Reply #53: Right Wing Losing Pull With Electorate

[Mark E. Smith]

Polls finding conservative agenda less popular.

Connecticut Post 5/31

WASHINGTON - Recent polls show that Republicans, who five months ago secured their hold on Congress and the White House, appear to be losing their grip on the American electorate.

President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress have seen their popularity plummet in recent national polls, as Americans seem to grow increasingly uncomfortable with an agenda shaped by evangelical Christians.

"Republicans might very well have misinterpreted their mandate from the elections," said Gary Rose, a professor of politics at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. "While a portion of the electorate supports these conservative, almost reactionary, policies, that is not where the country is at."

A spate of recent polls show Bush in the doghouse with the American people:

- A Quinnipiac University Poll last week found Bush's job approval had hit an all-time low. Only 44 percent approve of the job he is doing, and 50 percent disapprove.

- Bush's approval ratings for handling the economy, Iraq and Social Security hit new lows last week, according to an USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll. Half those polled said they disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job as president.

- And a recent CBS News poll found 6 in 10 Americans just don't think the president shares their priorities for the country; just 34 percent say he does. This is the lowest mark since the eve of his inauguration.

http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_2769073