The Washington Post/ABC News poll is out tonight, and the results are pretty good.
President Bush's job approval has risen to 43%, and his disapproval has fallen to 55%. These are the strongest numbers for the President since the beginning of the year. One has to wonder what news out of Iraq today will do to these numbers. Moreover, if President Bush is at 43% among registered voters, one has to wonder where he is with likely voters.
On the generic congressional ballot, the Democrats lead Republicans 51% to 45%. This is a huge swing from the previous poll which had Democrats up 14 points and the Newsweek poll released yesterday which had Democrats up double digits. This is the best number for the Republicans thus far in this poll this entire cycle.
There has been improvement on the right direction/wrong direction numbers, from 32% to 39%.
Republicans and Democrats are tied on Iraq, each party with 42%. This compares to a large Democrat lead on this most important issue in the previous two polls. 44% believe the war was worth fighting, the best number in this poll all year.
Obviously, it has been a very tough two years for the Grand Old Party which has now won 3 elections in a row and is seeking a fourth consecutive election victory, a feat unprecedented in the history of the party. However, this poll should inspire all Republicans to work even harder.
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Comments (5)
I linked to Jim Geraghty's ... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Jim Addison | November 5, 2006 3:11 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I linked to Jim Geraghty's report on these numbers in this post.
It should be noted that the GOP win streak is "unprecedented" in your lifetime and mine, but Republicans had dominated Congress from 1860 to 1930, a period roughly equally the Democratic dominance from 1932-1994.
The point is that American political trends tend to be of very long term. Before Lincoln, the Democratic Republicans had held sway since 1800.
So, even if Democrats were to seize control of the House or Senate this year, it would be of no more lasting significance than the Republican Congresses of the late '40s and early '50s. The country has been turning more conservative since the Vietnam War, very slowly and incrementally, but equally as surely.
The GOP may be punished by dissatisfied voters from time to time, but the modern Democratic Party is far out of step with where the mainstream of America is and where it is headed.
1. Posted by Jim Addison | November 5, 2006 3:11 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 5, 2006 03:11
2. Posted by Lloyd | November 5, 2006 2:01 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I think the newsies are aware of the internal Party polling that shows the GOP keeping both Houses. So they are spending the last couple of days before the election releasing polls showing the Democrat lead shrinking. Alas for them that they don't have enough time to release the accurate polls that show the GOP has been in the lead all along.
What counts lately in American politics is the turnout rate on the Right. The GOP has been saving its huge lead in spending money for that effort, which gets no benefit from TV ads and polls until the last week or so before election day. Suddenly here are the speeches, here are the ads, here are the calls, here are the Democrats being shown doing stupid things and saying worse things. And 'suddenly' the media polls swing into line with the Party polling.
2. Posted by Lloyd | November 5, 2006 2:01 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 5, 2006 14:01
3. Posted by Scrapiron | November 5, 2006 2:09 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Lloyd, you don't think the antique MSM has been lying do you? Actually if all liars fell dead today there wouldn't be one person standing in most news (sic) rooms.
3. Posted by Scrapiron | November 5, 2006 2:09 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 5, 2006 14:09
4. Posted by Nick | November 5, 2006 9:54 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Wow. Bush is up to 43% approval. 43% rating for a wartime president.... Not exactly setting the bar high are we?
4. Posted by Nick | November 5, 2006 9:54 PM |
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Posted on November 5, 2006 21:54
5. Posted by daveinboca | November 6, 2006 2:16 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The Dem intelligentsia begins to wring their hands as the polls tighten up. The dervishes on the Lamestream Media twirl and spin and whirl their huckster Dem snake oil cures. All for naught?
In the end, it's the voter who counts and is counted.
Just for laughs, The New Republic has this nugget on the polling:
Yeah, that's the ticket! But then again, aren't Republicans in bed so early that the phone remains unanswered!
BWAHAHAHAHA!
By the same token, might not "more liberal people" be strung out on drugs and alcohol this Tuesday and forget or neglect to go to the polls?
5. Posted by daveinboca | November 6, 2006 2:16 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on November 6, 2006 14:16