US News & World Report thinks "Things are looking up for Bush"

[Human Torch]

Please note: I'm guessing the "6/26/06" date below is a typo, unless Google News has invented a time machine.

:evilgrin:

Stronger Than He Seems

By Michael Barone

6/26/06

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060626/26barone.htm



Pictured above: The Axis of Weasels (Press Secretary Tony Snow, Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino, White House Counselor Dan Bartlett, political adviser Karl Rove, and Communications Director Nicole Wallace)

Things are looking up for George W. Bush and maybe for his party. The Democrats failed to win the special election in the 50th Congressional District of California June 6. Abu Musab Zarqawi was killed on June 7. Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said he would not seek an indictment of chief Bush adviser Karl Rove on June 12. Bush made a dazzling surprise trip to Baghdad on June 13 and followed up with a confident press conference the next day. The Senate voted 93 to 6 on June 15 and the House 256 to 153 on June 16 against U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

A turning point in the president's political fortunes? Maybe. But I'm inclined to think that Bush and the Republicans were not in quite as much trouble as most in the press thought, and I'm not sure these developments will produce an immediate surge in Bush's poll ratings. Why?

Start with the proposition that Bush's low standings in the polls have more to do with competence than ideology. It starts with Katrina: The president was unable to prevent the physical destruction of a large part of a major central city. That's bound to hurt, whoever's fault it was. The struggle in Iraq seemed to be continuing without an end in sight--and mainstream media have done their best to ignore or belittle signs of progress. The Harriet Miers nomination, the Dubai ports deal, the failure to get Congress to consider Social Security reform--all contribute to an impression of things out of control. That's not good for an incumbent president. In addition, Bush is at odds with the Republican base on the hot issue of immigration. So his support from Republicans is less solid than it was until 2005.

No alternative? But impressions of presidential incompetence do not necessarily translate to votes for the other party. We saw that in the California 50th race, where the Democratic nominee got 45 percent of the vote, just 1 percent more than John Kerry won in the district in 2004. To read the mainstream media, you would suppose that millions of enraged Democrats are ready to storm the polling places in record numbers and throw the evil Republicans out. But actual election returns don't seem to bear that out. Turnout has been robust in some states (Ohio), low in others (California), with no clear pattern. We haven't seen much in the way of a disproportionately large turnout increase for Democrats. That may come next November. Or it may not. Polls, unfortunately, aren't good at projecting turnout.

[Demit]

1. What, was it Gangster Pride Day there, in that picture?

[Human Torch]

2. Gangster Pride Day?

:rofl:

:toast:

[ixion]

3. that's a really loathsome bunch of reptiles

certainly not human. They may be anthropomorphic, but they ain't human. :puke:

[Bjorn Against]

4. US News is a right-wing rag...

I can't take anything they print seriously anymore, it is all just wishful thinking on their part.

[DeaconBlues]

5. when isn't the USNWR saying things are looking up for some Repub?

Their editorial pages have an incredible right-wing slant, and even the supposedly objective reporting is biased. Not to mention the hideous, Repub-blowing Whispers section.

I would say that rag makes only makes good tiolet paper, but because of the lamination, it isn't even good for that.

[ChipsAhoy]

6. Ugh the first paragraph

When it's put out there like that, date by date, it's depressing.

But, I have also heard that magazine has a rightwing bias, so not to be taken seriously. However, the way they worded the first paragraph is sadly factual. We've had a rough month. :((

[Cascadian]

7. CNN, Faux News, all of them are saying the same thing.

Boy! I am so glad there are other news outlets out there that call B.S. on what is happening in this country. Sadly, they are mostly foreign.



John

[ChipsAhoy]

8. Exactly! But we've had worse months

like November 2004. :(

[cantstandbush]

9. Looking up for Bush means looking bad for the country. nt

[robertt]

10. stronger than he seems

The issue remains--abortion. Nothing else -- the war, credibility, the economy (gas prices), etc. -- will bring them down.

I'm a therapist in a children's mental health program. My first novel, "Rarity from the Hollow" will help prevent child abuse in West Virginia. It's now for sale. While abortion is the main issue, child welfare is also their vulnerability that will speak to the conservative right. Only part of the story ever gets promoted -- Right to Life. My recommendation is that someone market the big children's picture to diffuse the abortion vote.

Robert Eggleton

[ChipsAhoy]

11. I've heard this before

and you may be on to something. However, many feel strong about CHOICE and will not back down.

As a female, I have mixed feelings on the abortion issue, but I hate the idea of government being involved in such delicate matters.