Will Congressional Republicans Avoid Campaign Appearances with Bush?

[Fear_Itself]

It looks like they may want to, as Bush’s approval ratings continue to plummet:

As the war in Iraq drags on, President Bush’s job approval and the public’s confidence in the direction he’s taking the nation are at their lowest levels since The Associated Press-Ipsos poll began in December 2003.

About one-third of adults, 35 percent, said they think the country is headed in the right direction, while 43 percent said they approve of the job being done by Bush. Just 41 percent say they support his handling of the war, also a low-water mark.

On the other hand, as bad as Bush’s ratings are, those of Congress are even worse, so they might benefit by the comparison:

Congress gets even lower grades than Bush, a potentially troubling development for those seeking re-election next year.

Only about three in 10 polled said they approve of the job being done by Congress, while 64 percent disapprove.

“Presidents who are low in the polls have a hard time getting Congress to go along with them,” said Charles Franklin, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “He has to persuade the people in Congress to follow his legislative agenda and they’re all worried about 2006.”

Will Bush help or hinder Republicans when they campaign for re-election in 2006?

[Renob]

Since Bush is still hugely popular in many areas of the country, I’d say that most Republicans will want him when they campaign in Montana or Idaho or rural Michigan or Indiana. on the other hand, I’m sure whoever is running against Charlie Rangel in NYC will avoid a Bush appearance.

[Mullinator]

This poll would have to occur a lot closer to election time to have an impact. And, it would have to be less dodgy in it’s construction.

[Evil_Captor]

Still, Bush is starting to look more and more like a lame duck. He’s going to have less push on Capitol Hill than your average Straight Doper soon …

[Elendil_s_Heir]

For the people who those candidates want to motivate to get out the vote - strongly conservative Republicans - the President is still very popular, and he’ll still be a welcome draw at campaign events into the foreseeable future.

That said, the handful of moderate Republican members of Congress and senators have always regarded a Bush campaign stop as a mixed blessing, and will probably be even a bit more reluctant to see Air Force One fly into their districts/states, given recent polling.

[Cervaise]

@Fear Itself

On the other hand, as bad as Bush’s ratings are, those of Congress are even worse

The problem, of course, as always, is that this is about people’s opinions on Congress as a whole, not about their respective senators or representatives. Opinions of Congress as a whole are always poor, but it’s always due to “the other guys; my guy is fine.” So 90% of these fuckers will get re-elected, at minimum, regardless of how crappy a job, in general, people think they’re doing. It’s a permanent paradox that won’t change any time soon.