SNET Internet : Features : Survey : President Bush So Far

As usual when we ask a political question -- no matter how innocuous -- we are accused of bias by both left and right. That won't keep us from asking; we view it as a statement on the human condition.

President Bush has the approval of 41 percent of those responding to our survey; 42 percent either disapprove or "miss Bill Clinton," which we would count as being decidedly not an endorsement of Bush's presidency thus far.

"It's too soon to evaluate Mr. Bush." D.M., Durham

"I'm glad someone finally asked! G.W. Bush may very well prove to be even worse than Ronald Reagan. His preference for big polluters over the air we breathe and the water we drink is only overcome by his apparent desire to dismantle the religious freedoms built into our Constitution! Bush's education policy, typically, relies on high stakes testing over real student achievement and demonstrable ability -- and it threatens to close schools and fire teachers who don't "pass" his anti-public school tests! How absurd and dangerous his plan is! And his economic ideas go no further than giving more to the rich, very little to the poor, and sticking the middle classes with the biggest economic burdens (sounds like 1982 all over again!). In the end, his economic fear mongering may prove to be a self-fullfilling prophecy (and Jimmy Carter was the one accused of 'Gloom and Doom!') I, for one, can't wait for 2004!" Paul, Newtown

"We are way past due for the Clinton lovers to grow up. If they can't live without him, let them go and live with him in Harlem. These jerks are professional cry babies. They can't stand the fact that we finally have a President who is working, has brought morality to the White House, and is wasting a lot of his time undoing the mess that Clinton left. Please grow up folks. We are tired of waiting." Disgusted with Left Wing Conspirators, Fairfield

"I believe George W. Bush is and will be known as one of the greatest Presidents the U.S. has ever had." A.C., Bristol

"I miss intelligence in the White House! Not necessarily Bill Clinton in particular, but he would certainly be an improvement over the current state of affairs (no pun intended)." C.S., Collinsville

"I feel very safe with Mr Bush.I know he can't make everything perfect overnight but if it was so good and we felt so safe with Al Gore, he would have won. So I'm glad he didn't. I can sleep throught the night with Mr Bush in the White House and also Mr Cheney along side of him. Two good men." Susie, Kent

"Bush is rushing full tilt ahead in attempts to set this country back 20 years. He still doesn't get it that all Reagan did was triple the national debt and he cannot accept the economic successes by the Clinton administration. His ties to big business overrule any chance that he may acknowledge the damage his administration wants to inflict on clean air, wildlife refuge areas and the health of the children of this country. Lip service is the only thing he gave to the average American." J.A.D., Marlborough

"George W. Bush has managed to do more harm to working class citizens in two months than Ronald Reagan did in four years." A.C., Putnam

"Al Gore won Fair and Square." M.S.G., Lisbon

"Good job so far." J.M.J., Rocky Hill

"I think President Bush is working very hard to appease big business goals." J.D., Avon

"Yes, I do think President Bush is working very hard for the betterment of our country. The President has given new meaning to the office rather than the prior shame it was put through. Clinton's greed showed through many times. They cared about themselves and what was in it for them, not what was better for the people or our country. My students indicate he was selfish, lacked morals and character and disgraced our high office. This says a lot for fourth graders they make more sense than some adults. Thank You." G.Z., Seymour

"Interesting question, but not enough anwsers ... I have not been following what he has done, and the few things I follow, I don't care about! I don't pay taxes, so what should I care what he has to say about taxes?! You need an option of 'I don't care' or 'why should I know'!" Jules, Storrs

"Bush is eroding what this country has accomplished in social values for the past 8 years." T.K., Amston

"I think president Bush's plan to give people claiming the earned income credit an additional $401.00 is a crock. The people I know personally who get it just blow the money. They don't use it for their mortgage payment or insurance or their bills like he thinks they will. It probably doesn't help that these people are on welfare and can't have a savings account or any assets. The EIC should go to only those who are NOT on any form of federal or state handouts and to ONLY those that own a home." S.S., Plymouth

"After this country re-elected that liar, I don't see how anyone could complain about his replacement." J.D.C., North Stonington

"How could we possibly say he is doing a good job explain to the people that has lost trillions of dollars on their 401K plan and we have seen nothing yet. Wait until summer when gasoline is going to be $3 a gallon." Frank, Waterbury

"Why are you trying to distort the result of the current survey about the President's performance by splitting the non-approving votes between 'Nope' and 'I miss Clinton'?" I.A., Waterbury

"President Bush has endangered the lives of your child and mine by rolling back environmental protections. You can be sure that in this next decade brain tumor rates in our children will increase- as well as cancer stats as a whole. President Bush is no altruist -- his mistake is in believing that money makes right." No Name, Westport

"Your survey results are starting to parallel the Florida Vote count, or lack of." A.C., Putnam

"It's about time we had a 'non-crook' with an adult supporting cast. To you who miss Clinton: What do you miss?" Tim, Huntington

"Is President Bush going to care for the homeless and mentally challenged in this country? Is he going to make sure we don't start cloning humans in this country?" J.T.F., Woodbury

"The people who miss Bill Clinton should move to New York so that they can deal with his wife." Hugh, Old Lyme

"Relative to the presidency George W. Bush is no longer an enigma. He has begun to establish a rather interesting track record albeit somewhat at odds with his campaign personae.

