Washington Post/ABC News Poll: Bush's approval rating at 87%
September 13, 2001 8:56 PM   Subscribe

Washington Post/ABC News Poll: Bush's approval rating at 87% - I wonder if that rating is going to go on a roller-coaster ride similar to his father's.
posted by mrbula (17 comments total)
 
I guess I'm the 1 in 10 that disaprove. 87% though has almost got to be a record. The polling doesn't look scientifcally accurate, but I find it astounding that most Americans have no problem with launching a large-scale attack on Afghanistan, thereby killing even more innocent people. Human life is just too precious to be used like a commodity. Only rarely does warfare reduce the number of lives that would be killed. This is certainly a time when I think it's not justifiable.
posted by bloggboy at 9:07 PM on September 13, 2001


His father got an 89%, right after the Gulf War was won.
posted by smackfu at 9:21 PM on September 13, 2001


ninety percent of americans support going to war? WAR!?

I would love to see some more statistics on that poll (all it said was plus or minus four percent), and also to know what the wording of the questions was.
posted by rabi at 9:25 PM on September 13, 2001


"killing even more innocent people"... if this is war, then more innocents will die. If boats came ashore, and went trough a few towns and killed a few thousand people, we'd not sit back and turn our cheek.
posted by tomplus2 at 9:25 PM on September 13, 2001


it's considered good form to support elected leaders in times like this, whatever one's true opinion of them, and that's likely reflected in the poll, which shouldn't have even been run. i'm with rabi: depending on the wording, a lot of us might have fallen in there -- hard as it may be to believe. even among friends, i'm trying to keep my mouth shut instead of criticizing bush as often as i do. there will be plenty of time for that, you know? right now, i just don't care much about him.
posted by moth at 9:29 PM on September 13, 2001


Rabi, you could click on the link at the top right of that story. It has the exact questions and responses.

The relevant war questions were: "If the United States can identify the groups or nations responsible for today's attacks, would you support or oppose taking military action against them?" and the follow-up "What if that meant getting into a war - in that case would you support or oppose taking military action?" That's the one that got an 86%.
posted by smackfu at 9:30 PM on September 13, 2001


Or I could try and paste the right link. Stupid clipboard.
posted by smackfu at 9:31 PM on September 13, 2001


actually, I'd say the most relevant one is this:

"What if it meant innocent civilians in other countries might be hurt or killed - in that case would you support or oppose taking military action?"

response in support: 77 %
in opposition: 19 %

innocent civilians! will americans be dancing in the streets after that happens? (it amazes me also that people can have no opinion on something like this.)
posted by rabi at 9:39 PM on September 13, 2001


I wonder if that rating is going to go on a roller-coaster ride similar to his father's

When the military action ends and the patriotic feeling goes away, people will start blaming the post-event depression on the government, and most certainly the president. The scale of that is hard to predict. I suppose it might be lessened if the military action is drawn out for a long time and most of the clean up work and that sort of thing is long over with by then.
posted by bargle at 9:41 PM on September 13, 2001


I'm not amazed at people with "no opinion" - I'm feeling pretty damn ambivalent myself. If you don't think "yes" or "no", then what is your opinion, exactly? how does it get recorded in a poll?
posted by epersonae at 10:08 PM on September 13, 2001


Who gives a shit about Bush's approval rating right now?
posted by argybarg at 10:23 PM on September 13, 2001


In the past three days my opinion of humanity has skyrocketed and plummeted at regular intervals. The poll showing people want retribution is my current low, but hearing of shopkeepers emptying their inventories to rescue workers is rebounding me. I think it's too soon, people are too angry. My sincerest hope is that this attitude will pass.
posted by Nothing at 10:30 PM on September 13, 2001


argy's right. approval polls at this point are really trivial in light of everything, and not to mention meaningless, for they are based on nothing but his feeling sorry for new york and his determination to take action in response to the terrorism: things i think most people, in bush's shoes, would also feel.
posted by moz at 10:55 PM on September 13, 2001


It's all wrong and Nothing's right (sorry. No more puns, I promise). People are too angry and I, too, hope that when America acts, it will not be in reaction to a temporal mood or with the backing of something as whimsical as a presidential popularity poll (87% approval for that goofball? Wowsers! Well, like they say in Ireland -- you don't like the weather? Just wait a minute.)

From MeFi posts of only a few months ago, it seems like the average Afghan citizen is already suffering quite a bit. I don't see what use it could possibly be to bomb a bunch of people out of existence, if that is, indeed, what we're planning on doing.
posted by Bixby23 at 12:54 AM on September 14, 2001


War has always cost of the lives of innocent civilians.

The fact that Americans who support war accept its cost in civilian casualties is a good thing, not a bad thing. In means that they accept the moral responsibility of the decision they have made.

It also means that their sensibilities are sufficiently attuned that they will be very aware of the point at which the costs of war outweigh its benefits, which is surely a good thing for America.
posted by MattD at 6:32 AM on September 14, 2001


Good Lord, some people think this a game where they had a turn, now we get to play our pieces...

As if every major city in the US does not already have at least one terrorist cell armed with weapons of all descriptions. This "war" against OBL will be fought on the streets of Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco...
posted by username at 7:57 AM on September 14, 2001


Er, sorry, I guess this was basically a double post.
posted by mrbula at 8:26 AM on September 14, 2001


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