Bush Approval Rating Map
November 28, 2005 12:58 PM Subscribe
Bush Approval Rating Map Plus various other Bush-related state by state analyses. Kos via Plastic, but it's just so pretty and blue...
These plummeting ratings for Bush are a trap for Democrats, IMHO. Any strategy predicated on people disliking Bush is a loser. Many people may disapprove of the man, but still like him. They think he's friendly and well-meaning, even when they disagree with his policies or decisions. Most of us on the Left loathed the man on site -- but I know many people who will never feel that in their guts, just as I will never really "get" despising Clinton (either one) or Jimmy Carter.
There are going to be too many people -- some of them regulars at Kos -- who are going to think: Finally! Now the rest of the nation will kick dirt on the man like we've wanted to do! But it won't happen. The Democrats are still obligated to come up with a coherent, repeatable set of beliefs and practices that sit well with people.
posted by argybarg at 1:08 PM on November 28, 2005
There are going to be too many people -- some of them regulars at Kos -- who are going to think: Finally! Now the rest of the nation will kick dirt on the man like we've wanted to do! But it won't happen. The Democrats are still obligated to come up with a coherent, repeatable set of beliefs and practices that sit well with people.
posted by argybarg at 1:08 PM on November 28, 2005
Wait... we're going to start having elections again?
posted by Baby_Balrog at 1:09 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by Baby_Balrog at 1:09 PM on November 28, 2005
The Democrats are still obligated to come up with a coherent, repeatable set of beliefs and practices that sit well with people.
The left is screwed.
posted by S.C. at 1:10 PM on November 28, 2005
The left is screwed.
posted by S.C. at 1:10 PM on November 28, 2005
If I were to put money on 2008, I'd lay it on McCain. People for some reason think the fundies don't like him, but my fundie mom loves him, she's replaying the same Fox-fed hero-worship she had with Bush.
Frankly, there's nobody among the Dems, outside of Dean and Gore (and they are speculative crapshoots wrt their effectiveness in office at this point) that I want to see in the White House.
2006 is an important nexus tho. I could live with a Dem House/Senate and McCain in the WH.
Gore would be cool, for the justice of it, but 2008-2012 is going to be one helluva ride. We're going to be $9
T+ in debt in 2009, paying $500B in interest each year if we're lucky, another $500B/yr on the DoD, medicare going to blow up as the leading baby boom cohort enters their 60s...
Then again, I thought things were bad in 1992, mebbe they'll turn around again.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 1:11 PM on November 28, 2005
Frankly, there's nobody among the Dems, outside of Dean and Gore (and they are speculative crapshoots wrt their effectiveness in office at this point) that I want to see in the White House.
2006 is an important nexus tho. I could live with a Dem House/Senate and McCain in the WH.
Gore would be cool, for the justice of it, but 2008-2012 is going to be one helluva ride. We're going to be $9
T+ in debt in 2009, paying $500B in interest each year if we're lucky, another $500B/yr on the DoD, medicare going to blow up as the leading baby boom cohort enters their 60s...
Then again, I thought things were bad in 1992, mebbe they'll turn around again.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 1:11 PM on November 28, 2005
The Democrats are still obligated to come up with a coherent, repeatable set of beliefs and practices that sit well with people.
The left is screwed.
I believe that's what you'd call a non-sequitur.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 1:16 PM on November 28, 2005
The left is screwed.
I believe that's what you'd call a non-sequitur.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 1:16 PM on November 28, 2005
The Democrats are still obligated to come up with a coherent, repeatable set of beliefs and practices that sit well with people.
They seem to be at least formulating an agenda. The Democrats have put up a group of tech-friendly initiatives that involve national broadband access and science/math scholarships. Plus alternative energy research which is something that is becoming more and more attractive to conservatives (aka the south). With their new almost unified message of withdrawing from Iraq, the agenda looks like it could be widely popular. One positive thing about the diverse opinions inside the Dem party is that the agenda can be sold in varied ways to different audiences. Overall I think the Democrats have shown actual initiative this year while quietly allowing the Republicans to hurt themselves. The Democrats outlook just doesn't seem as bleak as it is often portrayed.
