Bush In A Word

by Chris Bowers, Wed Jul 27, 2005 at 08:35:02 AM EDT

This is from Pew, and it is the funniest bit of polling I have ever seen. Q.3F2 Please tell me what one word best describes your impression of George W. Bush. Tell me just the ONE best word that describes him. (OPEN-END. PROBE ONCE IF RESPONDENT ANSWERS "DON'T KNOW". ACCEPT UP TO TWO RESPONSES, BUT DO NOT PROBE FOR SECOND RESPONSE).
July 2005*	February 2005	 May 2004		  Early Feb 2004   May 2003
 31 Honest	38 Honest		  30 Honest	   27 Honest	  29 Honest
 26 Incompetent   20 Good		  29 Good		   24 Fair	  21 Good 
 24 Arrogant	15 Integrity	  26 Incompetent     24 Leader	  20 Arrogant  
 18 Good		15 Arrogant	  26 Leader	   21 Liar	  16 Leader    
 18 Integrity	14 Incompetent	  24 Arrogant	   17 Arrogant	  13 Great     
 15 Determined	13 Leader		  16 Strong	   14 Strong	  12 Confident 
 13 Liar		11 Fair 		  15 Integrity	   13 Excellent     12 Courageous
 12 Stupid	11 Idiot		  13 Idiot	   13 Good	  11 Aggressive
 11 Idiot		 9 Strong		  11 Christian	   12 Christian     11 Christian 
 11 Strong	 9 Liar 		  10 Determined      12 Integrity     11 Determined	
 10 Leader	 8 Excellent	  10 Stupid	    9 Stupid	  11 Integrity 
  9 Christian	 8 Trustworthy	   9 Liar		    9 Incompetent   10 Patriot/Patriotic
  9 Great		 8 Dishonest	   8 Trustworthy      8 Dishonest      9 Cowboy    
  9 Okay		 8 Poor 		   7 Aggressive       7 Confident      8 Competent
  8 Fair		 7 Conservative      7 Committed	    7 Determined     8 Decisive  
  8 Sincere	 7 Great		   7 Dishonest	    7 Idiot	   8 Idiot     
  7 Aggressive	 7 Sucks		   7 Okay		    7 Patriotic      8 President 
  7 Honorable	 7 Christian	   6 Dedicated	    7 Ass		   8 Strong    
  6 Inept		 7 Honorable	   6 Fair		    6 Character      7 Adequate  
  5 Adequate	 6 Dedicated	   6 President	    6 Poor	   7 Excellent 
  5 Ass 		 6 Determined	   6 War/warrior       6 Selfish	   7 Fair 
  4 Persistent	 6 President	   5 Brave	    (N=748)	     (N=602)
  4 Egotistical    6 Selfish	   5 Confident
  4 Greedy	 5 Trying		   5 Courageous
  4 Jerk		 5 Warmonger	   5 Decisive
  4 Patriotic	 5 Ignorant	   5 Dumb
  4 Terrible	 5 Terrible	   5 Excellent
		 4 Diligent	   5 Great
		 4 Consistent	   5 Honorable
		 4 Sincere	   5 Straight-forward
		 4 Ineffective	   (N=897)
		 4 Inept
		 (N=761)
* The numbers listed represent the number of respondents who offered each response; the numbers are not percentages. I'm not sure how to read a poll like this, so I won't. It is interesting though.

Tags: Culture (all tags)

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27 Comments

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How to talk
It does tell us how to use language that people will recognize when criticizing the president.  Mixing together the top three negative responses we get that the building bad aspect of his public persona is that he is an "Incompetant, Arrogant Liar".  I'd love to see Dem leadership start drumming that label.

I won't hold my breath.

by PghArch 2005-07-27 08:53AM | 0 recs
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Crunching the numbers
As a lunchtime exercise, I sorted the words into categories and totalled the responses. Here are the results:
  • 102 Positive traits (honest, good, integrity, strong, great, sincere, honorable)
  • 22 Mediocre (okay, fair, adequate)
  • 49 Neutral--can be positive or negative (determined, leader, Christian, patriotic, agressive, persistent)
  • 59 Negative traits--ability (incompetent, stupid, idiot, inept, terrible)
  • 54 Negative traits--character (arrogant, egotistical, greedy, jerk, ass)
Using fewer categories:
  • 102 Positive
  • 71 Neutral/mediocre
  • 113 Negative
by Super G 2005-07-27 09:06AM | 0 recs
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Forgot to mention
Those numbers are only for the July 2005 poll.
by Super G 2005-07-27 09:07AM | 0 recs
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Re: Crunching the numbers
Damn you!
Okay, I got slightly different results

