Great stuff!

Schadenfreude is a beautiful thing. :evilgrin:

[Career Prole]

40. I love that picture!

:rofl:

[DemonFighterLives]

21. when they fall apart enough, we can drown "it" in a bathtub

This pResidency will leave a mark, but we can heal if we ever get rid of them.

[opihimoimoi]

23. I'm with others calling for the PLUG to be PULLED

[AuntiBush]

24. Oh, *'s Polls Are Even Lower

GOP base losing faith in Bush: poll
October 8, 2005 - BY WILL LESTER

"Only 28 percent say the country is headed in the right direction, while 66 percent say it is on the wrong track, the poll found. Those most likely to have lost confidence include white evangelicals, down 30 percentage points since November, Republican women, down 28 points, Southerners, down 26 points, and suburban men, down 20 points.

''Bush is trying to get more support generally from the American public by seeming more moderate ... at the same time he has a rebellion within his own party,'' Thurber said.

Bush's job approval is at the lowest level of his presidency -- 39 percent." AP

http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-poll08.html

And don't forget the top Google Search for "FAILURE:"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=failure&btnG=Search

[Surya Gayatri]

26. But, have you read this disturbing and revealing passage...

"Democrats can’t take solace from Bush’s weaknesses. While they may win several of the off-year congressional elections by default, voters hardly see them in a favorable light."



"As long as Democrats remain the party of Bill (and Hillary) Clinton, large numbers of southern and rural voters will view them as hostile to their cultural values. That means Democrats will struggle in presidential contests, since making the values connection is an essential prerequisite to getting a hearing on more tangible economic issues favorable to their cause. If Democrats cannot fix their values problems and Republicans continue to disappoint, voters may turn instead to a third-party candidate."

Not an encouraging prognosis for our side, I fear. SG

:shrug:

[OzarkDem]

33. Dems don't have a "values" problem

They do, however, have a problem in letting R's define issues for them.

[bluedawg12]

34. I am begining to think that we need our base and screw the reds

I was looking at a Pew Poll and the break down of available voters who are Dems, liberals and conservative dems- and then undecideds and the young--we have a shot at good numbers, and IF ..we can get out the vote- get people who don't vote to become involved we can play to our base- srengthen our base and forget those who have drank deeply of the cool aide and continue to fight their imaginary cultural wars.

http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=949

[texpatriot2004]

27. He has NEVER had my consent. nm

[Kurovski]

28. I was just going to post the same thing. BushCo is ILLEGITIMATE.

[texpatriot2004]

29. Selection 2000 E-Vote 2004 nm

[Kukesa]

31. Kick! n/t

[OzarkDem]

32. Dems not benefitting from Bush's weaknesses

This part is interesting..

Democrats can’t take solace from Bush’s weaknesses. While they may win several of the off-year congressional elections by default, voters hardly see them in a favorable light. A CBS News poll (October 3-5) finds only 43% have a favorable view of congressional Democrats. One reason Bush was able to best Al Gore and John Kerry was the Democrats’ continued weaknesses on values issues. According to Zogby polling, Bill Clinton would beat George W. Bush by just two points, while John Kerry would lose again by one point. Moreover, the current Democracy Corps poll gives Democrats just 48% of the congressional ballots -- exactly the same percentages that Gore and Kerry received against Bush. As Stan Greenberg and James Carville write, "Democrats are leaving a lot of votes on the table."

snip

The authors trip themselves up, however, but insisting Dems need to focus on "values" (ie Guns, God 'n Gays) to win voters - right wing bs for sure.

Dems will only dig themselves deeper into trouble unless they start a serious effort to educate voters about real issues and Bush's failures.

[belle]

44. I think Dean has the right idea. The "third force" has to be us.

We can't count on an as-yet undefined third party to come save us (or damn us). We have the passion and commitment to the root values that's needed within the Democratic party. It's just not currently represented enough in our Congresscritters and other elected reps. That can and has to change.

[npincus]

35. Dr. Kavorkian! Next patient!

[Javaman]

36. capital is like money and a fool and his money are soon parted...

moron never had any capital to begin with, real or imagined, however, if he believed that he had some monopoly money, well, he pissed it all away.

Then there is the old adage, "don't spend it all in one place". Again, if moron* had really accumulated any funny money, he spent it all on iraq.

that's kind of his mantra isn't it? piss and wish.

colossal racist paranoid failure*.

[Joanne98]

37. Katrina was the "tipping point".. Murkins got to see Katrina/Iraq.....

On a split screen in their heads. The light bulbs came on.. It's all downhill from here. Pray Rove is indicted....Murkins will see 9/11/Iraq/Plame and the bulbs will go off again. Bad intell? Or bad people!!!!!

[quaoar]

38. Too early to do a victory dance and declare Bush finished

He'll find a way to pull something out of his ass.

Watch what happens to the poll numbers if Osama bin Laden is captured or if there's another terror attack.

It'll be rally round the flag once again.

A lot of these people who now say they now disapprove of Bush voted for him before. It wouldn't take much for some of them to fall back in love with him -- sort of like an abused spouse forgiving and making excuses for the abuser.

[Career Prole]

39. They mention those very occurrences, and say even that

probably won't help...

Even a big news story -- be it the capture of Osama bin Laden, or another terrorist strike --probably won’t help Bush that much. A recent Gallup poll, for example, finds 55% believing Bin Laden will likely be captured or killed. This finding suggests that the public may have already accounted for this event. Still, were this to happen, Bush’s support would rise. Yet, each time something positive has happened to Bush, his opinion "bounce" has gotten smaller. For example, prior to Saddam Hussein’s capture, Bush received 50% approval; afterwards, his support rose to just 55%. Another spectacular terrorist attack is also unlikely to produce a reprise of the post-September 11th "let’s-rally-round-the-president" phenomenon. Rather, any assault would renew cries of the nation’s unpreparedness -- a criticism that has special resonance following Hurricane Katrina.


Nah...he's toast. Pull that plug.

[Hissyspit]

43. Darn those college professors...

Always professing to know stuff! Like facts and history and how to analyze and stuff.

/facetiousness

[bluedawg12]

41. The conservapig movement will not end with shrub

they will dump him and move on and say that their ideas are right but that shurb was not up to doing things properly.

I am concerned about the man that comes after shrub.

[Hissyspit]

42. The political capital was an illusion, arrogantly stated as not.

It was a matter of time before the facts forced themselves to the surface, revealing the illusion as what it was.

[Neil Lisst]

46. so much for his political capital

The silly bastard couldn't find oil in Texas in the 1980s.

He couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat.



http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst/