I read this headline this morning and was a bit skeptical.
Bush Poll Ratings Before Speech Fall to Nixon’s Level
Then I read the article:
President George W. Bush’s approval ratings are now the lowest for any president the day before a State of the Union speech since Richard Nixon in 1974, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said they disapprove of how Bush is handling his job as president while 33 percent approve. The rating matches Bush’s career low in a May 2006 poll.
Seventy-one percent of Americans said the country is on the wrong track, up from 46 percent in an April 2003 poll, the month after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. A majority of those polled this month don’t approve of how Bush is handling the Iraq war, terrorism or the economy.
And I became even more skeptical.
And guess what? My skepticism was justified. Take a look at who ABC/WaPo polled:
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And
Hmmmm, so they oversampled Democrats by 22 points! 22 friggin points people.
And there is no bias there?
UPDATE
It’s kind of curious that Howard Dean uses this obviously biased poll to ask for donations with his email today:
Dear Xxxxxxx,
This president’s approval ratings have sunk to levels unseen since Richard Nixon.
That’s right — going into his State of the Union speech, George Bush’s popularity matches the Republican who became so deeply and universally disliked that he resigned from office. Americans have had it with this president.
So today, I want to talk to you about the next President.
You may not know everything about all the Democratic candidates yet. But let me assure you of one thing: building on our success in 2006 and continuing to grow the Democratic operation everywhere this year is absolutely critical to ensuring that a Democrat wins in 2008.
The media and the Democrats walking hand in hand.
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