How Low Can It Go? – Epilogue

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Mark Blumenthal6 Comments on How Low Can It Go? – Epilogue

Two days of airports and MP continues to play catch-up at the office, so just another quickie post today:

Today’s streaming video “Daily Briefing” from Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport provides a helpful epilogue to our “How Low Can It Go” post from last week.  They checked available presidential approval ratings for the four other presidents in their second term and compared George W. Bush to other presidents in their “19th quarter.”  The results:  At 44% approval, Bush is scoring lower than Presidents Eisenhower (60%), Reagan (61%), Clinton (59%) but better than Nixon (32%).   As always, the Gallup Daily Briefing is free to all until the stroke of midnight.   

Keep in mind that in the third quarter of 1973, the Nixon administration was reeling from a summer of blockbuster testimony and disclosures stemming from the Senate Watergate hearings.  However, MP’s search of the Gallup archives suggests that the “19th quarter” numbers came just before the so-called “Saturday Night Massacre” in late October 1973 in which Nixon fired the Watergate Special Prosecutor and others.   

UPDATE:  As I was writing this, CNN released a new set of presidental approval numbers from Gallup. 

Mark Blumenthal

Mark Blumenthal is political pollster with deep and varied experience across survey research, campaigns, and media. The original "Mystery Pollster" and co-creator of Pollster.com, he explains complex concepts to a multitude of audiences and how data informs politics and decision-making. A researcher and consultant who crafts effective questions and identifies innovative solutions to deliver results. An award winning political journalist who brings insights and crafts compelling narratives from chaotic data.

6 thoughts on “How Low Can It Go? – Epilogue”

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  4. Look at how low those numbers are. Ha. Clinton was at 59%, I guess he wasn’t as hated as Hannity and co. would lead the wingnuts to believe.

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