Clearly Good    Wobble    Clearly Bad
      132         34           120

by Robert P 2005-07-27 09:16AM | 0 recs
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Re: Crunching the numbers
PRetty cool, but since some people gave two responses and some people did not, there is no way to really take this as instructice in terms of percentages. I do think it is enlightening that "Honest" has always been his top trait, rather than "leader" or "strong." No wonder the Rove scandal hurts so much.
by Chris Bowers 2005-07-27 09:18AM | 0 recs
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"Honest" Is Bush's Brand Name
I don't think I've seen anyone mention this, but it seems like the inverse of a well-known Rove trait.  Just as he likes to go after his opponent's strength, he likes to take his own greatest weakness and portrary it as strength.  It's called...wait, don't tell me...the BIG LIE.
by Paul Rosenberg 2005-07-27 07:49PM | 0 recs
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Re: Crunching the numbers
I would have to argue your "neutral" catagory. I'm guessing the ones that said Christian meant it as he supreme compliment, similarly patriotic and leader.

Determined, aggressive, and persistent could be either.

I think he is determined to destroy this country.

I think he is as persistent as inner city cockroaches.

And I think we should persue removing him from government as aggressively as he is persuing turning this country into a true plutocracy.

by Andrew C White 2005-07-27 09:29AM | 0 recs
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Re: Crunching the numbers
Now that I look at it again, patriotic should definitely upgraded from neutral to positive. Patriotic can be seen as a universal positive if it means a love of American ideals as opposed to a love of Bush and his cronies.

Words are tricky like that. They mean different things to different people.

by Super G 2005-07-27 11:44AM | 0 recs
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Swearengen
To quote Al Swearengen: "Cocksucker!"
by DavidNYC 2005-07-27 09:11AM | 0 recs
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ASS
Love that one. Short n Sweet.
by NJDEM1 2005-07-27 09:15AM | 0 recs
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Re: ASS
I suspect it was shortened from the actual response. '-)
by Jim in Chicago 2005-07-28 01:09AM | 0 recs
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If I were polled...
I'd have said "Strategery".
by Steve F 2005-07-27 09:16AM | 0 recs
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What I just can't see.
What I can't see and have never been able to see is George W. Bush as an 'honest' man. I hear people say this and I see this in this poll and I wonder who are they talking about?  He can't even 'fess up to a mistake. His administration operates from the shadows and shallows of Karl Rove's slimey mind and people see Bush as an 'honest' man.  I just can't see it!
by Sigmund Clyde 2005-07-27 09:19AM | 0 recs
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Re: What I just can't see.
Me too. I think it's his "aw shucks" demeanor.  
by prince myshkin 2005-07-27 11:01AM | 0 recs
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Sucks
Whatever happened to sucks? It appeared once in February, but it seems to have sropped off the list.

That might have been my response.

by Chris Bowers 2005-07-27 09:20AM | 0 recs
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I'm waiting for
crook.

Warmonger fell off too. Would be interesting to track the locale of the responses.

by Clever 2005-07-27 09:22AM | 0 recs
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Re: I'm waiting for
Convict.
by Andrew C White 2005-07-27 09:29AM | 0 recs
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I think it is interesting
how certain two word phrases appear.  While the poll breaks everything down into single words, phrases are there.
The instructions say the person CAN say two words, but not to encourage them.
Thus, Stupid Idiot  and Strong Leader appear to be the most common phrases used to describe our President.
Although Patriotic Jerk is another potential one...and we can only assume that Incompetent, Arrogant, was followed by Ass which was disqualified as the third word.
by Robert P 2005-07-27 09:20AM | 0 recs
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Re: I think it is interesting
Hmmm, why doesn't "hole" appear more times?  Or "wipe" or "wad"?
by freedc 2005-07-27 11:25AM | 0 recs
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why is this funny?
It shows that more people think he's honest and sincere than think he's a lying idiot. Even after the Rove scandal and the Downing Street Minutes that the corporate media tells us "everyody knows about so it's old news." If everybody knew that Bush lied us into war, then so many people would not be calling him honest.

