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I have not been political on my blog but I want to bring out a good point. I know that President Bush is not too well liked at the present time and I also know that the most vocal groups are the Congress and the Presidential candidates. Seeing that the three front runners are all seated Senators, let us take a look at the Congress' approval ratings. According to the latest Gallup Poll conducted Jan. 4 - 6 finds, "32% of
Americans approving of the job Bush is doing as president and a mere
23% approving of the job Congress is doing. The previous figures were
32% and 22%, respectively." It kind of makes you wonder what the slogan "vote the change" really means.

What brought this up was an article in Saturday's Washington Post, page A2, titled, "Bush's Little Lovefest." I quote, " President Bush's approval rating has sunk to such depths - a new Associated Press poll found it at a record-low 30 percent - that he could just about fit all of his supporters into one room." If that is the case, Congress could fit all it's supporters into one room with room left over. I'm not trying to judge if Bush has done a good or bad job - I am judging the Post and calling for fair and honest reporting. As a person with a degree in Journalism I was taught to report the facts and leave the opinions to the editorial page. There are times I think that the entire newspaper is just a press release from some candidate, special interest group or political party.

This is my two cents. Be careful. Trust no press release, candidate, political pundant or paper. Look behind the numbers and facts then make your own decision. The marketing people of both political parties will try to sell you their candidate like a tube of toothpaste.

I included the entire Gallup article so you could read it for yourself. Enjoy!

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January 10, 2008

No Improvement in Job Scores for Bush or Congress

Approval ratings hold steady at previous levels from December
by Lydia Saad
PRINCETON,
NJ -- Public approval ratings of President George W. Bush and the
United States Congress haven't budged from their most recent December
readings. Both figures continue to be extraordinarily weak, approaching
historical low points in Gallup trends. While President Bush at least
enjoys majority support from members of his own Republican Party,
disapproval of Congress is a bipartisan affair. The
Democratic-controlled Congress is rated no better by Democrats than it
is by Republicans.

Gallup's latest national poll, conducted Jan. 4-6, finds 32% of
Americans approving of the job Bush is doing as president and a mere
23% approving of the job Congress is doing. The previous figures were
32% and 22%, respectively.

More generally, Bush's approval rating has bobbed between 31% and
34% for almost the entire period from May 2007 through today, averaging
33%. It fell outside this range only three times: 29% in July (the
lowest reading of Bush's presidency), 36% in September, and 37% in
early December. It averaged a slightly higher 35% in the first few
months of 2007.

Over the same period, Congress' approval has varied between 18%
(tied for the lowest congressional approval in Gallup records) and 29%,
although it has consistently been on the low end of that range since
November.

Republicans Back Bush

Three-quarters of Republicans (76%) currently approve of Bush's job
performance, compared with 20% of independents and 7% of Democrats.

Support for Bush among Republicans today is comparable to what it
was a year ago, when Bush's overall approval rating averaged 36%: 75%
of Republicans approved of the job he was doing in January 2007 and 76%
approve today. His minimal support among Democrats also hasn't changed.
However, among independents, Bush's approval is lower today than it was
a year ago: now 20%, down from 29%.

Republican approval of Bush dipped below 70% in two surveys in July
2007 -- possibly a symptom of Republican disagreement with Bush's
support for the comprehensive immigration reform bill that died in
Congress in late June.

He has clearly recovered from that period, but is still less well
rated by members of his party than he was for much of the period from
the beginning of his presidency in 2001 through about 2005.

Democrats Not Boosting Congress' Ratings

Despite the Democratic majority in Congress, rank-and-file Democrats
are not nearly as supportive of the job Congress is doing as
Republicans are of the job the Republican president is doing. Only 27%
of Democrats currently approve of the job Congress is doing, nearly
identical to the percentage of Republicans saying the same. A smaller
number of independents approve (16%).

Congress enjoyed a slight boost in approval from Democrats in the
first few months after taking control of Congress last year. From about
February through July 2007, more Democrats than Republicans approved of
the job Congress was doing. However, since August, ratings of Congress
by members of the two parties have generally been similar.

Bush receives a higher approval rating than Congress from most major
societal groups. The notable exceptions are young adults (aged 18 to
29) and groups that tend to be more Democratic in party affiliation,
including residents of the East, West, and low-income households.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,023 national
adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Jan. 4-6, 2008. For results based
on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence
that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

For results based on the sample of 423 Republicans or Republican
leaners, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±5 percentage points.

For results based on the sample of 499 Democrats or Democratic
leaners, the maximum margin of sampling error is ±5 percentage points.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical
difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the
findings of public opinion polls.