Associated Press
After all the Democratic efforts to connect Mitt Romney and George W. Bush in voters' minds, it probably never occurred to Dems that the latter might be better liked than the former.
A Bloomberg News National Poll released Wednesday has Bush receiving a favorable rating from 46 percent of those surveyed and an unfavorable rating from 49 percent. That's compared to Romney's 43 percent favorable and 50 percent unfavorable.
There's no chance we'll see the former president hit the campaign trail for the 2012 Republican candidate -- though he will stop by the Caymans in late October -- but it's hard to get over the notion that if Bush and Romney shared the stage at the same time, at least according to this poll, it'd be Romney who has the lower favorable rating.
Romney was so embarrassed by Bush's endorsement that he said absolutely nothing after receiving the support -- he issued a press release to celebrate Christine O'Donnell's backing, not the endorsement of the most recent president from his party -- but the real indignity is that Bush is now better liked than he is.
George W. Bush had two terms and bequeathed the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, a jobs crisis, two wars, a trillion-dollar deficit, a collapsing auto industry, a housing crisis, a climate crisis, a dysfunctional health care system, an equally dysfunctional immigration system, a deeply divided electorate, and a nation with a severely tarnished global reputation. Nearly every challenge facing the United States right now was created or made worse by Bush's eight years in office.
And yet, for much of the country, the attitude seems to be, "Yeah, but at least he's not Mitt Romney."
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Given President Bush's proclivity for demeaning nicknames, I can't help but wonder what his nickname for Mitt Romney is. You know he has one, if only in private.
Any guesses?
I guess "Stench" is already taken?
"Tax-cheat"?
The Bain of the GOTP
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@ Mayflower:
Thats BANE of the ... GOTP ...Gopper ...
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Schmitthead
Schmitthead wins. Thanks for playing ;-)
Yup, I can hear Bush saying that too, on mic, at a very fancy gathering...
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@ Needmore:
Yup, I can hear Bush saying that too, on mic, at a very fancy gathering...
Don't you mean Slurring ... ?
Least that's how I read it first time through, got a bug and fever ... if it gets much worse I'll have to use my Socialized Health Care provided by the VA.
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Now that's funny!
:D
Get Enraged and Engaged:
Mooch the Vote 2012!
;-)
@Pretzel - It's actually very sad and telling. Shrub was a savant, but the sheeple actually did like him because they could relate to his self deprecating humor, his hubris, and the fact that even when he was wrong he had the courage of his convictions. Mittens is not only fake, he's pretentious in that "you're beneath me" type of way, his "humor" is generally lost on everyone, and his flip flops have the electorate wondering exactly what does he stand for.
And even though I believe that Shrub and his whole mis-administration need to be hauled before the Hague for war-crimes, I can see how the low-information Christian sheeple still like him.
Romney and Bush make me long for the days of that Tool of Satan, Richard Nixon, who at least had a brain and knew how to use it.
Heh indeed. I am down in this thread to argue that the ultimate indignity will be when (not if when) Nixon is rated higher than Romney in a poll.
Romneynickname
My guess is EtchaMittch (Bush not so creative)
or
the robot or romnybot or the randroid
how about big lord flauntthelaw
the Caiman (look at that jaw look at those teeth not the islands where Bush is)
I wrote this comment to a post at The Nation: The Worst President of Them All, By Nicholas von Hoffman, The Nation. Posted February 19, 2007.
Hahahahaha..., This is why I like Steve.
Oops, looks like me and Pretzel were typing at the same time.
R money has no respect for anyone, unless he can make a profit...
Agree. Bet there's one nickname Bush, or few others would call Mitt, that's "friend".
GWB can play the likable bumpkin(with John Wayne alter-ego) better than Mitt can play the average guy. That probably is why he was so dangerous and still got reelected. Mitt is Mr. Spock without the logic or warmth or loyalty.
Wasn't that the whole thing about Reagan too, the "likable bumpkin" grandfatherly image?
Even though Bush was a God-awful President, at least he has some personailty. I'd sit and have a beer or two with him. If Romney drank, would I have one with him? No thanks. I'd rather drink dog piss than spend a minute with Mitt.
