Rasmussen
polling has a new poll out that is putting Bush at a 46% approval rating. This
of course is sending the pundits into a glory spin.
Newsmax
has already picked up on this poll and is calling it Bush’s rebound.

So why does Rasmussen put Bush so high. Well
let’s look at the break down of responses:

This is an example of how you can manipulate a poll. Most pollsters ask
simply if you approve or disapprove of the President’s job. This of course adds
an extra factor into the data. If this question was asked with only the two
options chances are his approval rating would be much lower.

 It should also be noted that Rasmussen’s lowest rating for Bush has
only been 43%. His approval rating was also this high a month ago during the
Mier’s nomination and all other problems.  Their numbers are way off base
from all the other main stream polls.

Of course this doesn’t sway the opinion of sites like NewsMax. They even
praise this as being a more reliable poll over
Newsweek. Here
is their explanation why:

So which survey – Rasmussen or Newsweek – more accurately reflects the
mood of the public?

Here’s a clue. Newsweek is currently offering an “unscientific” online
survey that asks the question: “If Congressional elections were held today,
would you vote for a Democratic or Republican candidate?”

NewsMax should of read the disclaimer under Newsweek’s online poll which says
“Not a scientifically valid survey”.

Some good news from Rasmussen is on their front page. If NewsMax wants to
base their decisions on the Rasmussen polls then they should be prepared to
accept the fact that Rasmussen has Democrats leading in most Senate and Governor
races for next year.

In the world of polls you can pick or choose the ones you like best. People
do that all the time but when a majority of the polls out there have Bush’s
approval in the 30% range you must accept the fact that is where he is. Even FOX
has put Bush at a 36% approval rating.