posted by aburd at 2:14 PM on November 28, 2005
They seem to be at least formulating an agenda. The Democrats have put up a group of tech-friendly initiatives that involve national broadband access and science/math scholarships. Plus alternative energy research which is something that is becoming more and more attractive to conservatives (aka the south). With their new almost unified message of withdrawing from Iraq, the agenda looks like it could be widely popular. One positive thing about the diverse opinions inside the Dem party is that the agenda can be sold in varied ways to different audiences. Overall I think the Democrats have shown actual initiative this year while quietly allowing the Republicans to hurt themselves. The Democrats outlook just doesn't seem as bleak as it is often portrayed.
posted by aburd at 2:14 PM on November 28, 2005
Just because folks don't trust Republicans anymore doesn't mean they've started liking Democrats.
Gore... He would have been great. (sob)
We coulda had a lockbox, but we broke the bank instead.
posted by xammerboy at 2:18 PM on November 28, 2005
Gore... He would have been great. (sob)
We coulda had a lockbox, but we broke the bank instead.
posted by xammerboy at 2:18 PM on November 28, 2005
2008-2012 is going to be one helluva ride. We're going to be $9T+ in debt in 2009, paying $500B in interest each year if we're lucky, another $500B/yr on the DoD, medicare going to blow up as the leading baby boom cohort enters their 60s...
If for these reasons only we need to keep Republicans in power, so that if this country is still around by 2012, no survivors (outside of those in a mental institution) will ever vote for the GOP ever again of their own will.
posted by Rothko at 2:18 PM on November 28, 2005
If for these reasons only we need to keep Republicans in power, so that if this country is still around by 2012, no survivors (outside of those in a mental institution) will ever vote for the GOP ever again of their own will.
posted by Rothko at 2:18 PM on November 28, 2005
The Democrats have put up a group of tech-friendly initiatives that involve national broadband access and science/math scholarships. Plus alternative energy research ... almost unified message of withdrawing from Iraq...
...and on-demand fetal destruction. the left is screwed.
posted by quonsar at 2:26 PM on November 28, 2005
...and on-demand fetal destruction. the left is screwed.
posted by quonsar at 2:26 PM on November 28, 2005
OK, I give up. What the H-E-doublehockeysticks is UP with Idaho? What, subsidies? Military funding? What gives? Someone enlighten me, pleeeeez.
posted by TheStorm at 2:38 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by TheStorm at 2:38 PM on November 28, 2005
A single link to Kos?
I flagged this as a fantastic post.
posted by dios at 2:40 PM on November 28, 2005
I flagged this as a fantastic post.
posted by dios at 2:40 PM on November 28, 2005
Texas Anti-gay Marriage Amendment Voting Map
I'm green I'm green! And it's not easy.
for those not knowing - that's Austin in the green, with the rest of the state voting for the ban.
posted by Peter H at 2:48 PM on November 28, 2005
I'm green I'm green! And it's not easy.
for those not knowing - that's Austin in the green, with the rest of the state voting for the ban.
posted by Peter H at 2:48 PM on November 28, 2005
Until we can effectively vote for someone besides a Dem or a Rep, we're screwed. Both parties are just corporate shills, bent on maintaining the illusion of democracy without actually, you know, practicing it.
America needs independents as much as it needs independence! Hey, that's kinda catchy - to makeyourownbumpersticker.com!
posted by davelog at 2:53 PM on November 28, 2005
America needs independents as much as it needs independence! Hey, that's kinda catchy - to makeyourownbumpersticker.com!
posted by davelog at 2:53 PM on November 28, 2005
TheStorm: OK, I give up. What the H-E-doublehockeysticks is UP with Idaho?
