U.S. Pessimism Is Rampant

[[P O L L S]] * Wasn’t it just the other day that pundits were remarking on George W. Bush’s job-approval ratings having gone up a wee bit, after their post-Katrina lows? Well, no longer. The latest CBS News poll shows “increasingly pessimistic about the economy, the war in Iraq, the overall direction of the country, and the President. Americans’ outlook for the economy,” CBS reports, “is the worst it has been in four years.” Only 37 percent of respondents to this survey approve of Bush’s performance in office--“his lowest rating ever” in this poll--while 58 percent disapprove. CBS notes that, while opinions about the prez haven’t changed markedly among Democrats (14 percent of whom favor his performance) and Republicans (79 percent of whom approve), his showing among independents has tumbled by 11 percent “since just last month.” Only 29 percent of self-described independents now think Bush is doing a good job.

Sixty-five percent of Americans, according to this poll, say that Bush doesn’t share their priorities, while only 32 percent say he does. Fifty-five percent are now convinced that the United States shouldn’t have made war on Iraq, and even more--59 percent--want U.S. troops to begin pulling out of there as soon as possible. Plus, an astounding 69 percent of survey respondents “say things in the U.S. are pretty seriously off on the wrong track--the highest number since CBS News started asking the question in 1983. Today, just 26 percent say things are going in the right direction.”

ADDENDUM: Is it just me, or does the prez look more stressed and sound even whinier than normal these days? Maybe it’s because he’s suddenly realized that Americans have lost that lovin’ feelin’ toward him. In addition to the latest CBS News poll, a new AP/Ipsos survey finds Bush’s approval ratings “mired at the lowest level of his presidency.” Only 28 percent of respondents say the country is on the right track, while 66 percent say it is careening off in the wrong direction. Surprisingly, the Associated Press reports, “Those most likely to have lost optimism on that score include several groups that supported Bush in his re-election: white evangelicals, down 30 percentage points; Republican women, down 28 points; Southerners, down 26 points, and suburban men, down 20.” Meanwhile, this survey shows Bush’s job approval at 39 percent. For full poll results, click here.

READ MORE: “Quack. Quack. Quack,” by Peter Lee (The Smirking Chimp); “Say What? Bush’s Speech Was a Sad, Demoralizing Spectacle,” by Fred Kaplan (Slate); “President Bush’s Major Speech: Doing the 9/11 Time Warp Again” (The New York Times); “I Am Done With Bush” (The Politburo Diktat).