Bush popularity at record low

[dalegg 143]

i wonder how history will record this administration. my guess it won't be too flattering. i can see it now. old dittoheads will be dying of heartattacks when they read that clinton was a better president than w.

I think it will depend on who's telling the history lesson. If you listen to die hard liberals, Reagan's legacy is that he built up the Nuclear Weapons arsenal to the disastrous levels it is still in and ran up the national debt to the point of no return. If you listen to old dittoheads he is responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union and a record economic period for all Americans.

Not quite. The boardrooms fared unproportionally better than the rank and file. The middle class erosion got a violent shove. It's hardly been a rosy record for ALL Americans.

You think ditto heads would agree with you? Dittohead is the term for someone who agrees step for step with what Rush Limbaugh says. I have never once heard Rush Limbaugh state that during the Reagan years "the middle class erosion got a violent shove"

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Watergate didn't really directly affect the average U.S. citizen

That's arguable really. Might as well say that Bush's continued undemocratic expansion of executive authority doesn't affect the average citizen.

Clinton also lied, but about a personal issue unconnected with his job as president. Certainly that's unprofessional, but it hardly justified the witch-hunt that it generated.

[hafiz 1]

that rush, i USE to love listening to him.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The popularity of these extremist commentators (on both sides) really highlights how polarised public opinion has become in the US. Very little common ground for discussion. As Bush says "You're either with us, or with the terrorists". Very sad really.

[dalegg 143]

Come to think about it, it seems like most presidents in recent times are going to be remembered most predominately for the negative thing that happened during their presidency rather than the successes they had. To me, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of each President:

Kennedy- Assasinated (not success in Cuban Missile crisis)

Johnson- Vietnam (not civil rights)

Nixon- Watergate (not opening up with China)

Ford- Pardoning Nixon (not, well, not being Nixon)

Carter- Iran Hostage Crisis (not helping to broker Israel/Egypt peace)

Reagan- (maybe the other way)- "Tear down that wall" (not the Iran/Contra affair)

Bush 1- "No new taxes"(not the swift victory in Iraq)

Clinton- Monica (not budget surpluses)

Bush W- Iraq

Maybe I'm just a negative-nelly.

[Artegal 1]

Nixon will always be remembered for Watergate.

Carter for Iran Hostgage Crisis

Reagan for Reganomics and the End of Cold War

Bush for Read my Lips

Clinton for Monica's Lips and the Cigar

Bush (Dudya) for Iraq fiasco

So see it does not really matter what the president does as far as governing. The Local (City, County, and State) and Congress controls the government. The president is just a popularity contestant. So if you care what the president does as far as governing you won't really pay attention to popularity polls. But if you do put stock in popularity polls then you need to elect people like George Clooney or Opray Winfrey as your president. Someone that is popular and forget the governing aspects.

[dalegg 143]

But if you do put stock in popularity polls then you need to elect people like George Clooney or Opray Winfrey as your president. Someone that is popular and forget the governing aspects.

You mean someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger?

[kerewin21 2]

Just to prove his "intelligence" I think my favorite part of everything is when he entered Pakistan and stated

#1 they are free

#2 are arabs

hmmmm, im starting to think he was home schooled by texas cows

Yeah, but even the cows were smart enough not to vote for him... unlike half the country

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Just to prove his "intelligence" I think my favorite part of everything is when he entered Pakistan and stated

#1 they are free

#2 are arabs

hmmmm, im starting to think he was home schooled by texas cows

I don't necessarily think its because he (Bush) is necessarily unintelligent. I think he is, however, broadly uneducated as far as the rest of the world is concerned, and he displays it with these embarrassing gaffes that shine the spotlight on his own ignorance.

He goes to all these foreign countries, yet can't differentiate between divergent cultures who just happen to share a religion. For one of the most travelled men in the world, the guy doesn't seem very 'aware'. For my money he gets off the plane never even having touched so much as a Frommers guide.

He gives embarrassing speeches in which he discusses issues he clearly doesn't understand, certainly not to the degree that he could stand in front of people and confidently debate NOT simply orate.

A good businessman (though in Bush's case that assertion is highly arguable) does not a good stateman make...

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

i wonder how history will record this administration. my guess it won't be too flattering. i can see it now. old dittoheads will be dying of heartattacks when they read that clinton was a better president than w.

I think it will depend on who's telling the history lesson. If you listen to die hard liberals, Reagan's legacy is that he built up the Nuclear Weapons arsenal to the disastrous levels it is still in and ran up the national debt to the point of no return. If you listen to old dittoheads he is responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union and a record economic period for all Americans.

Not quite. The boardrooms fared unproportionally better than the rank and file. The middle class erosion got a violent shove. It's hardly been a rosy record for ALL Americans.

You think ditto heads would agree with you? Dittohead is the term for someone who agrees step for step with what Rush Limbaugh says. I have never once heard Rush Limbaugh state that during the Reagan years "the middle class erosion got a violent shove"

Of course dittoheads and their icon would not agree with that. It is supported by fact nonetheless. But then, Rush and his flock have a bit of a troubled relationship with fact...

