http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/06/13/schneider.likability/index.html

Apparently while Clinton is ahead in the polls, unsurprisingly she is lagging behind in "likability". How important do you think "likability" is in a President?

While I place some value in "likability" but rank it far behind competence, I think it is extremely important for many voters. I firmly believe this tipped the 2000 election to Bush (not getting into the Florida issue).

6/14/2007 10:52:20 AM

Likability is obviously subjective. The same things that made many people like W. made me dislike him. I didn't want some redneck to come over, cook steaks, drink beer and watch football with me. I wanted a competent, scholarly yet approachable president. Sadly the Supreme Court chose the bumpkin and we have paid the price for 7+ years.

6/14/2007 10:58:06 AM

Quote :

"I didn't want some redneck to come over, cook steaks, drink beer and watch football with me. I wanted a competent, scholarly yet approachable president."

6/14/2007 11:36:45 AM

In any event, Congress has lower numbers than Bush!

Approval of Congress lowest in a decade
Only about a quarter of Americans approve of how it's doing its job, a poll shows; most see 'business as usual.'

Quote :

"WASHINGTON — Fueled by disappointment at the pace of change since Democrats assumed the majority on Capitol Hill, public approval of Congress has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll. Just 27% of Americans now approve of the way Congress is doing its job, the poll found, down from 36% in January, when Democrats assumed control of the House and the Senate. And 63% of Americans say that the new Democratic Congress is governing in a 'business as usual' manner, rather than working to bring the fundamental change that party leaders promised after November's midterm election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), the first woman to hold that position, has also failed to impress many Americans. Only 36% approve of the way she is handling the job, the poll found. In contrast, 46% of Americans in the current poll said they approved of the way Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia handled the job after he led the GOP into the majority in 1994."

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-pelosi12jun12,0,7184922.story

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/cont/node/2709

[Edited on June 14, 2007 at 11:41 AM. Reason : .]

6/14/2007 11:39:41 AM

if you don't understand why congress is a much more thankless job than president (at nearly any time history) then there isn't much hope.

6/14/2007 11:52:10 AM

^ WTF does that weak shit have to do with anything here?

6/14/2007 11:54:50 AM

you just mentioned that congress had a lower approval rating, much of that is because congress is tasked with a much harder job than president (ie writing legislation that can pass a majority of both houses of congress). presidents just have to say yes or no and make grand speeches about it.

6/14/2007 11:56:30 AM

who fucking cares you liberal peice of shit, the fact is that the dems are doing a poor fucking job in congress and americans don't like what they are coming up with....especially this pathetic attempt at haulting immigration. And to "much harder job" comments you are spewing I would argue that they aren't in the lime light near the amount the president is. Thus you have less opportunities to piss off America.

[Edited on June 14, 2007 at 12:14 PM. Reason : asd]

6/14/2007 12:12:51 PM

losing the house and congress was the best thing to help the repubs in 08. Its one thing to claim to do things different, better, etc... than actually doing it. Which is becoming more obvious.

6/14/2007 12:17:08 PM

Did you expect sweeping reforms with 51 seats in the Senate and a hostile White House?


*I don't think the Dem leadership has done a great job, but you are naive if you really thought the Dems would get many changes passed without the White House.

6/14/2007 12:58:43 PM

really? He has vetoed one bill they sent him.

6/14/2007 1:14:34 PM

Obviously 51 votes is all you need to get anything through the Senate.

6/14/2007 1:17:08 PM

haha, so this is the new excuse, not enough seats in the majority. Look they are just as bad as the last senate. They said what they needed to say to get elected and are comfortable with thier new jobs and with the appearance that they are trying to do something if it wasnt for the (insert here) ruining it, we would have this country fixed by now.

6/14/2007 1:24:02 PM

^ Don't you see? The liberals in Congress have found a way to always be right and never be accountable for anything!

Iraq War: I voted for it before I voted against it. It's Bush's fault!

Congress sucks: Hey, we tried. It's Bush's fault!

Debates: We can handle al Qaeda, but we can't handle Fox News. It's Bush's fault!

Global warming: If it's too hot, it's global warming; if it's too cold, it's also global warming. Either way, it's Bush's fault!

