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Bush's approval rating hits new low
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-10 19:53
While the gap worries Republicans, Cole and others said it does not
automatically translate into GOP defeats in November, when voters will face a
choice between local candidates rather than considering Congress as a whole.
President Bush speaks at the Georgia
Republican Party's annual Presidents Day dinner in Atlanta, March 9, 2006.
[Reuters] |
In addition, strategists in both parties agree that a divided and
undisciplined Democratic Party has failed to seize full advantage of Republican
troubles.
"While I don't dispute the fact that we have challenges in the current
environment politically, I also believe 2006 as a choice election offers
Republicans an opportunity if we make sure the election is framed in a way that
will keep our majorities in the House and the Senate," said Ken Mehlman,
chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Stung by criticism, senior officials at the White House and the RNC are
reminding GOP members of Congress that Bush's approval ratings may be low, but
theirs is lower and have declined at the same pace as Bush's. The message to GOP
lawmakers is that criticizing the president weakens him 錕斤拷 and them 錕斤拷
politically.
"When issue like the internal Republican debate over the ports dominates the
news it puts us another day away from all of us figuring out what policies we
need to win," said Terry Nelson, a Republican consultant and political director
for Bush's re-election campaign in 2004.
Bowing to ferocious opposition in Congress, a Dubai-owned company on Thursday
abandoned its quest to take over operations at several U.S. ports. Bush had
pledged to veto any attempt to block the transaction, pitting him against
Republicans in Congress and most voters.
All this has Republican voters like Walter Wright of Fairfax Station, Va.,
worried for their party.
"We've gotten so carried away I wouldn't be surprised to see the Democrats
take it because of discontent," he said. "People vote for change and hope for
the best."
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