Cracka assed redneck white supremacist revisionist history spouting bunker dwelling rapture filled animal bonking survivalists is what's up with Idaho / No U da HO. Oh and the Deeply Misguided Heinous Neocon utopianism Sect (tm).
posted by Skygazer at 3:05 PM on November 28, 2005
Cracka assed redneck white supremacist revisionist history spouting bunker dwelling rapture filled animal bonking survivalists is what's up with Idaho / No U da HO. Oh and the Deeply Misguided Heinous Neocon utopianism Sect (tm).
posted by Skygazer at 3:05 PM on November 28, 2005
And I flagged this as noise.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 5:03 PM CST on November 28
Whereas this is just great substantive dialogue:
Cracka assed redneck white supremacist revisionist history spouting bunker dwelling rapture filled animal bonking survivalists is what's up with Idaho / No U da HO. Oh and the Deeply Misguided Heinous Neocon utopianism Sect (tm).
posted by Skygazer at 5:05 PM CST on November 28
Anyone link to Free Republic yet today? I bet there is a great journal on there somewhere that would be a great FPP bringing forth insightful comments like Skygazer's and Baby Balrog's and the rest that are sure to pop up here.
posted by dios at 3:10 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 5:03 PM CST on November 28
Whereas this is just great substantive dialogue:
Cracka assed redneck white supremacist revisionist history spouting bunker dwelling rapture filled animal bonking survivalists is what's up with Idaho / No U da HO. Oh and the Deeply Misguided Heinous Neocon utopianism Sect (tm).
posted by Skygazer at 5:05 PM CST on November 28
Anyone link to Free Republic yet today? I bet there is a great journal on there somewhere that would be a great FPP bringing forth insightful comments like Skygazer's and Baby Balrog's and the rest that are sure to pop up here.
posted by dios at 3:10 PM on November 28, 2005
What the H-E-doublehockeysticks is UP with Idaho?
Religious whackjobs:
"According to 2000 estimates, Idaho has about 311,425 Mormons, 18,745 adherents in the Assemblies of God, and 17,683 United Methodists. There were 130,847 Roman Catholics and an estimated 1,050 Jews."
out of a pop of ~1.3M.
Plus there are 0.4% african-americans in Idaho. Controlling for that variable in the bible-belt (ie only looking at the tighty-whitey vote) also shows that the south isn't that far behind the Mormon west.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 3:11 PM on November 28, 2005
Religious whackjobs:
"According to 2000 estimates, Idaho has about 311,425 Mormons, 18,745 adherents in the Assemblies of God, and 17,683 United Methodists. There were 130,847 Roman Catholics and an estimated 1,050 Jews."
out of a pop of ~1.3M.
Plus there are 0.4% african-americans in Idaho. Controlling for that variable in the bible-belt (ie only looking at the tighty-whitey vote) also shows that the south isn't that far behind the Mormon west.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 3:11 PM on November 28, 2005
(My apologies for being snarky. I flagged this and that ought to be enough. Carry on.)
posted by dios at 3:11 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by dios at 3:11 PM on November 28, 2005
Anyone link to Free Republic yet today?
posted by dios at 6:10 PM EST on November 28 [!]
Dios, this was an informative post, for a link to Daily Kos. A lot of meat on the bone, if you will. If you can find a Freeper link that gives us as much information about Bush's sliding approval ratings per state, I'd genuinely like to see it, as I'm sure would others.
posted by Rothko at 3:12 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by dios at 6:10 PM EST on November 28 [!]
Dios, this was an informative post, for a link to Daily Kos. A lot of meat on the bone, if you will. If you can find a Freeper link that gives us as much information about Bush's sliding approval ratings per state, I'd genuinely like to see it, as I'm sure would others.
posted by Rothko at 3:12 PM on November 28, 2005
dios: can't handle the truth-as-humor, huh?
The correlation by race, population density, and religion wrt Bush supporters is quite strong. Don't pretend otherwise.
78% of the fundies in 2004 voted for Bush, that was Bush's strongest national deme. The infamous "Bush Country" county maps show where Bush got his strongest support -- the sticks. Plus anybody with a brain knows the virulent Birch Society peeps are still keeping their head down in the mountain west.
skygazer's comment may be impolitic but I see nothing objectionable in it.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 3:16 PM on November 28, 2005
The correlation by race, population density, and religion wrt Bush supporters is quite strong. Don't pretend otherwise.