6/14/2007 1:35:53 PM

Quote :

"markgoal: While I place some value in "likability" but rank it far behind competence, I think it is extremely important for many voters. I firmly believe this tipped the 2000 election to Bush"

Agreed. If you haven't already, you should see Alexandra Pelosi's "Journeys with George," which makes that point abundantly clear.

6/14/2007 1:42:45 PM

WTF is going on with immigration though. These fucks in Congress are doing a terrible job. I had a friend call me from greensboro who had a case of hit and run from two mexicans. He tried to chase them but his car was too fucked up and when he returned to the scene the cop said don't even bother trying to file a report. They can't find them and your insurance will have to pay for it. I think this congress is a peice of shit, and imo, the president is buttfucking what party members he has left by trying to grant amnesty. This congress is going to be tested on two fronts, immigration and the iraq war. They are fucking up in both aspects.

6/14/2007 1:48:16 PM

Because obviously one piece of anecdotal evidence is all the proof anyone needs that Congress isn't doing their job

6/14/2007 2:34:49 PM

^^^Thanks, I'll have to keep a lookout for that.

6/14/2007 3:31:59 PM

Quote :

"Sadly the Supreme Court chose the bumpkin and we have paid the price for 7+ years."

I know, how dare the Supreme Court actually follow the fucking law. what a crazy fucking idea

6/14/2007 10:44:28 PM

yeah, because the law was REAL CLEAR on that 5-4 party-line split decision.

6/14/2007 11:53:43 PM

well, considering that they upheld Florida LAW, I'd say it was pretty good... or would you rather the SC vote based on their political preference rather than the law?

6/15/2007 12:05:20 AM

Quote :

"I think this congress is a peice of shit, and imo, the president is buttfucking what party members he has left by trying to grant amnesty. This congress is going to be tested on two fronts, immigration and the iraq war. They are fucking up in both aspects."

Because the Republican congress really tried hard to tackle those two fronts

they sat around with their thumbs up their asses which led to their ejection from control, so that you can bitch about what a shitty job they are doing. God damn.

hooksaw I find it funny how your thread about congressional approval ratings got you nowhere Now you decide to try to hijack a thread with the EXACT shit you posted in your thread hoping to get people that did not back your weak shit to support your argument. You already got your asshole ripped open, stop trying to look like you know what you are talking about.

6/15/2007 12:06:06 AM

Quote :

"Story Highlights • Sen. Clinton is not the most liked presidential hopeful, but she is leading • Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards are more liked • Clinton leads because she impressed voters with her experience • Voters want to know if someone can do the job first, but want to like candidate "

I think atleast as far as polls go (& with good polling can come more finances through campaign contributions) that likeability is important to win. Mostly you need to be good at your job, but sometimes governing a nation & representing that nation abroad requires people respect & to some degree have a favorable impression of you.

6/15/2007 12:13:59 AM

All other factors being equal, being likeable can be an advantage for a candidate. If given two candidates with roughly the same experience, competence, positions, ect., people will often vote for the one they like more (at least in my experience).

6/15/2007 11:47:11 AM

^ ummm, yeah, or if one candidate is smart, scholarly, civil and has good ideas, but comes off as 1) stiff and wooden, or 2) aloof, and the other candidate is a fucking idiot but can be identified as "likable" because he "seems real" and someone who you'd "like to have a beer with", then yeah, the the likable one will win.

6/15/2007 11:55:25 AM

ben94gt..
who the fuck said anything about the last congress, or for that matter making this a rep. or dem. debate. I pointed out that CONGRESS...not an individual party.....IS FUCKING UP YOU GOD DAMN IDIOT

6/15/2007 1:09:54 PM

Quote :

"How important do you think "likability" is in a President?"

More important than people let on to have you believe. I think the last President that wasn't "liked" when elected was Ford. And he wasn't even elected so much as just given the position.

I believe likability is what pushed GWB over Kerry by another slight margin in 2004, as it was in 2000 versus Gore. Both stiff New England liberals who drink wine coolers vs. Southern Texas beer drinker.

Sure they're cliches, but tell me most swing voters or moderate conservatives did not vote for Bush b/c "they just liked him (personality) better."

6/15/2007 2:57:49 PM