Approval for Bush, doubts on key issues (49% approval rating)

[bluestateguy]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6719733/

More than a month after President Bush won re-election and Republicans picked up seats in the House and Senate, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that a plurality of Americans approves of the job Bush is doing as president. But these Americans also have doubts about his plan to reform Social Security and whether the situation in Iraq will come to a successful conclusion.

According to the poll, conducted by Hart/McInturff, 49 percent of respondents say they approve of Bush’s job performance, compared with 44 percent who say they disapprove. That’s a slight change from the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Oct. 19, two weeks before the election, when 49 percent approved of Bush and 47 percent disapproved.

But his approval numbers don’t necessarily mean he has a mandate for some of his second-term legislative goals, such as reforming Social Security. The survey shows that only 35 percent believe Bush has a mandate to allow workers to invest some of their Social Security taxes into the stock market, while 51 percent say he doesn’t have a mandate to do this. Democratic pollster Jay Campbell of Peter D. Hart Research Associates says these numbers won’t prohibit Bush and the Republicans from pushing ahead with their agenda on Social Security. “At the same time,” he said, “they will have a massive battle on their hands.”

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[Trajan]

1. So ....

Bush cruises through this year with less than 50% approval ratings ....

Bumps up fortuitously to 51% on election day ....

... then slinks back down into the sub 50's during his second 'honeymoon' .... ?

Hmmmmmmmm .....

[Bouncy Ball]

2. How in the world is 49% a "plurality?"

Is that the same kind of thinking that says that his little 2% margin was a mandate or a "crushing victory" as some bushies put it?

Wow I'm shocked any mainstream media source even reports his approval numbers anymore. You'd think they wouldn't be allowed to unless they were in the 60s or higher.

[merwin]

3. Definition of plurality:

In a contest of more than two choices, the number of votes cast for the winning choice if this number is not more than one half of the total votes cast
http://www.dictionary.com

[TahitiNut]

14. It's an interesting twist on a Yes/No poll ...

... that "d'uh" is regarded as a choice.

Maybe they're on to something. Maybe every election should include "no vote" (including overvotes, undervotes, and other invalidated ballots) when the percentages are tallied. Thus, every percentage should be denominated by the number of all those who submitted a ballot instead of just those whose votes were tallied for some candidate?

[rexcat]

4. No, 49% is a mandate!

on edit: sorry for the sarcasm.

[jrthin]

12. My thoughts exactly.

When I saw a "plurality" I searhed the article for a number over fifty, but couldn't find it. I though I was nuts, certainly 49% is not a plurality in my thinking. But then again, we're in the world of oz.

[Cha]

5. It's all Hogwash & Fiddle Faddle and

Rot! bush didn't win anything..the fuckers stole it again and I don't believe for one second that "49%" of Americans think bush is doing even a so so job. MSM can lie all they friggin want but that doesn't make it so.

We're in a fascist state and I'm just waiting for the sedated to wake the fuck up!

[KerryReallyWon]

10. Agree

^5

[Supersedeas]

24. Propoganda speak at its best....."Bush Approval....followed by #'s in 40's

That's approval for a War Time President?

[texpatriot2004]

6. I'd be happy to give him an approval rating but they don't ask

[demosincebirth]

7. For me its easier, just, to say "I didn't vote for the fucker."

[osaMABUSh]

8. So Bush still sucks...BFD

Bush stole the election but nobody gives a shit. His approval numbers are still where nobody wins re-election. 'Nough said.

Our long, national nightmare continues..,

[CHIMO]

9. Exit Polls

Are not accurate.
How the hell is one to believe a poll from the WSJ?
And this is on LBN?
Shit the election can't even be counted in a way that the tax department would accept.
Polls are good for one thing, dogs.

[GOPBasher]

11. Yes, they vote for him but don't like him.

Okay, then. :shrug:

[Skittles]

13. IDIOT F***ING CONSERVATIVES

VOTING AGAINST THEIR OWN SELF-INTERESTS.

[flordehinojos]

15. the plurality of Americans I know want to kick their t.v. sets any time

they see the guy's face. they can't stand him. they don't approve of his vote steal. they don't approve of his power grab. they are disconsolate over the killing of social security in bush's plans... they are sick over his handling of the economy, the environment, the invasion of iraq... so, i don't know who that plurality of Americans is...it is not the plurality of Americans that I know.

[Devil Dog Dem]

16. He's under 50% & they call it "approval"? Can they lower the bar anymore?

How about, "Nation Continues to be Divided on Bush"? Or something a bit more fair than trying to find a silver lining for this guy?

[Patsy Stone]

17. So, lemme get this straight...

49% approve, yet he received 51% of the vote? And how the hell did that happen? Just curious...

[TheDonkey]

19. a random phone poll probably reaches more people than vote

statistically speaking.

[Patsy Stone]

20. I'm confused

If that's true, then wouldn't he have received LESS votes? I'm bad with math and stats. I'm not trying to be stupid. :)

[liberalpragmatist]

22. 49%'s roughly the cutoff

There will always be a narrow slice that votes even if they disapprove. So the final result is always just above the final approval rating. His final approval rating was I think 50% going into Nov. 2, but I could be wrong.

Had the approval rating been 47% on Nov. 1, he probably would've lost, but he just barely scraped by.

But then again, I'm the one who's answered your question, and while I think there were clearly irregularities, I don't think it was enough to affect the outcome.

[cally]

18. Mandate, mandate, values, mandate

Forget the facts, * has a mandate to eliminate all environmental protection and women's rights, cut taxes on the rich, reduce social programs. Mandate. Values. You have to believe because the media tells you so.

[goforit]

21. Yah yah yah...........and the a**hol* won the election.

[BeyondGeography]

23. Same old song and dance

Americans REALLY like Bush, but they're CONCERNED about all these big ISSUES.

Spare me. :eyes:

[mountebank]

25. This sentence is especially comical.

"But his approval numbers don’t necessarily mean he has a mandate for some of his second-term legislative goals, such as reforming Social Security."

Oh, really?? I thought 49% approval generally means everyone is on board with your agenda.

[KoKo]

26. The Little Emperor pays off the Pollsters...what's new about that...After

all we were told not to believe "exit polls" why should we believe the others.