The latest poll information shows that President Bush has the lowest approval ratings of any recent second term president but that his political base of right wing conservatives has not abandoned him.
'This president should be glad he's not running for re-election,' Karlyn Bowman, a public opinion analyst from the American Enterprise Institute told the Associated Press. 'But the president is clearly holding his base. It's very important for him to keep the base support in terms of getting things done.'
The latest AP-Ipsos poll showed Mr. Bush's approval rating at only 42 percent. The two most recent second term presidents were rated much higher at this stage of their presidencies. Ronald Reagan was at 57 percent while Bill Clinton was at 61 percent according to Gallup polls released at the time.
Bush has maintained the support of Republicans, however. The poll shows how divided the country remains. 80 percent of Democrats disapprove of the president's job while 90 percent of Republicans approve. The ongoing war in Iraq and the record high price of gasoline are among the issues keeping Mr. Bush's approval ratings down.
'I voted for Bush,' Jerry Fleming a GOP-leaning independent from Athens, Alabama told the Associated Press. 'I feel like he's pretty much a straight-shooter as far as his religious background. I respect that part of him.
'But if the situation in Iraq keeps dragging out for a long period of time with no hope for peace, I would eventually get fed up with it,' Fleming added.
It remains unlikely that the president will lose the support of Republicans. Putting a new conservative justice on the Supreme Court and changing the federal tax code will probably shore up his political base.
Republicans have to hope that he does not lose too much more support among independent voters as the 2006 Congressional elections are approaching. Should the president's approval ratings drop too much further, Republicans may not be too eager to vote for Bush's programs for fear of voter backlash.