SOME OF US REMEMBER THIS BECAUSE WE LIVED THROUGH IT. Once upon a time there was a radical president who tried to remake American society through government action. In his first term he created a vast network of federal grants to state and local governments for social programs that cost billions. He set up an imposing agency to regulate air and water emissions, and another to regulate workers’ health and safety. Had Congress not stood in his way he would have gone much further. He tried to establish a guaranteed minimum income for all working families and, to top it off, proposed a national health plan that would have provided government insurance for low-income families, required employers to cover all their workers and set standards for private insurance. Thankfully for the country, his second term was cut short and his collectivist dreams were never realized. His name was Richard Nixon.
And yet those of us who were there at the time detested him.
If he hadn't been for the war...who knows
I guess it it really does put the current Plutocratic Clown Car in perspective.
Cognitive dissonance is making my head hurt. I really barely remember Nixon. I mostly remember Rich Little 'doing Nixon' on TV, or the Nixon on the Beach sketches on Laugh In. (I'm old).
It scares the hell out of me that, of all presidents of modern times, Nixon looks so good. Who knew, back then, how bad it could get?
Oh what the hell, lets name George Walker Bush as the president before Barak Hussein Obama. Right before he left office, the stock market DOW was 6,000 and 401K's were in the crapper, but now it is more than doubled and back whee it was before.
The financial industry who didn't need oversight all went broke due to selling worthless mortgages to each other and people who could not afford them, but that was OK, because they were insured by the US Government. Corporations pri
vatize profits and socialize losses (Hey therre is no risk for taking a risk). I think they knew that there was no risk to take a risk beforehand. Don't forget about all the outsourcing and nearly 20% unemployment.
There were 3 unpaid wars going at the same time and no WMD. There were 2 big tax cuts for the job creators which never did trickle anywhere. But conspicuously missing were those jobs. There was the Medicare part D drug bill which over paid the drug companies forever from the medicare trust fund reducing its stability.
By the way, Bailing out GM did turn out well too, since it had an umbrella effect by saving all of the businesses and jobs under it. .
So Barak Obama can't really be the worst president in the world, can he" That wouldd be called a republican talking point. No reasonable person in retrospect woulld believe that anyway because it would be stupid. So it would have been George bush who ran us into Debt and not Obama, who spent less than any president in the past 20 years.
While I am at it, lets mention the WTC twin towers that curmbled to the ground 2 days after George received a presidential daily briefing entitled "Al Quaida determined bring down the World trade Center with planes" wass delivered to him and FBI agents told of people wanting to learn to take off in jet liners but did not care about landing them.
So whats the real reason for dislikeing Barak Obama so much? Its either the collor of his skin or its because your on the other team or maybe both or whats the story. I could easily say George Bush was the worst president, because I have proof to back it up.
What the heck, I also have proof to say that Barak Obama has done a great job in the 3.5 years since he has been in offcice, with the republicans dragging their feet and kicking and screeming all the way. It was not supposed to turn out that way was it. WTFO?
Who are they polling that gives a 46% favorable rating to W? That is truly terrifying.
The Dems could pay GWB to campaign for Romney.
For card-carrying Republicans, the ultimate indignity for Romney would be if he was less popular than Carter.
(Me, I like Carter more than at least two other living ex-Presidents.)
Shall we count the ways Democrats contributed to all that?
Anybody but Obama.
Counting and facts are not your strong suit, Shooter. Stick to trolling.
Actually, you're not particularly good at that either.
Oh shooter... So much for delicate trolling, eh?
"It wasn't us! It was those nasty Democrats! Its all their fault"
puh-leeze.
And yes, shooter, climate change is reality.
just to play the game, though.
1) fiscal crisis- Bush's fault.
2) Obama has positive job growth and more jobs created in his four years than in Bush's eight
3) Two wars now also ENDED by Democrats
4) Deficit isn't that big, and most of it was caused by- get this- unfunded wars started by Republican administrations.
5) Auto crisis ended by Democratic intervention. Republicans all said 'it wasn't necessary'. Romney said 'let them fail'
6) There is a climate crisis, you're just in denial
7) I think Democrats everywhere are proud that Obama has given the American people a functional healthcare system, don't you?
9) Amnesty for whom? Bin Laden?
