People Wary of President's Policies

Despite the celebration now taking place only blocks from where I reside, it seems the American people themselves are not so jubilant about Bush or his policies.

On the eve of President Bush's second inauguration, most Americans say they do not expect the economy to improve or that American troops would be withdrawn from Iraq by the time Mr. Bush leaves the White House, and many have reservations about his signature plan to overhaul Social Security, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

Nearly two-thirds said a second Bush term would leave the country with a larger deficit, while 47 percent said that a second Bush term would divide Americans. A majority of those surveyed said that they did not expect any improvement in health care, education, or in reducing the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly by January 2009.

Mr. Bush's job approval rating is at 49 percent as he heads into his second term - significantly lower than the ratings at the start of the second terms of the last two presidents who served eight years, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. And 56 percent said the country has gone off on the wrong track, about as bad a rating Mr. Bush has received on this measure since entering the White House.

The poll then goes on to indicate that the constant harping on Social Security has had some effect on public perception, though not to the degree Bush perhaps wishes for.

Fifty percent said Social Security is in crisis, echoing an assertion that Mr. Bush has made and that has been disputed by Democrats and independent analysts. Answering another question, 51 percent said that while there were good things about Social Security, the system needed "fundamental changes," while 24 percent said it needed a complete overhaul.

Again, I would have to say this reinforces the idea that for many Americans, it was the fear of terrorism or their concern for "moral values" that led them to cast their vote for Bush. As for his policies in nearly every other regard, they're not as enthusiastic. Bush will continue to proclaim that the election vindicated his policies, but I think that belief, and his hopes for the next four years, will collide with a sobering dose of reality in the near future.