Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

And after all that, Bush insisted that his low approval numbers can in no way be compared with those of Disgraced President Richard Nixon as he was resigning from office.

In the end, Democrats see the lack of public approval for Bush and the Republicans as an opportunity in the mid-term elections. Needless to say, they don't see the poll numbers turning around before the November elections. According to the Subscription-only US News Bulletin:

Democrats strongly doubt that President Bush can improve his low job-approval ratings any time soon -- certainly not before the November elections. "It's almost unprecedented for a president to get this low in the ratings without a clear event that caused it," Democratic pollster Geoff Garin tells US News Bulletin. While Bush and his surrogates trumpet strong economic growth and relatively low unemployment, Garin and other Democrats argue that everyday Americans see a different picture. "People feel squeezed like crazy in their family budgets, and there is a big disconnect there" with what Bush is saying, Garin notes, adding, "The real factor is not growth but cost of living and wages, and for the third year in a row there has been a decline in spending power and real wages."