| Author |
Message |
Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
|
 Thu Jun 15, 2006 12:59 pm Bush Approval Rating Up |
|
Just as Kyle Reese and I predicted...
| Quote: | 06/15/06 FOX News Poll: Victories in Iraq, Bush Approval Up
NEW YORK � A new FOX News poll finds that Americans overwhelmingly see Iraq finalizing its government as a victory -- and most see the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi that way as well. President George W. Bush�s job approval rating is out of the thirties for the first time since February and currently stands at 40 percent. In addition, there is widespread confidence the military will fully investigate allegations U.S. troops killed several civilians in Haditha, and a clear majority thinks almost all U.S. troops are treating Iraqi people with respect.
Read more at FoxNews.com.
With the formation of the government, the successful killing of Zarqawi, and all the intelligence, terrorists, and other things resulting from the nearly 500 raids that have occurred, is this really a surprise? Not to me, and I expect his approval ratings to continue to rise if the good news keeps on coming, so long as the media can't deceive the American people by focussing too much on Haditha. |
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
|
|
|
TrekkieMage
Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 5335
Location: Hiding
|
| Sat Jun 17, 2006 2:59 pm |
|
From Fox News, not terribly surprising. Has any other news source supported these numbers?
|
|
|
CJ Cregg
Commodore
Joined: 05 Oct 2002
Posts: 1254
|
|
|
TrekkieMage
Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 5335
Location: Hiding
|
| Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:26 pm |
|
| CJ Cregg wrote: | http://pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm
All the latest opinion polls on approval. |
Thank you. It looks like Fox's numbers are slightly out of sync with the others. It could just be a temporary bump in numbers, but it doesn't look like it's sticking. CNN has him three points down from Fox's. But no matter what way you look at it he's still in the 30s which is not good. The last time he was solidly in the 40s was in Feb/March.
|
|
|
Kyle Reese
Cadet Gunnery Sergeant
Joined: 21 Apr 2003
Posts: 5672
Location: The United States of America
|
| Sat Jun 17, 2006 4:09 pm |
|
I always check Rasmussen, strangely there's no noticable boost there. And the left thinks it's biased, pfft.
|
|
|
Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
|
| Sat Jun 17, 2006 5:03 pm |
|
| TrekkieMage wrote: | | CJ Cregg wrote: | http://pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm
All the latest opinion polls on approval. |
Thank you. It looks like Fox's numbers are slightly out of sync with the others. It could just be a temporary bump in numbers, but it doesn't look like it's sticking. CNN has him three points down from Fox's. But no matter what way you look at it he's still in the 30s which is not good. The last time he was solidly in the 40s was in Feb/March. |
But CNN also had a 5 point boost as well, which says something on its own about what kind of a boost there was 
But regardless, he's rising up in the eyes of public opinion. I believe he's definitely at around 40% and that he'll be continuing to rise if he continues to strengthen on illegal immigration and if Iraq continues to get even better.
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
|
|
|
TrekkieMage
Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 5335
Location: Hiding
|
| Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:46 pm |
|
A boost, yes, but Bush still isn't solidly in the 40s. I think a lot is hinging on this upcoming election. We still have an entire summer for things to happen, and with Congress all twitchy over November, Bush may have a harder time getting things done. And then depending on how the Republicans fare Bush's rating could easily falter or climb.
I'm not saying the poll is completely inaccurate, I just hesitate to think that it means he's out of the storm just yet. He's still got two more years.
|
|
|
Kyle Reese
Cadet Gunnery Sergeant
Joined: 21 Apr 2003
Posts: 5672
Location: The United States of America
|
| Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:08 pm |
|
Right, but I don't think we've seen the end of this "boost" yet. We've still got 2 huge offensives in Iraq and Afghanistan going on, not to mention there are still more raids going on in Iraq. Who knows how much damage we can inflict on the enemy before the election? 
|
|
|
TrekkieMage
Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 5335
Location: Hiding
|
| Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:15 pm |
|
| Kyle Reese wrote: | | Right, but I don't think we've seen the end of this "boost" yet. We've still got 2 huge offensives in Iraq and Afghanistan going on, not to mention there are still more raids going on in Iraq. Who knows how much damage we can inflict on the enemy before the election? |
So, damage = boost in approval rating?
