The View From Here . . .

This is the season of discontent in American politics.

For President Bush, already something of a lame-duck president, his approval ratings have gone down even further. For example, in the Rasmussen daily tracking poll, in which the president almost every day had an approval range of between 38 and 42 percent, the daily numbers are now more like 35 percent. In other polls the approval ratings are in the low 30s or high 20s.

Basically Mr. Bush has two problems, the unpopular war in Iraq, which has hurt him severely among Democratic and independent voters and his immigration proposals, which have eroded support among Republicans. The President may be more right than wrong on both of these issues, but his point of view is certainly not resonating with the public.

Meanwhile the populace is in a very sour mood about the country as a whole. Most polls asking people whether the country is moving in the right direction or is on the wrong track report that the "right track" percentage is in the twenties, with a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll actually plummeting to 19%. And these results are being measured in the context of a generally good economy.

One might think, in light of the dismal poll results for President Bush and general dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, that Democrats would be scoring well in the surveys. But this is not the case at all.

The Democratic controlled Congress has approval ratings that are actually lower than those of President Bush. For example, according to Rasmussen's latest survey (which is pretty representative of other polls), just 3% of respondents give Congress an excellent rating and another 16% a good rating, for an overall generally positive mark of 19%. The negative marks are 78% (37% fair and 41% poor). The only more or less bright spot is that the 19% is actually higher that the 15% favorable rating "enjoyed" by the Republican Congress on Election Day 2006, when power shifted to the Democrats. Approval of Democratic leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, is at 19 percent, with disapproval at 45%.

No doubt a good deal of dissatisfaction over the Congress is predicated on its inability to effect a withdrawal from Iraq over President Bush's opposition and does not indicate pro-Republican sentiment. (A parallel analysis probably applies to Mr. Bush's problems with Republicans over immigration.) But when coupled with the Democrats' inability to enact much of their promised agenda (their only significant legislative victory so far is the minimum wage increase attached to the Iraq war spending bill), there may be a feeling that the Democrats are more attached to no holds barred partisan rhetoric than to accomplishing much for the country.

It is hard to know what could break this negative cycle. Presumably, the election of a new president, whoever he or she may be, will create a sort of honeymoon period starting in 2009 and a better mood among the electorate. Until then, perhaps a major breakthrough in Iraq followed by a plan to begin the withdrawal of American troops, would change the tide, but it is hard to think of much else, outside, God forbid, of a catastrophic event. The bad mood may be just a phenomenon that will have to run its course.