THE TENSION: Update 2: President's Approval Ratings Twice That of Congress

President Bush
On the Home Front:

UPDATE 2:

Last week, Zogby repored that the President's positive ratings were more than twice as high as the Democratic Congress.

On Tuesday, in the results of a new poll, Gallup verified and expanded upon Zogby's numbers, finding Congress' approval rating the lowest it has been since Gallup first tracked public opinion of Congress with this measure in 1974. Just 18% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 76% disapprove, according to the August 13-16, 2007, Gallup Poll.

Gallup notes that currently, 32% of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing as president.

UPDATE 1:

In poll numbers released Wednesday, Zogby reports while the President's positive ratings have dipped slightly, they remain more than twice as high as the Democratic Congress.

President George W. Bush's overall job approval rating has taken a small dip, dropping to 32% positive, down from 34% who gave him positive job marks in mid-July, a new Reuters/Zogby International telephone poll shows.

The survey also shows that the overall job approval rating for the work of Congress remains far below the President's, as just 15% give the national legislature a collective positive rating, up one point since last month. Changes in both the ratings for the President and Congress are statistically insignificant.

In other poll rankings, major media outlets will no doubt seize on poll numbers that reflect the damage done by negative reporting on such issues as the economy. No matter how the recent poll is misreported and misquoted, Zogby finds:

Just 35% said they are pleased with current U.S. economic policy, but 60% said their own personal economic situation is good or excellent. Overall, 65% said they feel secure in their current jobs, and most are optimistic about the long-term future of the nation: 64% said they expect their children to have a better life than them.

What will not be reported, however, is this:

Despite their downcast view of the current political leadership in Washington, an overwhelming percentage [of Americans] said they are proud of their nation - 89% said they are either very or fairly proud of the United States.

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More than three-quarters - 77% - said they feel America is facing threats from abroad, while 21% said they are not concerned about such things.

The Associated Press also reports the Democrat-controlled Congress and President Bush seem locked in a competition for public unfavorability.

An AP-Ipsos poll shows Bush's approval ratings at 35 percent, and Congress' even lower, 25 percent.

CNN also released their own poll results, which appear somewhat skewed when compared to Zogby and AP polls.

CNN reports 57 percent of those questioned say that Bush's presidency has been a failure; 55 percent say the Democrat-controlled Congress has been a failure as well.

CNN claims Congress, unlike the president, has achieved at least some successes in security measures recommended by the 9/11 Commission and in a raise in the minimum wage. That message, however, is misleading because Congressional Democrats have complained they were tricked by Republicans into approving the security bill and the only real success not vetoed or under threat of veto by the president is the minimum wage bill.

The New York Post reports a surprising 94 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with their lives - although far fewer in New York and other Eastern states think they're better off than they were five years ago, according to a new survey.

In other news, talk radio's Rush Limbaugh interviewed Karl Rove Wednesday. The interview is the first Rove has given since he announced his resignation.

Link to transcript, audio.