George W. Bush's FOFC Approval Rating

[Kodos]

This ought to get the attention of the Republican party. FOFC is now weighing in! Not trying to spark more horrible partisan debate -- just curious to see how things break out.

Edit: If it helps, read this as "Would you have voted for him in 2004 knowing what you know now?"

[GrantDawg]

?

[Huckleberry]

I'm assuming a poll is forthcoming.

The important question is whether we're talking about the President or the FOFC poster.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry

I'm assuming a poll is forthcoming.

The important question is whether we're talking about the President or the FOFC poster.

The President. Of course, I always assumed they were one in the same...

[WSUCougar]

It's now time for "LOCK THAT THREAD!" Sponsored by Bud Light and hosted by Kodos.

I can lock that thread in 20 posts.

[CamEdwards]

hmmm, this is a tough call for me. On some issues, I think the President is doing a good job. On others... not so much.

[finketr]

our member GWB is doing a gine job

[Noop]

He is at best decent. Which puts him in the top 20.

[Kodos]

In before the lock!

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by Kodos

In before the lock!

You're just padding the thread's post count!

Oh, damn it, I just did, too!

[Cuckoo]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

hmmm, this is a tough call for me. On some issues, I think the President is doing a good job. On others... not so much.

Agreed.

[Crapshoot]

I think he's doing a poor job in many ways. I would have voted for him in 2000, but not in 2004 (the gay marriage and religious pandering got on my nerves).

Edit: And yes, I think the poll needs more options.

[Ben E Lou]

Hard to vote here. I approve of some things, disappove of others.

[Young Drachma]

I voted in the wrong category, because I read the questions wrong. I didn't vote for him in 2000 or 2004, opting for 3rd party candidates in both years.

[Kodos]

If it helps, read this as "Would you have voted for him in 2004 knowing what you know now?"

[SirFozzie]

Yeah, this one is pretty much split on a partisan basis..

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Kodos

If it helps, read this as "Would you have voted for him in 2004 knowing what you know now?"

In that case, I pretty much got what I bargained for. I wasn't enamored with Dubya to begin with, and he hasn't moved me much in either direction. However, I still believe that he was a mediocre option, while Kerry and Badnarik were bad options, which is why I held my nose and voted for him in '04. {Sigh}

EDIT: So I guess, at least in terms of this poll, that I "approve" of him, since he's doing about how I expected.

[Alf]

trout here

[bob]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Yeah, this one is pretty much split on a partisan basis..

Not true - I voted for him in 2000 and 2004 and don't like the job he is doing.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Yeah, this one is pretty much split on a partisan basis..

I'd disagree. I would have voted for him in 2000, for example. The pick of Miers and the general cronyism bothers me - a lot.

[Raiders Army]

What's the error percentage on this poll?

[kcchief19]

I'm surprised at the somewhat lopsided margin of people in the voted for Bush category vs. voted for someone else category. I have perceived FOFC as tending more Republican than the general population. Is this unscientic sample poll error, a case of FOFC being more liberal than I perceive or a case of trout envy?

[timmynausea]

Shit! I clicked the wrong circle somehow. I voted for someone else and disapprove, but I clicked didn't vote and disapprove.

[Kodos]

I think people who voted for him are reluctant to say that they regret their vote.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I think people who voted for him are reluctant to say that they regret their vote.

Or that it is a poorly-conceived/worded poll. You'd have to be a complete partisan kool-aid drinker on either side to say categorically that you "approve" or "disapprove" of the job he's doing. I approve of some things, and I disapprove of others, which is how I'd imagine most people feel.

[Kodos]

So it's not possible to decide between whether overall you're happy he's President or overall not happy? It's not difficult. Am I supposed to break it out on every possible issue?

[CamEdwards]

Originally Posted by Kodos

So it's not possible to decide between whether overall you're happy he's President or overall not happy? It's not difficult. Am I supposed to break it out on every possible issue?

But happy that he's president doesn't necessarily equal approval for the job he's doing.

