"This Administration May Be Over"

by DemFromCT

So says Republican pollster Lance Tarrance, in a WaPo story bound to raise eyebrows in DC.

A new poll by RT Strategies, the firm headed by Tarrance and Democratic pollster Thomas Riehle, shows that 59 percent of Americans disapprove of Bush's job performance, while 36 percent approve -- a finding in line with other recent polls.

Tarrance said it would be extremely difficult for any president to bounce back this late in his administration and reassert influence on Capitol Hill when his approval rating barely exceeds his party's base support and half of all adults surveyed said they "strongly disapprove" of his performance. An overwhelming 73 percent of independents disapprove of Bush's performance, and two-thirds of those "strongly disapprove."

Just as it took the media months to admit Bush was no longer popular, it seems they're coming to grips with other aspects of the reality of Bush's current satanding with Americans.

The dynamic of the narrative is changing. You can see it in stories like this:

Party leaders, confident of winning back chamber in midterm elections, aim to conduct legislative blitz, launch investigations of Bush administration.

and in debates on the talking heads shows as the new CW about R's losing the House sinks in (that doesn't make it a done deal, of course).

When the Republicans lose that kind of stature and respect from the press, it opens the door to other stories and POV (Katrina van den Heuvel was on This Week with George S rather than having the usual two conservatives conterbalancing Greorge Will). The press doesn't have to see Bush the way Colbert does for it to do its job. And when conservative pundits (Laura Ingraham, Katty Kay and Andrew Sullivan to name names - Chris Matthews Show) start talklng about how the best thing for Bush  and Rs would be a D House for two years, you know the sun has just started rising in the east again just the way it used to, at least as reported by the American press.

Comments

[Melanie]

Sully sounded like he was flirting with voting for Democrats this morning.

[DemFromCT]

He hates this admin, and I believe him when he says so.

[al-Fubar]

Interesting how Lance Tarrance offered himself as a mouthpiece to allow the WaPo to commit truth.

After five years of the MSM being in a state of battered-wife syndrome with respect to Bush and the GOP, they must have a LOT of buried resentment that is still struggling to come out - which perhaps explains the whole strange arc of the Colbert story. If it bubbles up, the next few months (the next two and a half years, in fact) could be like something right out of those kill-your-husband movies on the Lifetime channel. Pass the popcorn.

By the way, it's Katrina van den Heuvel - rather appropriately, perhaps, under the circumstances. :)

[DemFromCT]

oops, I knew that. I will correct. I spent too much time spelling the last part...

[FMguru]

It's been over (as a legislation-proposing and passing enterprise) since at least January's SOTU (with its total lack of policy agenda). Nice of the Media to finally notice it. The revolt of his own party over the Dubai deal a month later sealed it. Bush's crippled popularity and lameduckitude prevent him from getting anything done in a Congress that his party has complete control over, which was seen as the immigration debate spun completely out of his control. Sheesh, and I thought it was embarassing watching Bill Clinton get kicked in the teeth by the Sam Nunns and Bob Kerreys of the Senate back in 93-94...

Although the Bush administration may be dead in a legislative sense, it still has great powers in foreign affairs, appointments, day-to-day policy, administrative decisions, and pardons. Ugh.

[free patriot]

repuglicans were gonna run on the impeachment issue, but then the figured out that a majority of Americans think impeachment is a good idea

then the repuglicans were gonna run on the national security issue, but then the repuglicans figuered out that bush aint so hot on national security

now all the repuglicans got is their "Democrats are worse than us" refrain

and America is asking what Democrat has been as incompetent as george

repuglicans got nuttin

and that is BEFORE Rover goes down

scooter is roped, and he knows it

the bugman just got speared by his own emails

porter goss gets to explain how the CIA got compromised by a bunch of hookers and lobbiests

and rover gets the frog march

remind me again about which president of the United States was more corrupt and incompetent than george ???

[Marysz]

I read that the latest meme that the Republicans are going to try is to portray the Democrats as "dangerous." They're going to give it a test run to see how it will play in November. Hmm . . . and there's the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and outlaw gay adoptions. I think they're digging up the dirt on Democratic congressional candidates behind the scenes and waiting to throw it in their faces in October. Rove doesn't usually pull out his big guns until closer to the election (let's hope he'll have other things on his mind then--like a felony indictment). The only possible way the Republicans can win in November is by big-time smearing and by trying, on the local level, to disenfranchise as many voters as possible who are likely to vote Democratic.

[Hurrays]

Disenfranchised blogger edited by 'The Next Hurrah.'

So, its not the end of the Union at CIA.

[DemFromCT]

Hurrays | May 07, 2006 at 20:50

I'd like to pretend I ubnderstood that, but alas...

[DemFromCT]

I read that the latest meme that the Republicans are going to try is to portray the Democrats as "dangerous."

That worked real well for Carter when he ran against Reagan.

[Jon]

It's a good thing that G.W. isn't a real conservative figurehead or else he'd pull down the still popular conservative wing of the party with him. ;-)

How do you know the endgame is nigh? When the neocons are huddled in the back rooms of their think tanks desperately cobbling together a new vision of Pax Americana, all new and improved and workable if only they can find the right figurehead to implement it properly, you know, one that is competent enough to execute the plan. Oh how they long for the days when figureheads actually appointed true-believers who could get things done. ;-)

[mainsailset]

I noticed on Matthews his comeback to Sullivan's comment that the internet thought Colbert was very funny last weekend was, "Oh, that's a generational thing". Reverting to the oldhat dismissal of those 20 something crazy overthetop kids doing blogs. Guess he hasn't seen the stats out on average age of bloggers these days being 41. Matthews' labels have worn thin.

[Sara]

Equally of interest on the Gas Bag shows today was the number of Republicans who had fairly strong reservations about Michael Hayden as Director of CIA. Goiodness he has not even been formally appointed yet and he may get the Bolton treatment. They've given up on Party Unity so as to try and save their own asses. And that happens when the dysfunctional system explodes -- every man for himself.

It looks like it will be fought on the least controversial grounds -- CIA Director is supposed to be a Civilian, and Hayden is still in Uniform with his four stars. Even Bamford who had been so positive yesterday recognized it as probably illegal. It is in the 1947 Act establishing the Defense Department that no uniformed officer could serve as an agency head or Sec of Defense until he had been retired for five years. And yes, even Truman followed that law which was written by a Republican Congress. He had to delay the appointment of George Marshall as Sec of Defense until late summer 1950 so as to meet the 5 year requirement. (off I go on George Marshall again.)

[Crab Nebula]

Those who will believe Democrats are "dangerous" are already part of the R base. I don't think any real I's or D-leaning I's believe this. It may help a little with their base, and it may cow the press into emphasizing the security and tax issue (i.e. fear of wild unbridled tax hikes)

I think the tax issue no longer has power for Republicans, but they have no idea of this. They've blown their credibility; I bet it will take them a couple of cycles to finally get it.

I think it was this blog's posters and commenters that were first in proclaiming the administration to be "over." We saw that after SS reform died. That was really the truest indicator.

[DemFromCT]

I think it was this blog's posters and commenters that were first in proclaiming the administration to be "over." think it was this blog's posters and commenters that were first in proclaiming the administration to be "over."

Well, we were early adapters, out there before the media was.