Morris claimed "Bush's ratings on the economy" and terrorism "are not bad" -- based on what?
SUMMARY: Syndicated columnist Dick Morris wrote that if President
Bush were to begin pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, "he could begin to recover
his personal ratings" and improve his party's chances in the 2008
election, because his "ratings on the economy are not bad, and he still
draws commendations for his battle against terrorism." In fact, recent
public opinion polls show that majorities of respondents disapprove of
Bush's handling of the economy and that at least half disapprove of how
he is handling the fight against terrorism.
In his June 27 column in The Hill, Fox News contributor and syndicated columnist Dick Morris wrote that President Bush's "ratings on the economy are not bad, and he still draws commendations for his battle against terrorism." According to Morris, Bush could "do[] himself, his party, and the country a big favor" by pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq because "[i]t is Iraq that is dragging the president's ratings down and killing his party's chances in the [2008 presidential] election." In fact, recent public opinion polls show majorities of respondents disapprove of Bush's handling of the economy, and the same polls found at least half of respondents disapproving of his handling of terrorism.
A June 18-19 Newsweek poll found that 60 percent of respondents "disapprove[d]" of Bush's handling of the economy, with 34 percent indicating their approval of Bush's performance on the issue; the poll carried a margin of error of +/- 4 percent. Similarly, a May 29-June 1 Washington Post/ABC News poll (margin of error of +/- 3 percent) found that 57 percent of respondents did not approve of "the way Bush is handling" the economy versus the 40 percent who did. Additionally, a May 18-23 New York Times/CBS News poll showed that 56 percent of the poll's respondents "disapprove[d] of the way George W. Bush is handling the economy," as opposed to 36 percent who "approve[d]."
Moreover, the same polls found that at least half the country did not approve of Bush's handling of the fight against terrorism. For instance, the Newsweek poll found that 50 percent of respondents "disapprove[d]" of how Bush is handling "terrorism and homeland security," while 43 percent of respondents indicated that they "approve[d]" of how Bush is handling the issue. The Washington Post/ABC News poll asked respondents whether they "approve or disapprove of the way Bush is handling" the "U.S. campaign against terrorism": 52 percent said they disapproved while 44 percent approved. Fifty-two percent of respondents in The New York Times/CBS News poll also indicated that they disapproved of the way Bush "is handling the campaign against terrorism," while 42 percent "approve[d]."
From Morris' June 27 column, "If Bush pulls out the troops, it might save the GOP":
Will George W. Bush try to steal a page from Richard Nixon and, reading the handwriting on the wall after a dismal showing in the congressional elections, begin to pull troops out of Iraq by the end of the year? If he does, will it save the Republican Party?
Recent indications of administration unhappiness with the failure of the Iraqi regime to use the period of the surge in American troops to enact basic reforms might presage just such a withdrawal. Clearly, the Iraqi government has done nothing to expand power-sharing with the Sunnis or to equalize access to oil revenues. Their failure to act could give Bush the rationale he needs to begin to draw down American force levels.
If Bush decides to act in this way, he will be doing himself, his party, and the country a big favor. There is still time to rescue the fortunes of the Republican Party in the 2008 election. It is Iraq that is dragging the president's ratings down and killing his party's chances in the election. Bush's ratings on the economy are not bad, and he still draws commendations for his battle against terrorism. If he began to pull out troops, he could begin to recover his personal ratings and move his party up.
Morris is correct. the ratings are not bad at all, they are in the toilet. For someone who had the opportunity to be a great president handed to him for free, to lose it with such magnituteit is really sad. Long live the Constitution.
I disagree with you on one point, Wolf.
Starting out life as a spoiled & dimwitted sociopath, Dubya' NEVER possessed even the remotest of possibilities of being a great president.
Being a mediocrity would have been a high-end accomplishment on his part.
And we'd have been a far better nation for it.
"Starting out life as a spoiled & dimwitted sociopath, Dubya' NEVER possessed even the remotest of possibilities of being a great president"
Quite right...but WK said he has the OPPORTUNITY of being a great president...not the possibility. He failed the opportunity, becuase it wasn't possible for him to rise to it.
baby bush is the poster child for "no luck at all". It is amazing that EVERYTHING he has "touched" has turned into a disaster. That chimp that used to play the stock market and had more capital gains than real stock brokers, would have done a better job than baby bush. If baby bush was twice as smart as he is now, he would still be a halfwit. I wonder what else he will screw up until he leaves office in disgrace?
The best thing shrub can do for the Republican Party, is leave it. If he could take his friends with him, even better.
I have to say something in defense of Morris' comments; He's completely batsh*t nuts.
I will compliment Dick on writing the 4 contiguous paragraphs excerpted here without mentioning anybody named Clinton even once. That's an incredible streak for the little goblin.
