WASHINGTON – President Bush’s approval ratings hit new lows in an AP-Ipsos poll that also shows Republicans surrendering their advantage on national security – grim election-year news for a party struggling to stay in power.
Democratic leaders predicted they would seize control of one or both chambers of Congress in November. Republicans said they feared the worst unless the political landscape changes quickly.
“These numbers are scary. We’ve lost every advantage we’ve ever had,” GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio said. “The good news is Democrats don’t have much of a plan. The bad news is they may not need one.”
There is more at stake than the careers of GOP lawmakers. A Democratic-led Congress could bury the last vestiges of Bush’s legislative agenda and subject the administration to high-profile investigations of the Iraq war, the CIA leak case, warrantless eavesdropping and other matters.
In the past two congressional elections, Republicans gained seats on the strength of Bush’s popularity and a perception among voters that the GOP was stronger on national security than Democrats.
Those advantages are gone, according to a survey of 1,003 adults conducted this week for the Associated Press by Ipsos, an international polling firm.
* Just 36 percent of the public approves of Bush’s job performance, his lowest rating ever in AP-Ipsos polling. By contrast, the president’s job approval rating was 47 percent among likely voters just before Election Day 2004, and a whopping 64 percent among registered voters in October 2002.
* Only 40 percent of the public approves of Bush’s performance on foreign policy and the war on terror, another low-water mark for his presidency. That’s down 9 points from a year ago. Just before the 2002 election, 64 percent of registered voters backed Bush on terror and foreign policy.
* Just 35 percent of the public approves of Bush’s handling of Iraq, his lowest in AP-Ipsos polling.
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