Last time I checked doing good for the American people (well, immediate good anyways) did a better job at that. Hence why I'm a bit cynical about the approval rating. I feel like Bush is spending too much time overseas and not enough time focusing on the problems here at home. And yes we do have problems. Beginning with schools, roads, homelessness, and more. I'm not saying Bush is the only one to have not taken enough action. If that were the case than there wouldn't be much to fix.
I apologize for the mildly pessimistic tone of the post, I'm really tired and kind of freaking out about this week
|
|
|
Kyle Reese
Cadet Gunnery Sergeant
Joined: 21 Apr 2003
Posts: 5672
Location: The United States of America
|
| Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:27 pm |
|
Lol yeah, the more damage we inflict on Al Qaeda/Al Qaeda in Iraq the more confidence there will be regarding the war. Iraq is the #1 issue dragging down Bush's approval rating thanks to the media. If Iraq becomes even more stable than it already is with barely any violence then what's left to complain about? Plus, it would seem that since the killing of Zarqawi isn't perceived as a major victory by a majority of Americans, perhaps an offensive in Afghanistan (which, according to some on the left, is the only real front in the war on terror) will help. I don't believe that fixing roads or what have you will do nearly as much good.
|
|
|
La Forge
Bajoran Colonel
Joined: 16 Feb 2006
Posts: 2125
Location: Babylon 5
|
| Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:34 pm |
|
Well...If you say that fixing roads...something that directly involves the American people and helps improve their lives, something that Bush should care a great deal about, (the PEOPLE. I don't care what you say, but, I don't give a damn about Iraq, right now. I care about our country and I would appreciate if Bush would spend a little more time fixing problems WITHIN our own country.), well...that's bad...
Sorry...Democrat speaking. Just disregard what I'm saying. I don't want to get into an argument, seeing as I am too tired at the moment...
-------signature-------
You'll never hear me say this again in my life, but...
Go Red Sox!
|
|
|
Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
|
| Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:11 am |
|
TrekkieMage, of course your pessimistic about the polls. Not only are you a liberal, but you don't like Bush. I know how difficult it is for you to stomach an increase in the polls for the President, so don't sweat it
La Forge, Iraq is a key issue on people's minds right now. Bush's presidency is all but entirely invested in it as well, and it's pretty much dependent on success there. People look to Iraq more than any other issue, I believe, to truly shape their opinion of the president. Yes, illegal immigration and gas prices are huge issues on people's minds, but everyone's wondering when we're gonna get out of Iraq, what success is, etc. etc.
If there are good things coming from Iraq that definitely boosts the President's poll numbers, as we have seen. And if the good news keeps on rolling out from Iraq (and Afghanistan) that will bring up his favorability rating, because people will see more and more good coming from and worth in the Iraq policy.
As to fixing roads, that's not a job of the federal government, I believe, and it shouldn't be. Roads are fine here. In fact, we're having a whole pavement done nearby one of our SuperTargets. I don't think the American people care about roads--well, not that, but they don't care about it NEARLY as much as they do the other issues, like Iraq. I don't even think most Americans believe that roads are the responsibility of the federal government.
Poll after poll shows that these are the issues people care more about: Iraq, illegal immigration, gas prices, education, the economy, terrorism, and the deficit. Those are the issues on people's minds, more than anything else. Yes, we need focus on issues within our country, but without success in Iraq and more of our focus on defense we won't have to worry about what's going on inside our country. That is to say, defense needs to be our top priority, and that includes Iraq. Otherwise we won't have any concern about roads and what have you. It will be irrelivant because of all the terrorist attacks, etc. we'll have here.
I'm convinced that if more and more success is made and revealed--more importantly--to the American public, and if the President continues his upswing on illegal immigration (which is still minor at this point), and if the economy continues to improve with the good news getting out there, and if the deficit continues to shrink, we'll see quite an upsurge in his approval rating over the next few months.
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
|
|
|
TrekkieMage
Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 5335
Location: Hiding
|
| Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:22 pm |
|
| Republican_Man wrote: | | TrekkieMage, of course your pessimistic about the polls. Not only are you a liberal, but you don't like Bush. I know how difficult it is for you to stomach an increase in the polls for the President, so don't sweat it |
It's not that. I'm frustrated about the lack of progress over the past 15/20 years or so. So I'm not ticked that his approval rating is up. If his ratings are up, his ratings are up. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks/months/years. I'm still not satisfied with his attention to the situation in America right now -- and I know the media has focused a lot on Iraq. And it's not just Bush. It's Congress and the general attitude in D.C.