78% of the fundies in 2004 voted for Bush, that was Bush's strongest national deme. The infamous "Bush Country" county maps show where Bush got his strongest support -- the sticks. Plus anybody with a brain knows the virulent Birch Society peeps are still keeping their head down in the mountain west.
skygazer's comment may be impolitic but I see nothing objectionable in it.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 3:16 PM on November 28, 2005
The disapproval map is about Bush, not about all Republicans. Some other Republican will get the vote if Democrats try to run on visions of bright, shiny inventions and The Future ("tech-friendly initiatives" and so on). The next Democrat who wins will be the one who at least seems unbookish (a southern accent helps in lots of places) and who appears to be looking to The Past, because uneducated (or at least not "overeducated") and traditional is what folk (especially uneducated folk) vote for, and he (yeah, he, and he'll be white) is going to have to go for the jugular on the same old issues: strong America, no backing down, don't trust foreigners, low taxes, lots of jobs for regular folk, and "Hey, look at how normal I am!" Whoever he is, he's going to have to actually wear and like flannel shirts and boots and not just put them on for a couple of campaign stops. Take a look at the vacation habits and recreation outfits of likely candidates to see who has a chance. Fishing -- good. Yachting -- bad.
posted by pracowity at 3:21 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by pracowity at 3:21 PM on November 28, 2005
pracowity, yup, we already know the exact number of voters in this country that are functional idiots: 62,040,606.
This is not to say Kerry didn't get some of these votes, by eg. these idiots voting for the wrong candidate on the touch-screen, but how to appeal to the ~30% of the electorate that is voting for God's plan, and another 20% that doesn't know its ass from a hole in the ground, well, that indeed is the central puzzle of modern democracy.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 3:26 PM on November 28, 2005
This is not to say Kerry didn't get some of these votes, by eg. these idiots voting for the wrong candidate on the touch-screen, but how to appeal to the ~30% of the electorate that is voting for God's plan, and another 20% that doesn't know its ass from a hole in the ground, well, that indeed is the central puzzle of modern democracy.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 3:26 PM on November 28, 2005
skygazer:
I've spent a good bit of time in Idaho and, impolitic though it may be, your comment made me laugh so hard that I am typing this through the coffee- covered haze that is my monitor.
I guess I should feel guilty, but I don't (probably because I'm just a freewheelin', long-hair hippie type).
Thanks for the laugh.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 3:29 PM on November 28, 2005
I've spent a good bit of time in Idaho and, impolitic though it may be, your comment made me laugh so hard that I am typing this through the coffee- covered haze that is my monitor.
I guess I should feel guilty, but I don't (probably because I'm just a freewheelin', long-hair hippie type).
Thanks for the laugh.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 3:29 PM on November 28, 2005
Rothko: "a Freeper link that gives us as much information about Bush's sliding approval ratings per state"
Not as much information, but there's this.
posted by dsword at 3:37 PM on November 28, 2005
Not as much information, but there's this.
posted by dsword at 3:37 PM on November 28, 2005
What toasts my muffin from those Survey USA number is Iowa -- who we have to thank for Kerry, and Ohio AND Florida, which were the swing states that could have put Kerry over the top, now support Bush 35-37%.
w-t-f?
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 3:50 PM on November 28, 2005
w-t-f?
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 3:50 PM on November 28, 2005
yes! now all we have to do is constantly remind people how bad the other side is for another YEAR, and WHAM! we're in office again! go Dems!
posted by Busithoth at 3:51 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by Busithoth at 3:51 PM on November 28, 2005
Actually busithoth, Republicans like Duke, Scanlon, Abramoff, Ney, Rove, Reed, and Libby are doing most of the work for us Dems.
posted by bardic at 3:59 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by bardic at 3:59 PM on November 28, 2005
Peter H, that particular map managed to both depress and disgust me. What's the matter with Texas?
posted by kosher_jenny at 4:49 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by kosher_jenny at 4:49 PM on November 28, 2005
yes! now all we have to do is constantly remind people how bad the other side is for another YEAR, and WHAM! we're in office again! go Dems!
posted by Busithoth at 3:51 PM PST on November 28
Um... 2 years...
/cries
posted by thefreek at 4:53 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by Busithoth at 3:51 PM PST on November 28
Um... 2 years...
/cries
posted by thefreek at 4:53 PM on November 28, 2005
Utahns would give a baby-eating lizard-being from the outermost reaches of the galaxy Abell 1835 IR1916 a positive approval rating as long as it ran as a Republican, so there's no real surprise on that map for me.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:10 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:10 PM on November 28, 2005
"Uthans" sounds like an alien species name, by the way
posted by matteo at 5:40 PM on November 28, 2005
posted by matteo at 5:40 PM on November 28, 2005
Those charts are appalling.