I'm incredibly happy John Kerry's not the President. That doesn't mean I'm thrilled about some of the things Bush has done.

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

I'm surprised at the somewhat lopsided margin of people in the voted for Bush category vs. voted for someone else category. I have perceived FOFC as tending more Republican than the general population. Is this unscientic sample poll error, a case of FOFC being more liberal than I perceive or a case of trout envy?

I have the same perception as you - that FOFC is adamantly conservative. However, I've seen similar results with similar polls over the years - suggesting that FOFC isn't so much a conservative community as much as they have a small(ish) number of extraordinarily vocal conservatives.

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

I'm surprised at the somewhat lopsided margin of people in the voted for Bush category vs. voted for someone else category. I have perceived FOFC as tending more Republican than the general population. Is this unscientic sample poll error, a case of FOFC being more liberal than I perceive or a case of trout envy?

It's about on par with what I expected. FOFC is a younger crowd and the Democratic Party targets the young crowd as one of their many 'hands-off' minority groups. Now, the key is to not grow up and the Democrats will love you forever.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Kodos

If it helps, read this as "Would you have voted for him in 2004 knowing what you know now?"

Y'know, I was about to be stumped on how to answer the poll until I saw this part. Once you break it down to that question though, it became very easy.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Dutch

It's about on par with what I expected.

What Dutch said.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Fonzie

I have the same perception as you - that FOFC is adamantly conservative. However, I've seen similar results with similar polls over the years - suggesting that FOFC isn't so much a conservative community as much as they have a small(ish) number of extraordinarily vocal conservatives.

I think that's true, that we have some extraordinary vocal conservatives who tend to make people think there are more conservatives than normal. Then again, from what I've seen, people on the internet tend more liberal.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

In that case, I pretty much got what I bargained for. I wasn't enamored with Dubya to begin with, and he hasn't moved me much in either direction. However, I still believe that he was a mediocre option, while Kerry and Badnarik were bad options, which is why I held my nose and voted for him in '04. {Sigh}

EDIT: So I guess, at least in terms of this poll, that I "approve" of him, since he's doing about how I expected.

What he said, really. I wasn't terribly thrilled with the second half of Bush's first term, and would have voted for someone else if there had been a candidate I could get behind, but to take a page from Robin Williams' book, as things stood I had to say "Sorry John, but he scares me less than you do."

[sachmo71]

One of the "I didn't vote in 2004 and don't approve" should be moved to the "I voted for someone else and disapprove" column. In case there is a tie.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by CamEdwards

But happy that he's president doesn't necessarily equal approval for the job he's doing.

I'm incredibly happy John Kerry's not the President. That doesn't mean I'm thrilled about some of the things Bush has done.

Bingo.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

I wasn't terribly thrilled with the second half of Bush's first term, and would have voted for someone else if there had been a candidate I could get behind, but to take a page from Robin Williams' book, as things stood I had to say "Sorry John, but he scares me less than you do."

Bingo again.

[Ben E Lou]

Another factor here could be that some of Dubya's "neocon-ish" ways are counter to the sensibilities of "true" conservatives, a factor that probably cuts to the core of the I-saw-no-better-option comments in this thread.

[Warhammer]

Agreed with Cam and SkyDog. I voted for Bush because I agree with his foreign policy, but some of his domestic policy has left me desiring more.

All in all, thank God we never had President Gore or President Kerry!

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by Dutch

It's about on par with what I expected. FOFC is a younger crowd and the Democratic Party targets the young crowd as one of their many 'hands-off' minority groups. Now, the key is to not grow up and the Democrats will love you forever.

What do you consider young? I don't know if you remember the age distribution poll, but most people on this board range from 29 - 36. They are pretty much in our age range. And just because someone voted for another candidate doesn't make them a diehard liberal or conservative.

There are a number of people, like myself, who vote for a person who share some semblance of their values and belief. You will find these people on both sides, but they are usually the ones that never get picked to be our leaders.

