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Bush in the polls: Back to normal?

I hope George Bush enjoyed that little bump in the polls (CNN/USA Today/Gallup) that the Iraqi elections supposedly gave him, because an Associated Press poll announced just today has things looking not quite so good:

The public’s confidence in President Bush (news - web sites)’s job performance and the nation’s direction has slipped in the opening weeks of his second term, particularly among people 50 and older, according to an Associated Press poll.

Adults were evenly divided on Bush’s job performance in January, but now 54 percent disapprove and 45 percent approve. The number who think the country is headed down the wrong track increased from 51 percent to 58 percent in the past month. [...]

The poll, conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs, was taken after the president’s State of the Union address and the elections in Iraq and at the start of a heated debate over creating personal Social Security (news - web sites) accounts.

Older Americans, especially those 65 and above, were most responsible for the declining confidence and approval numbers. Middle-aged people between 30 and 50 were about evenly split on Bush’s job performance.

“It looks like people are reacting to the State of the Union and plans to change Social Security,” said Charles Franklin, a political scientist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The AP poll did not ask about Social Security, although only four in 10 in the poll said they approved of Bush’s handling of domestic policy in general. And a majority of people disapproved of his handling of the economy.

The elections in Iraq look to be a one-time blip on the public radar, soon to be replaced by the consequences of the election and continued violence there. Meanwhile, Bush’s unpopular Social Security plan is an ongoing concern, brought to citizens’ minds every day as he tries to sell them on privatization. The president’s approval numbers may continue to fall as a result.

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