Bush’s Legacy Under Tony Snow: All-Time Low Poll Numbers, Legislative Defeats
Bush’s Legacy Under Tony Snow: All-Time Low Poll Numbers, Legislative Defeats
When Tony Snow took over as White House Press Secretary on April 26, 2006, the media and pundits predicted that he would turn around the President’s image and help push forward his agenda:
Bush’s first press secretary, Ari Fleischer, said Snow and other staff changes offer the chance to show Americans that “something new may come from the White House” and that Bush deserves a second look. [MSNBC, 4/26/06]
“An outsider with a somewhat happy-go-lucky attitude could help externally, but also internally,” said [William] Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, because staffers tend to get “so defensive after years of getting pummeled.” [Washington Post, 4/26/06]
“We want fresh thinking, to charge the batteries, and passionate participation,” said Dan Bartlett, a top Bush adviser. “There is a lot of value added in Tony coming on board and helping us internally with his own views and ideas. It fits into the mold.” [Washington Post, 4/27/06]
On Wednesday, Snow’s appointment, which had been rumored for days, got positive reviews by Republicans on the Hill, including from one senior GOP leadership aide who told NEWSWEEK it was “great news.” “He’ll give some good outside-the-box thinking for the White House,” said the Republican aide.” [Newsweek, 4/27/06]
But Snow has been unable to sell Bush and his policies to the American public. For the past year, Bush’s poll numbers have continued to fall, dropping to all-time lows and rivaling Richard Nixon’s ratings right before he resigned from office:
Additionally, nothing “new” has come from the White House in the past year, and Snow’s “good outside-the-box thinking” has been largely rejected by the public. Even right-wing pundits Charles Krauthammer and Fred Barnes recently admitted that the White House has “no agenda.” As the Washington Post noted in July:
But the president’s unpopularity has left the White House to play mostly defense for the remainder of his term. With his immigration overhaul proposal dead, Bush’s principal legislative hopes are to save his No Child Left Behind education program and to fend off attempts to force him to change course in Iraq. The emerging strategy is to play off a Congress that is also deeply unpopular and to look strong by vetoing spending bills.
Looks like even Tony Snow couldn’t spin around the White House.
UPDATE: Tim Grieve at Salon has highlights during Snow’s tenure.
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Tony Snow may have prevented Bush’s ratings from sinking even lower . . .
August 31st, 2007 at 5:04 pmI am no fan of Snow, but I don’t think he is responsible for the failures of this admnisistration. The Press Secretary is only the President’s mouthpiece. The real problem lies with Bush himself and the policy makers in his administration and not the press secretary.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:04 pmEducators across the nation are praying Bush’s No Child Left Behind program is left behind. Lack of funding, issues with teaching to the test instead of grade requirements. Teachers will tell you that if the public knew how little stress was put on learning math and sciences a public outroar would happen. Education Administrators are clamping the lid so the public is kept unaware.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:05 pmTony Snow may have prevented Bush’s ratings from sinking even lower . . . – - Yeah, Snow gave the White House the old “Elizabeth Edwards bounce” in the polls.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:05 pmCan’t blame Tony too much…. you can only polish a turd so much, ya know. The Bush “turds” are too much to ask ANYONE to polish for the media. The question is, why would anyone want to take that job?
August 31st, 2007 at 5:06 pmSorry, I’d have to disagree that the numbers mean that Snow did a poor job. Look at what he had to work with !
(Admittedly, I detested Snow’s way of never answering anything and being totally ignorant of what were surely going to be items of intense concern. On that, I would rate it as poor performance. Even then was it his poor performance or the difficulty of trying to get information out of the Shrub WH and hence the WH’s poor performance).
August 31st, 2007 at 5:06 pmTony Snow may have prevented Bush’s ratings from sinking even lower . . .
Comment by Jake D. — August 31, 2007 @ 5:04 pm
And his laundry was whiter than white.
You’ll buy anything, Jake. You’re perfect patsy for this collection of liars, thieves and traitors.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:07 pmI find it difficult to forgive Tony Snow’s remark that our military that gave their lives were “only a number.” Hopefully his grave illness will help him rethink his loyalty.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:08 pmtexaslady:
Thank you for bringing up another area I disagree with Bush and the Republicans — the Department of Education should be abolished — PARENTS AND STATES are responsible for kids’ education, not the federal government.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:10 pmsnow looks like hell, he is leaving cause the cancers got em…..
