White House Watch: Aides say Bush numbers may stay low
Some senior White House strategists are resigned to a continued slump in President Bush's job approval ratings. They tell U.S. News that Bush is attempting to take on so many big, difficult problems that he may well remain mired in job approval ratings at 40 percent or lower indefinitely. The president is a "conviction politician," one senior aide said.
"He's trying to do tough things in his second term and that's reflected in the polls," the aide said. "Many of us have the belief that he won't get high poll numbers for the rest of his presidency."
Among Bush's woes, White House officials are nervous that the elderly will be disappointed when they focus on the new Medicare prescription drug plan that the president is promoting. Bush said this week that the new plan is "a good deal for our seniors," but Democrats are poised to pounce on the Bush plan as too little, too late. White House strategists are concerned that disappointment in the plan will cause the president's poll ratings to drop even further, and that will harm Republicans in the midterm elections next year.