The Lamest Duck

Our current president, George Bush, still has over 50 days left in office, but it looks like America has already moved on. Bush seems now to be little more than an afterthought. His approval with the American people has been at record lows for several months now, while Obama's latest ratings show him to be very popular.

It seems to be the same with the major media outlets. Obama is getting massive coverage no matter what the issue, while Bush is relegated to the back pages. Even though Obama has said we only have one president, it seems like he is already being viewed as that president.

In fact, it seems that the American public is not only ready to leave Bush in the past, but the entire Republican Party also. As the economic news gets worse, the popularity of Bush and the Republicans also gets worse. A new poll by Rasmussen (who are normally very kind to Republicans) shows that the gulf between those who think the Democrats are better for the economy than the Republicans has grown significantly.

On November 1, 51% thought Democrats would be better for the economy while 42% thought the Republicans would be best. Today, 50% think the Democrats are better for the economy while only 35% favor the Republicans. The Democrats also show a large lead in healthcare, education and social security. Democrats have smaller but leading percentage margins on the war in Iraq, taxes and immigration.

With a Democratic Congress and his huge unpopularity with the American people, there is little that Bush can do except mark the days until he leaves office. Meanwhile, Obama's power seems to be growing each day, even though he has yet to be sworn in to office.

Joe Klein summed it up well in his Time magazine article, when he says, "That we have slightly more than one President for the moment is mostly a consequence of the extraordinary economic times. Even if George Washington were the incumbent, the markets would want to know what John Adams was planning to do after his Inauguration. And yet this final humiliation seems particularly appropriate for George W. Bush. At the end of a presidency of stupefying ineptitude, he has become the lamest of all possible ducks."