Yeah, but if you look at his column, the first two words after what is quoted here are... you guessed it... "Hillary Clinton".
FL, I didn't click on the whole column, but what a surprise. I'm still impressed that he made it that far.
I think that when Dick Morris was sucking on that prostitute's toe, he sucked his brains out.
When morris claimed B. Clinton was getting paid by InfoUSA which is a "sleazy co. that sells lists of the sick and elderly to scam artists" he totaaly lost ALL credibilty, for ever. That Co. sells all kinds of lists to direct mail marketers. Morris is male ann coulter. He should come out with his own toast spread called Toe Jam
Well, thanks a lot, DJ.
You just put me off my breakfast for the next month.
hey mescal, hows your cactus hangin?
Low.
We have the best Economy imaginable right now.
We have almost total employment and somehow we have an immigration "problem."
People don't try and break into poor economies.
Haha....come to Michigan
or...Ohio...Indiana...etc...etc...etc....etc
Employers think its such a great economy, they take a few seconds to think about it; before they move out of the country.
Oh and look at the current criteria to determine the unemployment rate we are currently using. People are getting dumped from the lists left and right for a wide variety of reasons (anything to make the number smaller).
Its a great economy IF you own an oil company. If you are a working stiff, not so much. I mean it might look good compared to Mexicos economy but that is hardly a rave review
We have the best Economy imaginable right now.
That's the thing about those black-or-white conservative thinkers: such a limited imagination.
I mean, Dissent is right. Just look at all those $5 an hour, no benefits jobs chopping the a$$es out of chickens for Tyson. It takes a whole sh*tbucket full of Mexicans just to keep the line going.
There's also the two million people who lost their health insurance in the last year. Probably gruntiling all over the place with joy over our economy.
Gruntiling? Little help?
"Grunt tiling" was the B side of "Space trucking".
or a labor intensive ceramic floor covering.
Hey I'm trying to rehabilitate the root word from disgruntiled ok?
I once brought a job breifing to a halt, by saying I was gruntiled.
"Gruntiling" is a perfectly cromulent word.
Ok FlimFlam you got me. Crom seems to have to do with stone circles. how that works with ulent I haven't a clue. A wicked speech impediment?
Eweston, if you aren't familiar with "cromulent", you may need to embiggen your vocabulary.
They do if they're coming from even worse economies. Somehow I don't think, "Hey, things are good here compared to a completely dysfunctional part of the third world," is all that much to brag about.
And yet, that's what politicians of both stripes essentially have said for years, and keep saying.
"Look at how many immigrants from third world countries come here to seek the American dream!" No sh-t, Sherlock, the US is better than Sudan, Zimbabwe or Afghanistan?? Well, that settles it, we don't have to change anything (well, maybe lower taxes)!
Yeah we're AWESOME... if you just set the bar low enough.
Remember, this is the same nation-wide think tank that considered Abu Ghraib ok as long as the other guys were beheading people.
The GOP - Achieving Imaginary Greatness through Low Standards !
The best thing Bush can do it go to another country and rule it. Lord knows the other country might have more sense than we do and revolt against him at least show us how to revolt against a loser like Bush.Here is the difference between a great President like JFK and a loser like Bush.Ask what you can do for your country - JFKAsk what you can do for me - Bush
You may have really hit on something here, Harlequin.
If we can just manage to plant Dubya' into the position of president of Iran, or North Korea, or China, or any other potential enemy, we can then REALLY BRING THEM TOO THEIR KNEES!
The beauty part of it is that he DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO BE IN ON THE SCAM!
The correct answer to the question based on what is wishful thinking
Bush, big favor - could you please pull out of that highly unpopular war you sold to us on lies? thanks! <3
Honestly? Who really cares what Morris says?
He is so wrong; consistantly, that he should be a barometer for reality. If he says black, you know it is white.
When will people with real information and intelligent insight get to publish in this country rather than these axe-grinding whackos?
Maybe I should start telling people that I am a political pundit so I can get on TV, and write op-eds. I can be right more than half of the time and that beats Morris easliy.
My magic 8 ball beats Morris easily
Yeah, I see what you mean, no terrorist attacks on mainland America since 9/11 and an economy that just keeps breaking it's own records what an awful record on these two issues. I did not vote for Bush in 2004 because he's not a fiscal conservative and I didn't agree with Iraq but on these two issues his record is stellar.
You are kidding, right? You must have loved that Clinton didn't have another terrorist attack after the first WTC. Do you think his record on terrorism is stellar?
The Dow Jones keeps setting records, but what about the S&P and smaller businesses? Have they experienced the same highs? Also, the rate of growth for the Dow 30 is significantly lower under Bush (although the numbers keep rising) as under Clinton. Do we hear that in the mainstream media?