Bush's job approval lowest of recent 2-term presidents

Bush's job approval lowest of recent 2-term presidents
Several polls find rating in low 40s, high 50s; partisan split credited
Associated Press
Originally published January 8, 2005
WASHINGTON - President Bush is entering his second term with the lowest approval ratings of any recent two-term president, even as he talks about an ambitious agenda of change, an Associated Press poll finds.
Congress is viewed even more negatively - a troubling sign for Bush and Congress as they tackle such proposals as creating private accounts for those in the Social Security system, overhauling the federal tax code and limiting lawsuit damages.
Bush's approval rating is at 49 percent in the AP poll with 49 percent disapproving among all of those polled. His job approval is in the high 40s or low 50s in several other recent polls - as low as any job approval rating for a re-elected president at the start of the second term in more than 50 years.
Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton had job approval ratings near six in 10 just before their inauguration for a second term, according to Gallup polls....