"He has attacked the environment and undermined the Secretary of the EPA on carbon dioxide Why let her go to Italy and essentially make a fool out of herself, her office and the U.S. when he had no intention of supporting his campaign position. His claim that the water arsenic standards were hastily drawnand resulted from poor science when they were initiated by his father and were the result of ten years detailed scientific and cost studies was and is irresponsible. He has undermined his Chief of State, in public and sent the North Koreans back to Cold War status.

"To his credit he did run on his record as governor of Texas and seems to be sharing some of the seeds of that success with the country. In Texas he established a system of voluntary cleanup of pollutants by industry which resulted, in part, in Houston edging out LA as the dirtiest city in the U.S. He attacked problems in education which brought Texas up to 27th out of the 44 states in the Rand Study. He claimed credit for improving health coverage in Texas although, as governor, he vetoed the legislators health bill and subsequently refused to sign the veto proof version. He has brought his MBA background to the Whitehouse office instituting normal working hours, prompt starts to meetings (no emergencies allowed), exclusion of cell phones and pagers and sharp creases in pants. In addition, he authorized setting up a T-ball field on the Whitehouse grounds which no other President has done. As the picture continues to emerge it is interesting to speculate on it's effect on interim elections. As I read the papers it seems that some of the moderate Republicans are starting to get edgy." Jim, South Windsor

"George W. Bush is a horrible President who only cares about his oil millionaire friends. His policies on the environment, education, taxes, the economy, and religion are designed to enrich the upper classes, keep the middle classes down, placate the poor, and alienate anyone who is not part of the religious right." PD, Winsted

"Bush's action on CO2 and arsenic indicate a lack of concern for the general welfare of people and a pay off to interests who contributed to his campaign." P.S., Hamden

"Mr. Bush began ramming down our throats his personal wishes and beliefs the 1st week in office regardless of what the citizens of the U.S.A. want. I believe Mr. Bush (as he was appointed, not elected) has begun an attack on the environment and long-term health of our country and planet Earth. It is very obvious that his interests lay in big business, especially the fossil-fuel corporations and those that support them...not in the health and well-being of the people.

His comments to the German Cancellor about regulation of emmissions not being in the best interest of the American people are an embarrasement. That's like saying we're willing to continue to pollute the world with the fossil fuels that paid for his election, and the heck with everybody else and our future. How many asthmas and cancers and other diseases have to happen before the majority of people in this country realize that we must whole-hearted develop clean, renewable sources of energy?! How many creatures will become extinct, how many natural treasures will be destroyed and how many freedoms will we loose before Bush's term expires?

The ram-rodding we witnessed at the time of the election that got him in office was just a hint of things to come. How ignorant have many of our citizens become that they were brain-washed into thinking this inexperienced, bungling man should represent us? I'm embarrassed by them and him. " B.G., Milford

"Thus far he appears to be in favor of every ecological disaster one can imagine! It seems he is bound to turn the entire US into a carbon copy of the Texas mess!" W.S., Norwich

"I thank God for President Bush, for the first time in the last 8 years we have pride again! The Chinese are a Humans Rights 'train wreck' and make no mistake they're the enemy! I thank God for President Bush, for the first time in the last 8 years we have pride again! The Chinese are a Humans Rights 'train wreck' and make no mistake they're the enemy!" Capt. Mike Duffy USAR, Torrington

"A sensible approach to the environment is needed. Alternative sources are needed to keep us efficient and competive." lluizzi, Brookfield

"Your next poll should be 'is Bush a complete moron or are we scared that Cheney will die soon and that will leave the Shrub in charge.'" Mike, Cheshire

"The poll has two negative answers. There should just be one so that it reflects the true positive and negative results and not make it seem that the positive result is the majority opinion." J.E.A., Putnam

"I think Bush is being very stuck up by not apologizing about the plane that crashed in another country and the country took it personally. This is the kind of thing that starts a war. Bush has made no impact on the country so far and I find this very disappointing." Emily, Woodstock

"I can't imagine why anyone would MISS Bill Clinton...I mean with the exception of the late-night show comedians! The man was an abomination. The unfortunate thing is that he had potential. I mean BIG potential, but he turned his time in office into the biggest joke since Dick Nixon! George W., is doing the job well so far...there hasn't been anything earth-shattering yet, but this thing with China will probably tell us what the future holds for us and our new president. " R.J., Killingly

"Numbers are so easy to manipulate if one has the desire to do so. Apparently, SNET desires to make it seem as though there is strong approval of President Bush in Connecticut -- at least, that's what I must conclude from the way they posed this question. Why are there four possible responses? It would seem that one is meant for those who approve ("Yes, I do"), one for those who are as yet undecided ("Too soon to tell"), but two for those who disapporve ("Nope" and "I miss Bill Clinton"), thus splitting the anti-Bush vote in two; the result is that it would SEEM that the high 41% (as of this writing)represents a far greater number of Bush supporters than the rather smaller 29% who voted "Nope." But if one were to add the 13% who miss Bill Clinton to the disapproval column, it would seem that the opposition view is not only closer to the Bush approval rating, but slightly higher than it, too. I can only conclude that SNET is trying to make it look like Bush is more popular than he is in this state, and SNET therefore is biased towards the right. I challenge SNET to prove me wrong." R.L., Newtown