As voters go to polls to pick his successor, George W. Bush hits new low in approval rating

George W. Bush likes to say that you can't read too much into public opinion polls. And who can blame him. He was elected president not once but twice.

Still, today's new numbers -- in a poll conducted from Friday through Sunday -- must come as a blow. His numbers are at the low end of the graph above, which is pollster.com's average of all the major polls.

As Americans are turning out to the polls in record numbers, Bush's approval rating, according to the latest CBS News tracking poll, has dipped to 20%, the lowest ever recorded for a president. His disapproval rating of 72% matches his all-time high, reached last month.

The same poll, taken on the eve of a historic election, found that Republican John McCain had gained some ground on Democrat Barack Obama but that Obama maintains a comfortable, 51%-42% spread over McCain among likely voters, with 5% undecided and a plus-or-minus error rate of 3%.

-- Johanna Neuman

Graph credit: Pollster.com

Comments

[Joe of Hollywood]

Those 72% who disapprove may need to be counted - in the streets - if Obama wins and Bush/Cheney try to stay in office.

[Jon R]

Joe makes a good point. We may finally get to see the real reason why the Second Amendment is there.

[Prabhjit Singh]

I believe strongly that the current fluctuations on wall street are due to the very low approval rating of the president. I know that the bringing in of the new administration, no matter who wins, will bring a jolt into America.

Prabhjit Singh

[frankangelo]

20% approval = oil excutives, those in the arms business, wall street bankers, the most extreme of the christian right who eagerly anticipate the armaggedon, Blackwater, Al Queda [thankful for the increase in their membership], pharmaceutical companies[for the medicare drug bill], comedians [for an endless flow of material], Fox fake news, and mostly brain dead zombies. Did I leave anyone out?

[Ron]

what is utterly baffling is what is wrong with 20% of the US population. are there really that many Americans that are completely misguided? or really that many Americans that truly hate everything and everyone that is not an Uber-Neocon?

[Jorge I. Gomez]

Well, he deserves it and has the crimes to prove it. According to Dennis Kucinich, Bush violated 35 articles of the Constitution, but one should be more than suficient for impeachment, yet he was not impeached. For me, the Constitution is like a multipede document that has to have all its feet, basis to operate as it was intended. One lack of a foot to stand will bring the whole Constitution down. A woman can't be half pregnant, the Constitution has to have all its articles to work. Bush will be known in the whole world as the worst president ever, not only of America, but the whole civilized world.

[Tony]

I think a lot of GW's disapproval is regret on the part of the American People giving him a second term. They had a chance to move in a different direction back in 2004. Note the realization of what they had done and the lame duck President began just one year later

[the problemwithcaring]

Srsly, Ron.

[Michael Littlewhite]

In Australia we can't wait to see the back of G W Bush, the worst President in USA history and an utter disgrace to the world. Thank goodness Obama is set to take power. It is obviously clear why his disapproval rating is so high - the USA health care system is the worst in the developed world, Bush had no idea how to deal with the economy and his unlawful invasion of Iraq and forever promoting fear to control the minds of rednecks was the result of an over-zealous madman. Michael on behalf of all Australians.

[Rebekah]

I think President Bush has not been as poor a leader as it may now seem. We have been so focused on what he does wrong, that we fail to realize anything he does right. I do not think that his legacy has been totally ruined. In years to come (probably many years), our great grandchildren may recognize what we do not: that President Bush had to lead our country through some of the roughest times it has faced, and America still came out standing on both feet.

[David Theiss]

Wow--20 percent is high. I had no idea there are so many haters, bigots and neo-fascists in this country. Perhaps, after the election they'll consider relocating to a country that more closely mirrors their beliefs and attitudes--like China or North Korea for example.

[John M.]

The world will feel much better very soon, to quote Martin Luther King, "Free at last, free at last" that really says it best, the eight year nightmare is about to come to an end, and we'll get a president that has a brain.

President Obama will give us back that which the loony right and the neo cons took away from us lo those many years ago, we'll have alot of hard work and tough choices to make, but I think that the American people finally got this one right, I hope that Martin, Bobby and John and so many others can somehow see this, it's been a long time coming.

[Craig Duckett]

Michael Littlewhite --

You're in Australia and can't wait to see the back of GWB. I'm on the west coast of the United States and have had to look at his front for eight long and awful years. Hey, Dubya, don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out.

[Mark]

With all due respect to Rebekah, America will emerge from some of the toughest times it has faced in spite of Bush instead of because of him. Much of what ails this country is a drect result of his actions or inactions over the past eight years.

[Michael Frisbie]

The only reason Dubya was not impeached is that Cheney was waiting in the wings for such a treat. They new he was bullet proof from impeachment. The Uber-Neocons must go.

[Ron Cohen]

To quote a recent American President in another context that is just as apt today:
"My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over", Bush/Cheney is relegated to the dust bin of history.
OBAMA '08

[David in Los Angeles]

Look at a 50 dollar bill. President Grant was one of the most popular presidents leaving office; today he's considered one of the ten worst. President Truman had approval ratings close to Bush (22%) at the end of his term. Today he's considered by most historians to have been a good president. As a conservative (yes, there are a few of us in Los Angeles) I'm disappointed with much of Bush's presidency, but let history - rather than polls - decide his legacy.

[Alan Shore]

Here in New Zealand we look in amazement at what GW has done to a once proud nation. GW has brought shame and dislike to the US like no other time in history. Maybe with Obama in office, the US can again stand proud among nations?
Bush and Cheney are war criminals and should be prosecuted by the UN.

[jk]

after election, time for impeachment to prevent pardons by war criminals!

[Failin' w/ Palin]

Oh, his "approval" ratings will go even lower, as he seeks to dissemble civil rights and the environment in the waning days of his plutocracy. Too bad Obama's not the vengeful type.

[jk]

after the election, start the impeachment before he gets his cronies off with pardons!

[Michael Littlewhite]

David from Los Angeles

I don't think history will remember either Bush well. Both will be seen as Presidents that promoted fear and terror to reach there objective of invading the Middle-East, resulting in the death of young innocent American soldiers and Iraqs. Bush instilled greet in people which resulted in the sub-prime crisis that echoed all round the world. Maybe if GW kept his eye on his own country rather than invade others he may have had a better understanding of the USA economy. We kicked out our own Prime Minister in Australia (John Howard) last year because he was a mini Bush. He lost in a landslide, any Western leader who aligned themselves with Bush over the last eight years will not be remember kindly by history (and none are in power now, except Belasconi (sic)). Cheers from Sydney Australia where our banks are doing just fine.

[Ed]

Bush was never elected. Both elections were stolen.

[LyndaP]

For the 2 of you so far who seem to think history will show that shrub was actually a good president: Please give the rest of us a hint as to what he has done correctly. I am baffled.

The lot of them in this administration are maggots and jackals. They will eat your babies alive for a buck.

[Striker in Australia]

I wish I could believe the Bush nightmare is over. But as I watch the tv, it seems there are some thousands of calls from people who find themselves taken off the rolls. The machines are still flipping votes to the republicans, hundreds of thousands have been taken off the rolls in the last year. The real nightmare now is a McCain victory by these means, then (as some "Christians: are praying) the early death of McCain and then President Palin, the least sane candidate of all time. Then the Bush years will seem quite mild by comparison.