August 31st, 2007 at 5:10 pmHe took my job, dammit; good riddance.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:13 pmI am looking forward to another “progressive” thread celebrating cancer. At least Ronald Reagan never CELEBRATED when gays got HIV/AIDS . . .
August 31st, 2007 at 5:13 pmHuman Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) thread: http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/31/thinkfast-august-31-2007/#comments
August 31st, 2007 at 5:15 pmTony Snow may have prevented Bush’s ratings from sinking even lower . . .
Comment by Jake D. — August 31, 2007 @ 5:04 pm
By lying FOR Bush he may have kept his approval in the double digits.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:15 pmWhile I cannot say I agree with Tony Snow and the way he handled this job, I can only feel compassion for him. He is clearly ill.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:16 pmI am looking forward to another “progressive†thread celebrating cancer. At least Ronald Reagan never CELEBRATED when gays got HIV/AIDS . . .
Comment by Jake D. — August 31, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
Ratchet back a few notches, Jakey! No one iscelebrating his cancer. IN fact we feel badly for him, but we also can’t abide by the BS he has spewed the whole time he was in front of the reporters.
I am a cancer survivir and I DO respect what he is going through, but can’t forgive his selling himself to BushCo.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:17 pmProudIowaLib:
Too bad more like you weren’t on the “DING, DONG, SNOW IS DEAD” thread : (
August 31st, 2007 at 5:18 pmYeah and Scott McCleelan has lied to us more. Scott McClellan was more of a stooge than Tony will ever be. Tony sarcastically didn’t answer the questions, Scott McClellan flat out lied. Dana P. and Dana Bash are really twins. If the lower part of my rectum had cancer I’d be wishing everyone good ridance too.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:19 pmWhy do progs hate people with cancer?
Comment by Mr. President — August 31, 2007 @ 5:08 pm
You’re blog is soooooo cute! I left a message on it for you.
By the way, I have nothing against people with cancer. I simply hate Republicans, no cancer required.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:20 pmNo, Reagan ignored AIDS until it became a world wide epidemic.
there is no celebration of cancer here.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:23 pmSnow says he’s leaving because he needs to make more money. At $170,000 he’s already earning more than 98% of Americans, and he still can’t make it.
Talk about out of touch.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:23 pm“You’re” dim wit, should be “your” : )
August 31st, 2007 at 5:23 pmThe dude is dying and has asked nothing in terms of slack, Jesus leave his ass alone. He was loyal so what, he didn’t torture anyone, suspend Habeas, put the former Governor of Alabama in jail, stretch the AUMF into oblivion and do nothing domestically about Social Security and immigration.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:24 pmComment by Jake D. — August 31, 2007 @ 5:23 pm
ahh, “you’re” correct.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:24 pmPerhaps you guys missed the “DING DONG” thread:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/31/breaking-tony-snow-stepping-down-on-sept-14/#comments
August 31st, 2007 at 5:24 pm#
I am looking forward to another “progressive†thread celebrating cancer. At least Ronald Reagan never CELEBRATED when gays got HIV/AIDS . . .
Comment by Jake D. — August 31, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
Wrong again.
The most memorable Reagan AIDS moment was at the 1986 centenary rededication of the Statue of Liberty. The Reagan’s were there sitting next to the French Prime Minister and his wife, Francois and Danielle Mitterrand. Bob Hope was on stage entertaining the all-star audience. In the middle of a series of one-liners, Hope quipped, “I just heard that the Statue of Liberty has AIDS, but she doesn’t know if she got it from the mouth of the Hudson or the Staten Island Fairy.†As the television camera panned the audience, the Mitterrands looked appalled. The Reagans were laughing. By the end of 1989, 115,786 women and men had been diagnosed with AIDS in the United States—more then 70,000 of them had died.
The Truth About Reagan and AIDS by Michael Bronski, November 2003
August 31st, 2007 at 5:25 pmAny grave disease is terrible, and as one of the 47,000,000 without health insurance it is a fear we live with everyday. Tony Snow is fortunate to have great insurance to at least give him a fighting chance. Many of us even with insurance will be bankrupt trying to fight for medical care.
I wonder if his compassion has kicked in for others yet?