Not content-wise (I hate Bush), but from an information design standpoint they commit pretty much every cardinal sin!
Heatmaps that use hue as a scale instead of interpolating by brightness or saturation, no horizontal grid lines on the bar chart, truncated bars, excessive whitespace on the same chart...
Seriously, that "Percent Decrease in Number of Republican Respondants" heatmap? What the hell kind of color scale is that? Random?
Vote Tufte in 2008!
posted by krunk at 6:26 PM on November 28, 2005
Not content-wise (I hate Bush), but from an information design standpoint they commit pretty much every cardinal sin!
Heatmaps that use hue as a scale instead of interpolating by brightness or saturation, no horizontal grid lines on the bar chart, truncated bars, excessive whitespace on the same chart...
Seriously, that "Percent Decrease in Number of Republican Respondants" heatmap? What the hell kind of color scale is that? Random?
Vote Tufte in 2008!
posted by krunk at 6:26 PM on November 28, 2005
Haywood: So everyone that voted for Bush is either a fundy or an idiot? Pretty exclusive club you guys are running...
What about the folks that just thought Kerry was a patrician asshole? They get a vote too?
posted by fet at 6:51 PM on November 28, 2005
What about the folks that just thought Kerry was a patrician asshole? They get a vote too?
posted by fet at 6:51 PM on November 28, 2005
Utahns would give a baby-eating lizard-being from the outermost reaches of the galaxy Abell 1835 IR1916 a positive approval rating as long as it ran as a Republican
Karl Snow messed up badly enough 15 years ago that even the third district voted for Bill Orton.
Granted, it's not a particularly compelling counterexample, more the exception that proves the rule, but I think once the lizard-being started going through the newborn ward at UVRMC, you could even get people here to think twice, given that mostly what Karl Snow did was run a remarkably tasteless ad campaign.
Not that I really think things are going to change here for a long time.
posted by weston at 6:53 PM on November 28, 2005
Karl Snow messed up badly enough 15 years ago that even the third district voted for Bill Orton.
Granted, it's not a particularly compelling counterexample, more the exception that proves the rule, but I think once the lizard-being started going through the newborn ward at UVRMC, you could even get people here to think twice, given that mostly what Karl Snow did was run a remarkably tasteless ad campaign.
Not that I really think things are going to change here for a long time.
posted by weston at 6:53 PM on November 28, 2005
This is not the best of the web. Sorry. The second graph is particularly craptacular. "There may (or may not) be a 5% decline in Republicanism!" Of course, the margin of error is not printed.
Please wave you flags of partisanship elsewhere.
JOIN. OR. DIE.
posted by Eideteker at 6:56 PM on November 28, 2005
Please wave you flags of partisanship elsewhere.
JOIN. OR. DIE.
posted by Eideteker at 6:56 PM on November 28, 2005
What about the folks that just thought Kerry was a patrician asshole? They get a vote too?
That would be the idiot contingent "representin'", yes.
I mean, Bush-brand patricianal assholery is hard to top, IMV. cf. recent U.S. history if you need some examples.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 9:01 PM on November 28, 2005
That would be the idiot contingent "representin'", yes.
I mean, Bush-brand patricianal assholery is hard to top, IMV. cf. recent U.S. history if you need some examples.
posted by Heywood Mogroot at 9:01 PM on November 28, 2005
Nice Krunke. As much as I loathe Bush, I had the same thoughts. Tufte would have a serious bone to pick with those maps for sure. they're a little too fast and loose and balls to the wind to really be valuable.
As for my comment on Idaho above; I stand by it 110% and and Mssr. Dios Esq. You are a scoundrelly piff and I challenge you to a Duel at30, 20, 10 paces!! En Garde!!
posted by Skygazer at 3:46 PM on November 29, 2005
As for my comment on Idaho above; I stand by it 110% and and Mssr. Dios Esq. You are a scoundrelly piff and I challenge you to a Duel at
posted by Skygazer at 3:46 PM on November 29, 2005
« Older I, Tongmaster. | Funeral For A Son Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:05 PM on November 28, 2005