Cynicism, discontent, and speculation about a bleak future

overall, a fairly grim picture...

la times/bloomberg (pdf)...

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president? (IF APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE) Do you (approve/disapprove) strongly or do you (approve/disapprove) somewhat?

ALL
Approve (net) 36
Approve strongly 17
Approve somewhat 19
Disapprove (net) 62
Disapprove somewhat 16
Disapprove strongly 46
Don’t know 2

some accompanying narrative, first related to the figures above...

Bush's overall presidential job rating also continued to fall, hitting a low of 36% approval compared to 62% disapproval. The proportion of Americans who say they strongly disapprove of the job he is doing as president is approaching half – 46%. Similarly, only a third of the public backs his handling of the Iraq war, compared to 65% who do not.

the economy, gonzo, testimony under oath, iraq withdrawal and funding...

Americans predict that the U.S. will face an economic recession, and after a year of increasing optimism about the economy, their outlook has taken a decided downward turn, according to the latest Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll. In addition, most want Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to step down [53%], and think Bush administration staffers should testify under oath before the House and Senate Judiciary Committee about their involvement in the dismissal of U.S. Attorneys last year.

The public is less one-sided when it comes to setting timelines for withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Although most do not see progress from President Bush's latest initiatives there, half the country sides with his assertion that setting a timeline for withdrawal of troops from Iraq will harm the forces already on the ground. They are split over whether he should sign or veto Congressional legislation that ties further funding of the war to timelines, and over whether Congress should give in and pass funding that has no conditions, or stand firm, if Bush vetoes the legislation as he has promised to do.

and, finally, immigration...

[S]upport for including a guest worker program varies little across political ideology. Fifty-eight percent of liberals, 59% of moderates, and 52% of conservatives all agree that including a guest worker program is a good idea, along with 53% of Democrats, 58% of independents and 56% of Republicans. Race, however, does play a role. While 55% of white respondents want to include a program for immigrant workers, 51% of African Americans favor tougher enforcement alone.

i can't help but feel that, if the american public were more generally aware of the abuses and crimes that have been and are being perpetrated by the bush administation, a drumbeat for resignation or impeachment would build until the roar was deafening... right now, i think most people are taking the cynical viewpoint that this is just all politics as usual, and the poll bears that out...

[T]he public sees [the Justice Department] investigation and others in a cynical light. More than six out of 10 said that they believe the Democrats in Congress are undertaking that investigation and others such as the Valerie Plame leak, unauthorized wiretapping of U. S. citizens, and substandard conditions at Walter Reed hospital, for political reasons. Just under three in ten said they believe that a real concern over ethics is the driving force.

most folks simply don't grasp that their country is in the midst of a constitutional crisis of epic proportions, and that getting rid of the criminals, be they republicans or democrats, that are running the country needs to be the first order of business... i am hoping and praying that the revelations still to come from the justice department investigation and the other investigations underway will break through the cynical malaise...

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