But is it Dubya you truly hate or the partisanship? Don't get me wrong I dislike Bush's ideology and the bills he allows those in his Administration to try and pass, but I also recognize that Bush himself loves America in his own way and is trying to do the best he can.

Perhaps the past few days (in my personal life) have changed me in the realization that people can want the best and do what they think is best yet truly fuck things over and not mean to. If that's Bush's case I feel more sorry and sympathetic for him.

based on most polls i've seen over the last few months, be it kerry/bush polls or presidential approval polls, i think i've seen bush at below 50% most of the time, and i don't think i've seen him pass 51-52% at all recently.

to say the majority like him could only be true if you consider 51% a majority... i don't. 66% (2/3) i would consider a majority... a 1% difference doesn't really mean much to me.

As a journalist myself, no one knows that better than I. Of course we're human and of course mistakes might be made. Speaking personally, I always try to find a liberal AND a conservative voice in any story I'm doing of a political nature. Even though I strongly disagree with the republicans privately, I don't feel I have any right to broadcast that personal bias on my newscasts. The idea that journalists are objective is crap. We're all opinionated. Most of us are far more opinionated than the average non-journalist. Journalists shouldn't even strive to be objective because it's simply not possible not to have an opinion on anything. Instead, they should instead strive to present both sides of the story no matter which side they happen to agree with. The purpose of a news story is to show my subjects' point of view, not mine.

That's where Fox gets me so annoyed. They don't quite see it that way.

As for evidence, how about this gem from Charlie Reina, who used to be a producer for Fox News:

"The roots of Fox News Channel's day-to-day on-air bias are actual and direct. They come in the form of an executive memo distributed electronically each morning, addressing what stories will be covered and, often, suggesting how they should be covered. To the newsroom personnel responsible for the channel's daytime programming, The Memo is the bible. If, on any given day, you notice that the Fox anchors seem to be trying to drive a particular point home, you can bet The Memo is behind it."


This quote, btw, appears on poynter.org, which is one of the most well-respected journalism education institutions in the world.



As to overall liberal media bias, that's total bullshit. After all, if that's true, why is it that ONLY Diane Sawyer has gone after Bush Jr? No one else has really tried to nail him to the wall even though he's done so much that he could be nailed for. Why is that? Surely a left-leaning media would be fighting each other for the first crack at the guy!

Personally, in my lifetime anyway, I despise Bush jr. As do most others I associate with. But from what I hear, nobody seems to top Nixon.

There is a big difference between approval ratings and how people feel towards someone.

shakran,

I figured that your statement was being pulled from the thin air. Thanks for qualifying it.

As to Fox and the "memo"-- I can definitely see that, especially considering who owns Fox.

very true. i think that's a distinction that people (myself included) may often forget.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the answer is Lincoln. SC basically stated, as early as the 1830s, that if a "Republican" president were elected, they would secede from the Union. That happened with Lincoln, and ta da, they left.

Dubya seems to have polarised opinion so much I reckon he could both be the most-loved and most-hated at the same time ;) - in America

I guess a poll in America would probably come out pretty even, for who liked and who disliked him... but I wonder what a poll taken over the rest of the world would show? my guess - not good

Lincoln eh? strange lessons from history ...