The problem as I see it is that America as a whole has gotten used to the idea of being better than the rest of the world, so we stopped working our butts off to stay better. Now the rest of the world is catching up and our infrastructure is eroding and we still think we're on top of the world.
It isn't just Bush and his approval rating. It's a mentality and a fear of admitting we are doing something wrong. What we really need to do is just grit our teeth, say we screwed up, and fix it. But that can't happen until we're all on the same page.
It's a bit beyond just numbers and ratings, but I will not think of anyone as a near-great/great president until they work on the overall picture.
|
|
|
Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
|
| Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:20 pm |
|
What are we doing wrong? What I see us as doing wrong is spending too much and not dealing with illegal immigration. What else is there? I won't admit that we're doing anything wrong, as a country, because I don't see it. I have an entirely different perspective from you. I don't see where you're drawing your conclusions because, I suppose, I look at the world in a whole different perspective from you. That could come from our living conditions. That could come from our political backgrounds. I don't know what it is, but I don't see things in any way like you do.
For one, I don't see American infrastructure on the verge of collapse. I see it on the upswing, not on the downswing. I still believe America is the best country in the world and do not believe that we are going down. Even with other countries catching up we're still on the top, and I think there is ample reason to believe that.
I think the focus on inside America could be better, with regards to illegal immigration and government spending and education, but otherwise I don't see us putting too little focus on the inside of the United States. Barring those three things I think the federal government is putting the appropriate amount of focus on our country itself. Our primary focus should be on fighting terrorism abroad anyways; otherwise we'll have a situation where, as I said before, we won't have to worry about our infrastructure.
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
|
|
|
TrekkieMage
Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 5335
Location: Hiding
|
| Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:44 pm |
|
| Republican_Man wrote: | What are we doing wrong? What I see us as doing wrong is spending too much and not dealing with illegal immigration. What else is there? I won't admit that we're doing anything wrong, as a country, because I don't see it. I have an entirely different perspective from you. I don't see where you're drawing your conclusions because, I suppose, I look at the world in a whole different perspective from you. That could come from our living conditions. That could come from our political backgrounds. I don't know what it is, but I don't see things in any way like you do.
For one, I don't see American infrastructure on the verge of collapse. I see it on the upswing, not on the downswing. I still believe America is the best country in the world and do not believe that we are going down. Even with other countries catching up we're still on the top, and I think there is ample reason to believe that.
I think the focus on inside America could be better, with regards to illegal immigration and government spending and education, but otherwise I don't see us putting too little focus on the inside of the United States. Barring those three things I think the federal government is putting the appropriate amount of focus on our country itself. Our primary focus should be on fighting terrorism abroad anyways; otherwise we'll have a situation where, as I said before, we won't have to worry about our infrastructure. |
Okay, 'on the verge of collapse' was an exageration, but it doen't mean we're doing fine. I see your point on the roads, but gas prices, education, the economy, and the deficit are within the National governments ability to change in the long run. They don't have direct control over all of it, but they have heavy influence.
1. They could do a more forceful job weaning America off of oil (bio desel anyone?), we're moving but far too slowly for our own good. This would do two things: overhaul our failing auto industry and lessen our dependancy on oil.
2. Education. Every teacher I've talked to about the No Child Left Behind act either laughs or is outraged. Testing isn't the only solution, and that's all we're doing. There are schools that don't have enough money to buy textbooks. There are schools whose buildings are falling apart around them. Schools where teachers don't feel safe. I live in an upper middle class neighborhood right near D.C. and have heard first person stories. It's not pretty. I actually have a great article written by someone named Kozel (probably butchered his name) that's buried in my locker that I can dig up and find an online copy of.
3. Economy. They could do something about outsourcing jobs and creating jobs. Beyond that I don't think they can do too much else. But I could easily be wrong.
4. Deficit. This is a simple one. Budget properly. This is actually Congress's job, but the President can propose a budget (I think). I think that we need to (for financial reasons, not moral/personal beliefs) pull out of as much military combat as possible. It's sypening money away from programs that need it. Like say...the schools. We should also temporaryl raise taxes rather than cut them. The initial reaction will be poor to this, but when the deficit begins to disapate and the quality of schools and services begin to improve the reaction will improve. Taxes are the price of civilization.