August 31st, 2007 at 5:26 pmWhatever you want to say about Tony Snow, he was much more tolerable than Dana Perino, who seems to be constantly smirking. At least Snow was personable.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:27 pm# 24 Yes, he might be dying. But where was his compassion for our soldiers giving their lives. His comment, was “it is only a number” when asked about the number of soldiers dying. What goes around comes around.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:28 pmWhy do progs hate people with cancer?
Comment by Mr. President — August 31, 2007 @ 5:08 pm
Good Question, except Newt was an (R) as I recollect.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:35 pmAh Karma, Ms. TexasLady you are correct remember Lee Atwater? BTW have you checked out the Texas Monthly issue with Lady Bird on the cover, well done and very insightful.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:35 pmCaption Contest: Wooo, man! It smells like sulphur up here!
August 31st, 2007 at 5:38 pmI am progressive and I don’t hate people with cancer. And I suggest we do this. Just shut up about Tony Snow. He has hell to deal with now. Anyone who thinks this is an appropriate time to bash the guy is a moron. And by the way, I hate the Bush Administration and everything about it that Tony used to try to sell.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:40 pmYes, I have read about Lee Atwater and his protege Karl Rove. Mr. Atwater had some misgivings about his life as he died. I have read everything written regarding Bush and his cronies, trying to find something good or decent about him or his family. Ten years and have found nothing. The Bush family doesn’t even give much to charity.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:45 pmGranpa Prescott sold ammunitions to Hitler and so it goes….GHBush can’t remember where he was in John Kennedy was killed, but some records shows he was in Dallas. How many people can’t remember where they were when Kennedy was killed. I was 21 and can remember the street and time I heard.
#34 just because one is dealing with a grave disease doesn’t absolve you from wrongs you have done. Tony Snow has alot to atone for.
August 31st, 2007 at 5:51 pmWith this second and perhaps final bout with cancer I think that Mr Snow might have lately come to realize that he will soon be “meeting his maker”. I’m sure when he gets to the Pearly Gates he doesn’t want that first conversation with the man upstairs to start like this: “Hmmm, let me see here–Tony “Snowjob” Snow…ehhh? Oh, yes, you’re the one who played chief public liar, obfuscator and apologist for that bloody, greedy, genocidal, fascist American Bush regime up to your last dying breath, correct?….
August 31st, 2007 at 5:58 pmWhat is Snow doing in that pic? He looks like Goebbels ranting baloney.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:10 pmTo the retard who said “Why do you Progs hate people with cancer” FYI, We adore John Edward’s wife Elizabeth to death–she has cancer up the yin/yang –in an “inoperable state” and she is a beloved wildcat-verbally kicking hypocritical Repugnican ass every step of her way out!
August 31st, 2007 at 6:10 pmthe big ego, strutter, with disasterous results
good ridance to a corrupt propagandist.
a tenure that was a diservice to the Nation.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:42 pmComment by A. Skywatcher — August 31, 2007 @ 6:10 pm
She affronted Ann Coulter.
Comment by Mr. President — August 31, 2007 @ 6:16 pm
You are confused, as usual. Elizabeth Edwards confronted Ann Coulter, and called her on her repellent behavior. There is a difference.
If Coulter was affronted, it’s because she’s incapable of acknowledging her own dispicable behavior.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:44 pmIt’s not really fair to blame Tony for all the low ratings — Bush earned much of that himself.
After all, when you spin crap, it’s still crap. He’s not Rumpelstiltskin, you know.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:46 pmI am looking forward to another “progressive†thread celebrating cancer. At least Ronald Reagan never CELEBRATED when gays got HIV/AIDS . . .
Comment by Jake D. — August 31, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
There might be one or two individuals who might say something inappropriate (like they are happy he’s ill), but most of us do NOT celebrate cancer, or terminal illness of any kind. I do not hit people when they are down, and most decent people don’t, either.
If you read many of the posts carefully, you will see that people are critical of what Tony Snow has DONE, not who he IS. He doesn’t deserve to be beaten up when he’s unable to fight back, but he doesn’t deserve to be lauded as a god, either.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:52 pmI ALMOST feel sorry for him–he has aged soooo much, losing his hair etc. You can’t lie all day every day like he has and not have your body eventually REVOLT.
