I thought it might just be impossible for bush to fall in the 20s when it came to his approval ratings. This may sound cynical to say, but I feel if that many people were willing to overlook his glaring shortcomings, they're willing to stick with him for good. i mean a core of his support and that support is at least 30% of the public.
Well, according to Zogby, he has (in my estimation) only the most faithful still in the stands cheering for him. 30% approval. a new low. the same poll found that 52% of REPUBLICANS disapprove of his handling of Iraq.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
How Low Can He GO?
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3 comments:
So, here's a question. This is not motivated by some hate or distrust but merely a practical matter.
What are the chances he will get impeached? Clinton was impeached (unsuccessfully) because he had an affair/lied under oath. I know we can impeach because of a president breaking the law but can we impeach in the same way that the Brits can? That is, can we call for a vote of "No Confidence"?
I wonder because, honestly, how does our government function with a chief executive that is so thoroughly disliked and distrusted by the populace? At the very least, all the strides he has made to solidify the power of the chief executive should slip away.
But I also wonder if, strategically, the Dems even want to impeach him. If he is impeached then Cheney becomes president and someone else becomes VP. This puts could give the Repubs a clear front-runner for the 2008 elections. Although, admittedly, it is rare for the same party to be elected through consecutive presidencies.
Chances he will be impeached?
None.
Clinton was impeached (and not convicted in the Senate. think impeached = indicted) because there was a new political power in DC--the New GOP legislative leadership--that was hell bent on destroying his Presidency or, at the very least, its effectiveness.
Impeachment takes the political will of the House of Representatives. Successful impeachment and conviction takes the Senate and (in reality, if not technically, the will of the people). The Democrats JUST got their political control back through remarkable circumstances. it is highly unlikely that the majority will remain this strong through the 2008 cycle. They have too much to do with too little time to get bogged down in an impeachment. you may recall that the public didn't favor impeachment of Clinton (same with bush), but even then, the GOP had been in control for 6-7 years at that point, depending on how how you count it. The control is too new and politically precarious to do this now, particularly while we are at war. don't confused disapproval with willingness to impeach.
It is also unfair to compare a British "no confidence" vote here as the prime minister serves as a product of a multiple party system that votes him in. in structure, it is more comparable to how we elect a Speaker of the House or a Majority Leader of the Senate.
It is clear that the power he has amassed as Chief Executive will fall away somewhat because that existed only due to a rubber stamp legislature. It has been a rare circumstance which he has had because of changes within the parties. Before, the GOP and the Democrats had more widely ranging ideological branches within their ranks. Many of the old line Conservative Democrats (Generally in the South) are gone or have switched parties. This election cleaned out many of the remaining "Liberal" Republicans (generally in the North East). an additional, often unmentioned, but deeply important factor has been the zealous way in which politicians guarded their institutional power. For reasons good and not-so-good, members of the House and Senate were not inclined to have policy dictated TO them. Whether it be from ego or honor of their given institution, they were not inclined to be a rubber stamp in the same way. There are always coattails to ride, but I am not sure that coattails have ever surpassed institutional sovereignty in the way we have seen in the last 6 years. This can be directly related to the GOP becoming MUCH more homogeneous than ever before, the incredible influence of Tom DeLay and the K Street Project, and the inter-connected political will of the President.
I think the only way to impeach the president, if they were going to do it, would be to impeach Bush AND Cheney. a President Cheney is not better and it would leave on one of the chief architects of the supposed high crimes and misdomenors.
or something like that.
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