Bush support plummeting in the South
The blogs are lighting up over today's release of a Pew Center poll showing President Bush's approval ratings tumbling to 33% -- a record low for that poll.
What's even more interesting is when the poll breaks down how much Bush's support has fallen over the last year amongst different groups. Out of the sub-groups Pew highlights, here is where Bush's approval rating has fallen the most since January 2005:
Bush voter in 2004: -24% in approval from Jan. 2005 - March 2006
Favor Iraq war: -23%
Rural: -22%
White men: -21%
South: -20%
In other words, Bush is losing most from his base, not the waiverers. And it's hitting him precisely where he used to be strongest, his "personality":
Bush's personal image also has weakened noticeably, which is reflected in people's one-word descriptions of the president. Honesty had been the single trait most closely associated with Bush, but in the current survey "incompetent" is the descriptor used most frequently. [...]
The single word most frequently associated with George W. Bush today is "incompetent,"and close behind are two other increasingly mentioned descriptors: "idiot" and "liar." All three are mentioned far more often today than a year ago.
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Chris Kromm
Chris Kromm is executive director of the Institute for Southern Studies and publisher of the Institute's online magazine, Facing South.