Pew Says Bush Approval at 33%

I was on vacation when the latest Pew Poll came out (Mar. 15) but that's one poll that sometimes take a while to reach everyone who's interested; I'm glad to have found it (thanks to War and Piece).

Several parts of the poll are worth noticing. One part involves one word descriptions of Bush. Those making definitely positive comments about Bush (good, Christian, honest) are now down to 28% of Americans. This, I believe, is close to Bush's true core numbers; I remember years ago conservative Christian fundamentalists meeting in different places around the country to discuss how they could create a majority at the polls with 20-25% of the population (keep in mind that different political factions have similar discussions; though, I was struck by an article on the discussions that suggested some Christian fundamentalists at these meetings were quite willing to bend the rules and their principles to achieve their purpose). It's been my thought for some time that the core of Bush's right wing support is 25% or so.

In the Pew Poll, it was also worth noticing how far Bush's support has fallen among his supposed base. In 14 months, Bush's support in rural areas has plunged by 22%; in the South, his support has plunged by 20%. What's amazing is that among voters who voted for him in 2004, his support has plunged by 24%.

Yes, all these numbers are soft, but it's important to watch and learn from them. And to unlearn some of the useless stereotypes many of us have about red states. There are blue areas and red areas and they shift more than Bush and his right wing friends would like.