That was a really long rant that probably didn't belong here. If the mods disapprove I can move it.
|
|
|
Lord Borg
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 27 May 2003
Posts: 11214
Location: Vulcan Capital City, Vulcan
|
| Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:50 pm |
|
The rant is ok by my book TM Many good points, and in a way IS on topic, as working on this stuff WOULD help bushes approval rating AND make people happy
I whole heartedly agree on you're arguments. Especialy Number one. We have the technology NOW to do this sort of thing, WHY are we waiting? And no, I don't wanna hear incentitives and what not, it could be costly to make alternative fuel cars at first, but the money you would make ulttimatly, would be far, far worth it.
|
|
|
Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
|
| Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:57 pm |
|
Why are we waiting? Because of the laws of supply and demand. There is not enough demand for the supply, and therefore businesses aren't cracking out more and more products. There's no reason for them to. The government should not force the businesses to change, as it's not their job nor within their rights. Therefore I'm not that mad at the government and get annoyed when people like Bill O'Reilly act like it's the government's responsibility to change the technologies people use and businesses implement.
I'll concede to you that we need the government to do what they can to expedite the implementation of new technologies and production of products using those technologies, but I don't think that you can shut out incentives and whatnot. That's the only way to do it--to help give businesses reasons to implement new technologies. There's no other way to do it in a capitalist society.
I do agree, though, that if the President did give a bit more attention to other issues on people's minds inside America it would help him out. But when it comes to technology, there's only so much the government can--and should--do.
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
|
|
|
Puck
The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004
Posts: 5596
|
| Sun Jun 18, 2006 4:04 pm |
|
Unless things drastically change in the future, I think the US has reached its peak.
As for Bush's approval rating...it goes up, down, back up and down...it really doesn't matter. It would be nice though if he would work more diligently on some social issues though.
|
|
|
TrekkieMage
Office Junkie
Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 5335
Location: Hiding
|
| Sun Jun 18, 2006 8:35 pm |
|
| Republican_Man wrote: | Why are we waiting? Because of the laws of supply and demand. There is not enough demand for the supply, and therefore businesses aren't cracking out more and more products. There's no reason for them to. The government should not force the businesses to change, as it's not their job nor within their rights. Therefore I'm not that mad at the government and get annoyed when people like Bill O'Reilly act like it's the government's responsibility to change the technologies people use and businesses implement.
I'll concede to you that we need the government to do what they can to expedite the implementation of new technologies and production of products using those technologies, but I don't think that you can shut out incentives and whatnot. That's the only way to do it--to help give businesses reasons to implement new technologies. There's no other way to do it in a capitalist society.
I do agree, though, that if the President did give a bit more attention to other issues on people's minds inside America it would help him out. But when it comes to technology, there's only so much the government can--and should--do. |
The government can offer incentives as well and not technically force the auto companies to do anything. There can be a special tax on any automobiles that are under a certain fuel milage (25 mpg seems a reasonable cut off to me), and they can offer more perks to people who purchace cars with with fuel efficiencies say...over 35mpg. This wouldn't be forcing change, but it would be highly encouraging it.
That would be helping the auto industries along without forcing them, and it's perfectly reasonable considering today's standards. But we aren't doing it. Why? My dad would claim it's a conspiracy between the big auto companies, the oil companies, and the government
|
|
|
Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
|
| Sun Jun 18, 2006 8:43 pm |
|
lol. Well, while I agree with the merits of forcing while not forcing businesses to improve, the only increase in taxes I would support would be a tax on cigarretes, but that's it.
What I do agree with you on, however, is giving benefits to consumers that purchase such vehicles. I also believe in tax incentives for businesses and research organizations that research and implement new technologies. That is the way to go when it comes to the government. Rewards for things always gives businesses ample reason to improve, and I think that that's the way to go.
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
Star Trek �, in all its various forms, are trademarks & copyrights of Paramount Pictures
This site has no official connection with Star Trek or Paramount Pictures
Site content/Site design elements owned by Morphy and is meant to only be an archive/Tribute to STV.com
|
Search
FAQ
Log in