August 31st, 2007 at 6:57 pmBut Snow has been unable to sell Bush and his policies to the American public.
He has failed not for lack of will.
The evidence of the sheer incompetence in the Bush administration was too tough a sell even for a fork-tongued snake oil salesman like Snow.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:05 pmAny compassion one might have should be directed at people who deserve it. Tony Snow said he “loved” Bush and obviously agreed with the Bush platform so tried to sell it.
August 31st, 2007 at 7:35 pmHis reward will be money….lots of money, and air-time…..lots of air-time on FOX! What a bunch of scumbags…….
August 31st, 2007 at 7:35 pmInteresting, so many Republicans leave “to spend more time with their families” and the one person who has a truly legitimate reason to spend time with his family is leaving for money???
August 31st, 2007 at 7:58 pmI think Snow has done a good job keeping Bush’s approval rating well above congresses.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:20 pmRepubs forget about Ms. Edwards cancer. you see, she has that bad “he should stay with the family” cancer. Snow and GramPAW Fred have that “good, character building” cancer.
August 31st, 2007 at 8:58 pmAt least Tony Snow won’t be spending his last months in this life being frontman and LYING for a corrupt crime family.
I hope he finds peace.
…And a whole lot of forgiveness.
August 31st, 2007 at 10:23 pmTony Snowjob is a TRAITOR…
…an accessory to mass murder…
…he is a coward, a liar, and a hypocrite…
…like ALL conservatives…
…and Tony’s karma…
…like his co-conspirators in the Bush/Cheney demonic cult…
…is ROTTEN…
…the curse on them IS WORKING!
August 31st, 2007 at 10:47 pm#43 loretta
I ALMOST feel sorry for him–he has aged soooo much, losing his hair etc. You can’t lie all day every day like he has and not have your body eventually REVOLT.
This is so very true. I thought the same thing when he took the job. Why in the world would anyone suffering from colon cancer, even CONSIDER such a job. He had to know how much lying was gonna be involved. He knew this Mob well enough.
So, I remember that it surprised me. How could his body NOT revolt?
August 31st, 2007 at 11:18 pmWhy in the world would anyone suffering from colon cancer, even CONSIDER such a job.
Comment by Cyrena #52
…don’t believe in demons huh?
August 31st, 2007 at 11:31 pmToo funny ….
Scott McClellan was the media’s punching bag for years, completely mishandling both the Iraq War and New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
Tony Snow ended the use of the daily briefing as a means to create the soundbites that the liberal MSM used to in their nightly broadcasts to hurt the Bush administration’s image. Both Tony Snow and George Bush pounded Helen Thomas and frightened the rest of the White House press corp mob back into submission, including that big dick, David Gregory.
Once Tony Snow helped the Bush Administration regain control of the message, it was an easy thing to move the focus onto the out-of-control Democratic Congress. Now, the Congress’s approval ratings are at record lows, well below Pres. Bush, putting the next election for president up in the air.
Only Tony Snow (and perhaps Brit Hume or Chris Wallace) could pull off such a success.
September 1st, 2007 at 12:40 amhey- the dem congress is lower- why dont you comment on that?
September 1st, 2007 at 1:28 amhey- the dem congress is lower- why dont you comment on that?
Comment by cindy — September 1, 2007 @ 1:28 am
———
Okay.
The Dems Congress is lower!!!
Bush is better than the DemocRAT Congress!!!!!
September 1st, 2007 at 2:47 amAhhhhh, to be an internet troll. When they’re not making a total ass of themselves online, they’re squatting in a urinal in the mens’es room in a leather bar, getting whizzed onall night. Then, baaccck to Mommy’s trailer or the li- berry to post!
September 1st, 2007 at 9:16 am“But Snow has been unable to sell Bush and his policies to the American public”
That’s because Snow is the slimiest windbag pile of sh!t salesman in Washington.
#54 “…regain control of the message…” What is the message exactly? If the message was: “I’m an arrogant piece of sh!t and if I do tell you anything, it won’t be the truth.” then yes, he did control the message.
September 1st, 2007 at 2:03 pmI have trouble believing that anyone could have helped this administration as press secretary. It’s kind of like being the NAACP liaison for David Duke, you’re pretty much asked to do the impossible when you’re only there to parrot what the boss tells you.
September 1st, 2007 at 11:14 pm