Elephant Ears

This blog is dedicated to the political happenings in the Valley and Southwest Virginia. As the the name implies, this blog will have posts based on what is heard by this elephant's (GOPer's) ears. It is also a great treat to get while at the county fair or a carnival.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Approval Ratings and the Allen-Webb Race

The new Rasmussen poll is out showing George Allen in the lead by 11 points. Everyone already knows that.
The 2 important pieces of information I took out of the poll (assuming they are correct, which we never can know) is that George Allen's approval rating is at 64%. Also, George W. Bush's is 52% in Virginia.
No one has posted on this, but it seems to be a big issue. Jim Webb's central focus is that George Allen is George W Bush. If this poll is correct, isn't that a bad strategy? If 52% approve of Bush, that message doesn't seem like it is going to help much.
One last note, if Allen's approval rating is 64%, why is he only polling at 50%? Will that number (50%) rise once we get closer to election when people are paying attention?

4 Comments:

  • At 7/28/2006 8:59 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I found the disconnect between Allen's re-elect and approval very interesting too. It means one of two things: the approval is an inflated number based on the way it was asked? or people are leaning toward re-elect but are, as you insinuated, waiting till probably after Labor day to lock themselves in. Either way, Webb has a window for persuasion.

    Bush's number is equally interesting. As much as this is good news for the GOP, even if the number is accurate, my instinct is that 52% is still too low in a year where poll after poll indicates that Dems are much more motivated than Republicans.

     
  • At 7/28/2006 10:13 AM, Blogger GOPHokie said…

    Good point, but I think the dems think Bush is hated by everyone everywhere.
    That just isn't the case.
    The entire democratic strategy this year, in the whole country, is to run on how bad Bush is.
    That might work in some areas, but the lack of a plan might hurt them in others.

     
  • At 8/04/2006 3:42 PM, Blogger elaine x said…

    that bush has 52% in virginia just goes to show that people in virginia are too busy watching american idol rather than knowing what is going on under their noses to the north ... but that's been happenin' a long time, probably won't change in the very near future ...
    peace & harmony,
    elaine
    'freedom must be exercised to stay in shape!'

     
  • At 9/19/2006 3:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I watched the Webb-Allen interview on Meet the Press with Tim Russert on 9/17 and was really impressed with Webb, and dumb-founded with Allen. How can anyone with any intelligence think of this man as a leader of anything? He is a well-spoken George Bush, and that is definitely damnation with faint praise. These shysters have no rational answers to legitimate questions about Iraq or anything else, and Allen's scripted answers seemed absolutely inane, while Webb seemed to offer specifics on policy and legislation that left Allen sounding like a demented parrot. Good God, the world is a crazy place, and obviously Virginia voters are first in line at the asylum.

     

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