[I'm Gone 60]

Watergate didn't really directly affect the average U.S. citizen

That's arguable really. Might as well say that Bush's continued undemocratic expansion of executive authority doesn't affect the average citizen.

Clinton also lied, but about a personal issue unconnected with his job as president. Certainly that's unprofessional, but it hardly justified the witch-hunt that it generated.

The breakin of Democrat headquarters and the covering up of that didn't affect the average U.S. citizen and I don't recall that Nixon lied under oath.

[yogib37 3]

Just to prove his "intelligence" I think my favorite part of everything is when he entered Pakistan and stated

#1 they are free

#2 are arabs

hmmmm, im starting to think he was home schooled by texas cows

That is advance education in TX. Now remember tx schools rank 50th in the country.. So maybe a lot of people are home schooled by the cows.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Watergate didn't really directly affect the average U.S. citizen

That's arguable really. Might as well say that Bush's continued undemocratic expansion of executive authority doesn't affect the average citizen.

Clinton also lied, but about a personal issue unconnected with his job as president. Certainly that's unprofessional, but it hardly justified the witch-hunt that it generated.

The breakin of Democrat headquarters and the covering up of that didn't affect the average U.S. citizen and I don't recall that Nixon lied under oath.

Watergate represented an abuse of power that undermined the spirit of broader democratic freedoms. I'd say everyone had an interest in that, just as all USC's have an interest in how much authority the Bush should have to put national security concerns above individual civil liberties. It doesn't affect those who don't care about it - but to be honest everyone should have an interest in how their government operates.

As to lying under oath - I don't condone that, but the issue it concerned was ultimately trivial. Clinton's affair didn't affect anyone - certainly it didn't do much for his public reputation, but politician's having affairs isn't exactly new, and quite frankly it isn't particularly scandalous these days. Ultimately human weakness is easier to forgive than someone who abuses their power for personal gain, and gets other people killed for it.

Edited March 6, 2006 by Fishdude

[I'm Gone 60]

Watergate didn't really directly affect the average U.S. citizen

That's arguable really. Might as well say that Bush's continued undemocratic expansion of executive authority doesn't affect the average citizen.

Clinton also lied, but about a personal issue unconnected with his job as president. Certainly that's unprofessional, but it hardly justified the witch-hunt that it generated.

The breakin of Democrat headquarters and the covering up of that didn't affect the average U.S. citizen and I don't recall that Nixon lied under oath.

Watergate represented an abuse of power that undermined the spirit of broader democratic freedoms. I'd say everyone had an interest in that, just as all USC's have an interest in how much authority the Bush should have to put national security concerns above individual civil liberties. It doesn't affect those who don't care about it - but to be honest everyone should have an interest in how their government operates.

As to lying under oath - I don't condone that, but the issue it concerned was ultimately trivial. Clinton's affair didn't affect anyone - certainly it didn't do much for his public reputation, but politician's having affairs isn't exactly new, and quite frankly it isn't particularly scandalous these days. Ultimately human weakness is easier to forgive than someone who abuses their power for personal gain, and gets other people killed for it.

I still say on the balance Nixon did more good as president than bad. It's not like Nixon had people taken out of their homes in the middle of the night never to been seen again. I think what Bush's people have done by manpulating the facts to get us tied up in Iraq is far worse than Watergate. No one died because of Watergate and it didn't cost 200 billion dollars either.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Watergate didn't really directly affect the average U.S. citizen

That's arguable really. Might as well say that Bush's continued undemocratic expansion of executive authority doesn't affect the average citizen.

Clinton also lied, but about a personal issue unconnected with his job as president. Certainly that's unprofessional, but it hardly justified the witch-hunt that it generated.

The breakin of Democrat headquarters and the covering up of that didn't affect the average U.S. citizen and I don't recall that Nixon lied under oath.

Watergate represented an abuse of power that undermined the spirit of broader democratic freedoms. I'd say everyone had an interest in that, just as all USC's have an interest in how much authority the Bush should have to put national security concerns above individual civil liberties. It doesn't affect those who don't care about it - but to be honest everyone should have an interest in how their government operates.

As to lying under oath - I don't condone that, but the issue it concerned was ultimately trivial. Clinton's affair didn't affect anyone - certainly it didn't do much for his public reputation, but politician's having affairs isn't exactly new, and quite frankly it isn't particularly scandalous these days. Ultimately human weakness is easier to forgive than someone who abuses their power for personal gain, and gets other people killed for it.

I still say on the balance Nixon did more good as president than bad. It's not like Nixon had people taken out of their homes in the middle of the night never to been seen again. I think what Bush's people have done by manpulating the facts to get us tied up in Iraq is far worse than Watergate. No one died because of Watergate and it didn't cost 200 billion dollars either.

Absolutely. Watergate's are 10 a penny these days. Unfortunately we seem to have gotten so used to them, that nothing really shocks people anymore.