Posted on 09/02/2005 1:46:49 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Hurricane Katrina may give President Bush the opportunity to increase his low approval ratings. In fact, his overall rating did rise on the last day of the poll, after he returned to the White House from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and addressed the nation on the crisis in the Gulf Coast.
But in the early days of this crisis, many Americans are withholding judgment about his handling of it. Fifty-four percent approve of the way the President is handling Hurricane Katrina, and only 12 percent disapprove -- but one-third can't say yet. This question was added to the poll on Tuesday, the day after Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf coast.
Bush’s current rating for his handling of Hurricane Katrina is actually lower than what his father, former president George H.W. Bush received for his handling of Hurricane Andrew. In September 1992, nearly two-thirds approved of then-President Bush’s handling of Hurricane Andrew, while three in 10 disapproved -- but that poll was conducted nearly three weeks after Hurricane Andrew hit Florida.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
What horse S***! They will pole and change questions until they get the answer they want. Why bother calling? "Don't wake-em up, Make-em up!" Get the answer you want the first time! Oh, sorry, your already doing that. Never mind. CBS - Communists Brodcasting Sedition!
Polls be damned.
I love the way that CBS attempts to implie that Bush II is worse than his father - ...
in the very early days after Katrina 58% approve, 33% are unsure and 12 % disapprove
three weeks after Andrew 66% approved and 30% disapproved
BUT - no bias here eh??
I think the looters stayed behind in order to do what they are doing. Free for all anarchy with a shot at a HDTV at the corner electronics market. The little ole ladies should have evacuated along with the babies. But the lawless ones stayed behind because they had plans.
Give the media and the rats some time, and those numbers will be reversed.
America has seen that the anarchy in New Orleans is the fault of the impotent and currupt local government as well as the rampaging welfare class members that are raping, looting and pillaging. What we've seen in New Orleans is a wakeup call to America about the permanent welfare class and Americans know that it's not the President's fault.
Nothing at all can be done to stop acts of nature.
It's pretty plain to see that neither the Mayor of New Orleans, the Governor of New Orleans, nor the State Legislature of NO had in place any emergency plans.
The President cannot override a sitting Governor. He cannot just Federalize a state. The Governor, Katherine Blanco, has to give the order to engage the looters and thugs. She has to say what type of force is to be used against them. If she says, "Shoot to kill," they can. But she hasn't given any indication of determination or strength or leadership other than begging the thugs to stop.
Can't these reporters understand this?
This is a horrendously huge undertaking. Note to news people: It isn't something that can be helped in a 15 minute newscast or in an hour. The logistics, if you think about it, are daunting.
In a small forum I participate in the general consensus is that we have to do something, and do it now. Many members seem to think that – because of TV news coverage – little is being done to help. They don’t seem to realize that the destroyed area is around 90,000 square miles and that those who need aid number in the millions – and that highways, rails and airports are wiped out. No power, no fuel, and gangbangers firing on rescuers and those trying to deliver aid and evacuate people.
I can’t really fault the news media for all of it. They can’t get their camera crews into the most devastated areas so they can’t cover them. They can get to New Orleans and now Biloxi. Because of that many people think the destruction is limited to those two areas.
And of course – who gets the blame? Most of it falls on politicians, but they are very limited in what they can do. All the Feds can do is allocate funds. Local politicians have declared martial law. None have a magic wand to wave and create a transportation infrastructure.
The more the loony media does it's thing, the more the American people are inclined to support our President.
His smirk at the end was suggesting it was nothing more than a sparring match to him.
Ignoring the fact that lives are at stake.
It's not the response of the federal authorities that has failed.
It's the local officials and their consituents who have utterly failed their fellow citizens.
An honest question, but I am shocked and ashamed that 4 years of planning after 9/11 our rapid response to a disaster has been so poor and ill-coordinated.
Wehn Andrew hit, during the election season, Clinton convinced a couple of the southern governors - Dems - to withhold requesting FEMA aid. The President cannot act until the request is made. This made it look as if Bush did not care. That is the way the media spun it and it drove Bush's numbers down.
Source?
Don't have a source either but I believe Rush covered it. I saw it verified later. File it under the Clinton blanket free pass.
You are exactly right. What people are seeing on tv, is in no way the fault of the president. Anderson Cooper and Shep Smith can rant and rave all they want, but the local and state authorities need to answer for a lot of the chaos, and then the people that chose to stay behind after being told to leave need to be responsible for their decisions.
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