[Subby]

Around the time of Reagan's funeral I was 50-50 on Bush - I found myself defending him more often than not. I think things had gone downhill drastically since that point.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by Subby

Around the time of Reagan's funeral I was 50-50 on Bush - I found myself defending him more often than not. I think things had gone downhill drastically since that point.

Do you think he killed Reagan?

[lighthousekeeper]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

Do you think he killed Reagan?

lol

[revrew]

I voted in the "voted for him but disapprove" category. Not that I would have voted any differently in 2004--given the options, as others have said. I do, however, feel greatly let down by this particular leader. Perhaps it was because I had greater expectations for him.

As a fiscal conservative, I find his domestic spending initiatives to be a slap in the face to his entire party. As a social conservative, I find his political maneuvering with the Supreme Court justices to be unsettling.

Just once, I'd like to see a Republican elected who continued to act like it once he was in office. Or, in lieu of such an improbable thing, I'd like to see a legitimate presidential candidate I can support fully from the beginning instead of having to settle for the lukewarm dishes our (sadly, only) 2 political parties keep serving up.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Dutch

It's about on par with what I expected. FOFC is a younger crowd and the Democratic Party targets the young crowd as one of their many 'hands-off' minority groups. Now, the key is to not grow up and the Democrats will love you forever.

You know Dutch, you're a solid dittohead- if someone wants your opinion on an issue, its easy to consult the Frontpage website.

Heck, if we're playing the stereotype game, all you need to do is be a racist or homophobic Southerner (culminating in the "Southern Strategy"), and the Republican party (though not, repeat not, the Rockerfeller Republican wing) wants you.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Another factor here could be that some of Dubya's "neocon-ish" ways are counter to the sensibilities of "true" conservatives, a factor that probably cuts to the core of the I-saw-no-better-option comments in this thread.

What's a true conserative Ben ? The Rockerfeller Wing (like me), who are aghast at the religous nuty-jobs and homophobes running wild ? The Religous Right, which has problems with big business (its pushing an evil "liberal" agenda) ? The Establishment Republicans ? The Isolationists ? I see the issue you're raising, but who or what is a true "conservative" ?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

What's a true conserative Ben ? The Rockerfeller Wing (like me), who are aghast at the religous nuty-jobs and homophobes running wild ? The Religous Right, which has problems with big business (its pushing an evil "liberal" agenda) ? The Establishment Republicans ? The Isolationists ? I see the issue you're raising, but who or what is a true "conservative" ?

AFAIK, the phrase "true conservative" usually gets applied to the Rockefeller Republicans more than any other group. Which is how I interpreted, right or wrong, what he meant.

Of course, that label is pretty dated, now we just call you RINO's

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

AFAIK, the phrase "true conservative" usually gets applied to the Rockefeller Republicans more than any other group. Which is how I interpreted, right or wrong, what he meant.

Of course, that label is pretty dated, now we just call you RINO's

Exactly - that's what I figured. I'd say even you arent close to a true conservative, given that you're pro-choice. By today's definition of a true conservative, the closest thing we seem to find is ... Franklin, or perhaps Cam.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

Exactly - that's what I figured. I'd say even you arent close to a true conservative, given that you're pro-choice.

Precisely why I'm not now, nor do I ever really expect to be, a "card-carrying" member of the GOP.

I'll vote for 'em as long as they remain the best choice to represent the majority of my (weighted) interests, but that's an issue that makes it impossible for me to feel it's appropriate for me to be an "official" part of the party either. Of course, that matters little in the grand scheme since GA has open voting in primaries, but still.

[Glengoyne]

I voted with the approve what he is doing crowd, but that's just the option that was closest to my true sentiment. I voted for him in 2004, and would do it again if the alternative was John Kerry. I'm probably a bit less pleased with the President than I was back in 2004, but I'm still believing he is better than the alternative. Color me more as disappointed with him than I am disapproving.

[Raiders Army]

I'm surprised the trout isn't making more of a showing.