by Mark Silva
This would appear to be a summer of discontent with Washington, according to a Pew Research Center poll pegging the president’s job approval at under 30 percent and public approval for the Democratic leaders of Congress running little better.
Public approval for President Bush’s performance registered at 29 percent in the new Pew poll, with approval for congressional leadership running at 33 percent.
Public opposition to the war in Iraq is holding firm, with 53 percent saying the U.S. made the wrong decision in going to war and 59 percent saying it is not going well. By a margin of 49 to 43 percent, the public now says the U.S. will fail, rather than succeed, in its goals in Iraq. And 63 percent say they would like to see their representative in Congress vote for a bill that calls for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq next year.
Yet, Congress it seems, still has a certain reservoir of public patience. While most disapprove of the job its leaders are doing, a full 50 percent of those surveyed say they are glad that Democrats are in control, according to the survey of 1,503 people conducted July 25-29 by the independent, Washington-based institute.
A lot of people are paying attention to the next presidential election as well, the survey has found, with 40 percent saying they have seen some of the candidate debates that have been aired on television, with 47 percent of the viewers saying they have been “fun to watch’’ and 66 percent saying they have been helpful in deciding whom to support. More Democrats (81 percent) than Republicans (55 percent00 say the debates have been helpful.
Among Democrats surveyed, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York holds a nearly two-to-one advantage over Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in this survey – with 40 percent of registered Democrats and independents who lean Democrat siding with Clinton and 21 percent Obama. Al Gore, who says he isn’t running, claims 12 percent, and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, who says he is running, claims 11 percent.
Clinton held a more “modest’’ advantage over Obama in Pew’s April survey –34 to 24 percent. Since then, Pew reports, support for the former First Lady has grown most among independent Democrats, liberals and moderates, college graduates, middle-aged and older voters. Who does that leave? Young people.
Among Republicans, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has lost some of the advantage which he held over other candidates since Pew last polled, in April.
Giuliani is the choice of 27 percent in the new Pew survey, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson 18 percent, Sen. John McCain of Arizona 16 percent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney 10 percent. In April, Pew found that Giuliani had 32 percent, McCain 23, Thompson 10 and Romney 8 percent.
For this and much more contained in the new Pew survey, see the lengthy report on the poll.
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Comments
At some point soon, Hillary will cease being a candidate and will become a president in waiting. And I'm no fan of hers. But Giuliani is the only Republican who comes close to being able to beat her and by the time the public digests some of his financial and personnel decisions since he became a private citizen, it'll be all over.
Unfortunately for Obama, the youth vote can't save him. Youths are notoriously
less likely to vote. And he won't be able to recover from invading Pakistan and meeting with dictators and a save-the-world foreign policy a la Bush-Cheney. Talk about Hillary being Bush Cheney light. Cheney could have written Obama's foreign policy speech. Somebody in the campaign really blew it. Or maybe he did.
Posted by: Helena | August 3, 2007 8:36 AM
Mark,
We've been hearing this for a while, and still you'll see regulars in this post defend Bush policies ...
Posted by: Roger B. | August 3, 2007 9:39 AM
From a recent poll the "Swamp" hasn't mentioned, UPI/Zogby:
"Just 24% give the president favorable ratings of his performance in handling the war in Iraq, but confidence in Congress is significantly worse – only 3% give Congress positive marks for how it has handled the war. This lack of confidence in Congress cuts across all ideologies."
Awful marks for the Democrat Congress.
And note in the article above how the usually Obama-centric "Swamp" tried to bury the bad news for St. Barack in this poll: that his support among Dems is dipping, and that he's 19% BEHIND Clinton. We all know that if the Pew poll results showed Obama gaining on Hillary, that would have been the headline.
Posted by: Bruce | August 3, 2007 9:53 AM
"Public approval for President Bush’s performance registered at 29 percent in the new Pew poll, with approval for congressional leadership running at 33 percent."
Americans approve of Congress at a higher rate than they approve of Bush? Boy, that's really gonna upset Bruce, John D & Paulo!
Posted by: BC | August 3, 2007 10:33 AM
I am so sick and tired of this congress I can't tell you. Since the Dems took over nothing has been accommplished because thats what they want.The Dems tied the Presidents' hands by starting all these frivolous investigations.And the congress that was in power before did nothing that they could write home about.
Posted by: Paul Jaeger | August 3, 2007 11:06 AM
Wouldn't it be great to hold national elections and have ONLY candidates who are not running for re-election? While radical, 100% turnover of the Senate and House might just be the fresh start we need to eliminate the intrenched special interests on all sides.
Posted by: snalg | August 3, 2007 11:32 AM
Brucie:
Only you could bring up Obama in a story that had NOTHING to do with the elections.
But speaking of polls, I notice you have not mentioned the latest ones that show both Obama AND Hillary leading Giuliani.
As for the bad marks for Congress, the Dems have only been in power for 6 months. What about the 6 YEARS before that when the GOP was in charge?
Posted by: BobinATL | August 3, 2007 11:56 AM
I love how deadender chickenhawks like Bruce take solace in the fact that Congress's approval is less than Bush's. First off, as pseudo-historian Bruce should be able to tell you, it has been a constant that even unpopular presidents poll better than Congress, and that even though people "hate Congress," they still keep electing the same Congresspeople.
The big thing that Bruce and others seem intent on missing or ignoring is that the public is upset with Congress because THEY AREN'T DOING ENOUGH TO STOP THE WAR AND GOP OBSTRUCTIONISM. I don't see how a Republican takes heart in the fact that the public is upset because the Democrats have not done enough to undo the GOP agenda.
Posted by: Bryan | August 3, 2007 12:56 PM
Paul,
Would you like to list what got done in Congress the last 6 years other than "rubber stamping" every Bush initiative? If you paid attention, you will see that the Republicans are blocking every Democratic initiative introduced. The Senate has been obstructing all year. The Bush administration is a disgrace and blaming a Democratic majority Congress is a non-starter. The disappointment I have for Congress is that the House has not initiated Impeachment proceedings.
Posted by: Tim | August 3, 2007 1:24 PM
The Bush administration is a disgrace and blaming a Democratic majority Congress is a non-starter. The disappointment I have for Congress is that the House has not initiated Impeachment proceedings.
Posted by: Tim | August 3, 2007 1:24 PM
Amen!!!
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | August 3, 2007 4:44 PM
Zogby's poll today shows 96 percent DISAPPROVAL of the Congress' handling of the war. Those polled include Democrats, Independents, Republicans and a few hamsters. And for those who like the term "chickenhawks," the prey of those birds are chickens...and from the poll above, it's easy to see who the chickens are.
Posted by: Beaufort | August 3, 2007 5:44 PM
"Just 24% give the president favorable ratings of his performance in handling the war in Iraq, but confidence in Congress is significantly worse – only 3% give Congress positive marks for how it has handled the war."
Brucey - the D's have only been in charge for six motnths, versus all those years for the republitards. They have lees to show because they have had less time to do anything, and every time they try, republicrites or earboy blocks or vetoes.
And maybe, JUST MAYBE, the low approval ratings for the way Congress has handled the war is because THEY HAVEN'T GOTTEN A WITHDRAWAL PLAN OR SCHEDULE YET! I know that's affecting my view of Congress.
Posted by: snitramc | August 3, 2007 6:04 PM
The term "chickenhawk" when referring to our current "leadership" [sic] does not mean some type of real hawk, but a chicken posing in fake hawk feathers.
Posted by: Rick | August 4, 2007 6:38 PM