Bush poll numbers keep dropping; media figures keep predicting "rebound"

[NNN0LHI]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200511050002

Even as poll after poll shows growing public disapproval - and distrust -- of President Bush, many reporters and pundits seem to retain an unshakable confidence that a Bush rebound is just around the corner. As we noted nearly two months ago:

While President Bush's approval ratings plummet amid widespread dissatisfaction with his handling of Hurricane Katrina, many news outlets seem to be doing their best to try to rebuild his reputation -- making false claims that his poll numbers are improving; baselessly asserting that Bush has again "risen to the occasion"; giving him undeserved credit for Katrina recovery efforts; and downplaying his paralysis in the face of the disaster.

CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Suzanne Malveaux falsely suggested at the beginning of the week that Bush's poll numbers were improving, with Blitzer excitedly exclaiming, "Mr. Bush's approval rating is up -- up! -- to 46 percent." But in order to claim that Bush's approval rating is increasing, Blitzer compared polls conducted by different news organizations using different methodologies -- a dubious comparison, at best, particularly in light of the fact that every recent poll has shown dismal results for Bush. As the week continued, it became increasingly clear that the rosy picture painted by Blitzer and Malveaux wasn't based in reality; new polls by Fox News, CBS/New York Times, and NBC/Wall Street Journal, among others, all showed poor results for Bush.

Two months, and countless abysmal poll results later, things still haven't changed. Here's a (by no means comprehensive) look at recent claims that Bush has, or was about to, turn things around -- along with some headlines showing how wrong those claims were.

8/31/05: Washington Post headline: "President's Poll Rating Falls to a New Low; In Post-ABC Survey, 53 Percent of Respondents Say They Disapprove of Bush"

9/3/05: National Journal headline: "Bush's New Low"

[samsingh]

1. some of the media pundits - aka media whores

or bush ass plugs defy all logic. even with a bias, they refuse to report news and honestly assess the moron in chief's abilities.

this is also known as government or regime propaganda. Blitz, for whatever reason, is a progragana man like those in the Soviet Union, China, and other communist regimes - which ironically are what the bushites always lashing out at.

[norml]

2. That Enron stock's got to bounce sometime.

Doesn't it?

[rpannier]

3. Hey, he could rebound to...oh...say 40%

If all the pukes get back to loving him again.

[Benhurst]

4. When a stone hits rock bottom, it usually bounces ...

then settles on the bottom. :rofl:

[terrya]

5. What, exactly, would cause people to change their minds about Bush today?

The quagmire that's Iraq? A listless economy? Scandals in the White House? Seeing a President trying to privatize Social Security and then thoroughly rejecting his attempt to do so?

What, exactly, is going on right now that would cause Bush to "be on the rebound"?

I've never heard anything more sillier in my life.

[TahitiNut]

6. I'll be GLAD to approve of Junior's performance ....

... if he earns 'good behavior' privileges (an hour of yard time, dessert, etc.) while serving life in prison.

[rock]

7. UP to 46%

Ah, something to be proud of (heh-heh).

[blonndee]

8. That drives me crazy! Just now on MSNBC they were all, "Back on Track?"

That was the topic of discussion and the text on the screen for the story. I was so disgusted I walked away and came here. It reminds me of how they helped downspin the Dean campaign. I remember MSNBC's screen text after the "Dean scream" reading: "Dean Campaign in Downward Spiral?" and I was flabbergasted because it wasn't that way AT ALL. They were making it happen.

[AX10]

9. Well, Bush is not back on track.

[blonndee]

10. Oh I totally agree....my point is that they're so obviously trying to

make it seem that way in order to try to make it happen in reality.

[ComerPerro]

11. Its the same as saying "gas prices are low"

Well, they are lower than they were during the worst of the gouging, but they are still significantly higher than they were just two years ago.

[Telly Savalas]

12. The rebound prediction is a logical strategy for a talking head

For any president the approval ratings will undergo short-term fluctuations which are pretty independant of the long-term trends. That is, even if Bush's numbers drift down to the low twenties by the end of 2006, there will almost certainly be a number of weeks where his ratings will jump up a bit before going down even further the following week. When there's a short-term spike in the numbers like this, the TV gas-bags can point to it and say that their prophecy of a rebound has been fufilled.