10) The world isn't laughing at us, shooter, unless it is laughing at how badly the Republicans are hacking things up.
Go ahead and vote for Romney. Reality will catch up to you sooner or later.
;)
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@ shooter
Anybody but Obama.
That makes a nice bumper sticker, damn sad people took that bumper sticker seriously.
Tried telling people the "Anybody but Obama" was going to bite them because Anybody would probably get them a Nobody.
I was right, Romney is an empty suit no one would pay attention to if it weren't for the money Romney made raping and pillaging America.
Like last time when McCain put Palin on the ticket the ticket is now a Nobody and it will be our fault for not recognizing their Greatness, wouldn't that be a "Collective Megalomania"?
I just can't figure it out!
What could possibly cause Americans to find so unappealing their thoughts about Twit Romney? -Kevo
The Afghanistan war is one of the most difficult things people have to think about. As Americans, we wish the people there to have a better life, but at the same time know wars really only bring just more misery, despair, and death. When you are in a war in a foreign land, it is very seldom that people in that other country after awhile even want you there and you telling them what to do. It is better that we do get out of that war, but by which way is the best way to do it. It was Bush, Chenney, and their cronies that foolishly wanted that war for their own selfish pursuits and so far it is everybody else who has to suffer those consequences beyond some rich hypocrites. But at the same time who would be the better alternative to do this, Romney who really doesn’t care about people, if you are not rich and would stay in that war for greedy exploits. Or President Obama who does definitely know we do need to get out of that war and finally use better ways to have things better for all people. Probably, the Afghanistan war should be in the debates, since as Americans, we do need to know that we have to do things better than we have ever done before.
Since President Obama has a net positive approval rating above 50%, and Governor Romney has a net negative approval rating, that literally means that Romney would get fewer votes than "Anybody but Obama."
Thank you Steve!
I have been up with dealing with work crises for the last 16 hours and your post just made me smile most heartily. I am really getting a lot of enjoyment out of watching the Republicans squirm because they are so uncomfortable in their own skin.
I think it all comes down to the basic truth that so many people of all political stripes have been speaking lately: people don't like Romney. A lot of people liked Bush, and, despite his glaring shortcomings, a lot still do. Having myself feared and loathed the man from the first time I saw him on TV, I still don't get why, but the fact is that GWB is likable. Some people respect Romney or admire his business success or his analytical gifts, his business cronies will scratch his back if he scratches theirs, but (today's Politico article notwithstanding) hardly anyone likes him. (I'd love to see Steve's takedown of that article btw.)
46%?!? For Bush?!?
This poll is obviously over-sampling individuals who spent the last twelve years in a coma or sequestered deep in a jungle with no internet access.
Oh, and crazy ass Republicans.
As opposed to money man and the current GOP, Bush actually had an interest in governing, not just letting the money run every little thing. Weird how the GOP has narrowed itself down to pure hostility to governance, and to anything that doesn't put our tax dollars in their pockets, isn't it?
Who's really to blame for the Romney campaign? See the full list, http://on.cc.com/PerZE4
Rachel, I watched a show about Germany and The Netherlands regarding job training. CNN With Zakaria, Saturday, 29th. Great. How about comments? Germany has been doing this a lot. One community college is tied in with a co. in U.S. Iwas busy but fascinated, too. We need to expand the idea and hope word gets to Pres. These corps. who are saving money need the apprenticeship programs! You are the one to publicize this andget it picked up. Aloha from your friend and fan in Hawaii. You know I watch you every day! Keep it up!
Rachel if you really believe in the truth you would know for a fact that saying bush was responsible for the financial crisis is a LIE. It is probably a pants on fire lie if politifact is fact checking you. If u want to know why u were wrong read this washington post article. http://washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/obamas-claim-that-the-bush-tax-cuts-led-to-the-economic-crisis/2012/09/30/06e8f578-0a6e-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_blog.html To summarize the article the government inquiry did not once mention the bush tax cut as a reason for the crisis. The deregulation thru glass stegal repeal and easy credit given for home mortgage occured under clinton administration not bush. Now i am not saying bush doesnt deserve any blame. He deserve blame for continuation of previous policies of deregulation that occured starting with the carter administration. This plus the continual reduction interest rate by fed reserve under greenspan caused the crisis.