Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Poll Stuff
I heard, in two distinct news reports yesterday, that Bush has had a "bump up" in the polls. Both reports gave a cautiously upbeat report on improvement in Bush numbers.

Of course, the reality is slightly different:
A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds President Bush's approval rating at 37%, dipping slighly from two weeks ago. However, the percentage of Americans who say the president has "a clear plan for handling the situation in Iraq" has dropped to 31%, a new low.

Meanwhile, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll shows Bush's approval rating at 38%. "But the survey offered some hopeful signs for Bush and the Republicans as they prepare for the midterm elections. The big advantage that Democrats held on virtually every major issue has narrowed or reversed."

However, in the generic congressional ballot, Democrats continue to hold an advantage with 52% saying they'll vote for a Democratic congressional candidate and 39% saying they'll vote Republican.
I don't know this for sure, but I'd be willing to bet that all the numbers cited above are within the margin of error since the previous poll. If so, nothing has really changed in the public perception. But it is summer, and the news flunkies have to try and find something. What they really need is a good "missing white woman story" to spice up the summer for the interns left covering the news desks.

As far as polls. I'm not taking any polling very seriously. Summertime polls are notoriously volatile and unrealiable as voters are on "summer vacation". Polling done after Labor Day should begin to get interesting in terms of the midterm elections. And god only knows what havoc Bush will have wrought by then.
Written at 9:15 AM by Greyhair.
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