The DLC will now say that people who don't say Bush is honest aren't good Democrats

by peterbernard 2005-07-27 10:01AM | 0 recs
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asdf
Do peeance and freeance count as one, or do we have to count them separately?
by Johnny Gentle Famous Crooner 2005-07-27 10:29AM | 0 recs
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Here's a lede for a story
Nearly 40 percent of Americans think President Bush is one of the following: Incompetent; arrogant; a liar; stupid; an idiot; inept; an ass; egotistical; greedy; a jerk; or terrible.
by mhurst630 2005-07-27 10:31AM | 0 recs
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Love you honey
But I hate your friends.
by turnerbroadcasting 2005-07-27 10:37AM | 0 recs
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Now coming to a table near you..
<table border=1>
<tr><td> July 2005*    </td><td>February 2005    </td><td> May 2004    </td><td>     Early Feb 2004 </td><td>         May 2003             </td> </tr>
<tr><td> 31 Honest    </td><td>38 Honest    </td><td>  30 Honest    </td><td>       27 Honest    </td><td>      29 Honest             </td> </tr>
<tr><td> 26 Incompetent</td><td> 20 Good     </td><td> 29 Good        </td><td>24 Fair    </td><td>          21 Good          </td> </tr>
<tr><td> 24 Arrogant</td><td>15 Integrity     </td><td> 26 Incompetent         </td><td>24 Leader    </td><td>      20 Arrogant               </td> </tr>
<tr><td> 18 Good    </td><td>15 Arrogant      </td><td>26 Leader           </td><td>21 Liar          </td><td>    16 Leader             </td> </tr>
<tr><td> 18 Integrity</td><td>14 Incompetent    </td><td>  24 Arrogant    </td><td>       17 Arrogant    </td><td>      13 Great              </td> </tr>
<tr><td> 15 Determine</td><td>13 Leader           </td><td>  16 Strong       </td><td>14 Strong          </td><td>12 Confident              </td> </tr>
<tr><td> 13 Liar    </td><td>11 Fair         </td><td>  15 Integrity       </td><td>13 Excellent         </td><td>12 Courageous             </td> </tr>
<tr><td> 12 Stupid    </td><td>11 Idiot        </td><td>  13 Idiot       </td><td>13 Good          </td><td>11 Aggressive             </td> </tr>
<tr><td> 11 Idiot    </td> <td> 9 Strong        </td><td>  11 Christian       </td><td>12 Christian         </td><td>11 Christian              </td> </tr>
<tr><td> 11 Strong    </td> <td> 9 Liar         </td><td>  10 Determined    </td><td>12 Integrity         </td><td>11 Determined             </td> </tr>
<tr><td> 10 Leader    </td> <td> 8 Excellent          </td><td>  10 Stupid       </td><td>9 Stupid          </td><td>11 Integrity              </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  9 Christian</td> <td>     8 Trustworthy    </td><td>   9 Liar          </td><td>9 Incompetent       </td><td>10 Patriot/Patriotic         </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  9 Great    </td> <td> 8 Dishonest           </td><td> 8 Trustworthy     </td><td> 8 Dishonest          </td><td>9 Cowboy                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  9 Okay    </td> <td> 8 Poor         </td><td> 7 Aggressive      </td><td> 7 Confident          </td><td>8 Competent             </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  8 Fair    </td> <td> 7 Conservative      </td><td>    7 Committed       </td><td> 7 Determined         </td><td>8 Decisive           </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  8 Sincere    </td> <td> 7 Great        </td><td>7 Dishonest       </td><td> 7 Idiot           </td><td>8 Idiot                  </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  7 Aggressive</td> <td> 7 Sucks        </td><td>7 Okay           </td><td> 7 Patriotic          </td><td>8 President              </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  7 Honorable </td><td> 7 Christian           </td><td>6 Dedicated       </td><td> 7 Ass        </td><td>8 Strong                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  6 Inept     </td><td> 7 Honorable           </td><td>  6 Fair           </td><td> 6 Character          </td><td>7 Adequate           </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  5 Adequate </td>    <td>     6 Dedicated    </td><td>   6 President       </td><td> 6 Poor          </td><td>7 Excellent              </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  5 Ass      </td>    <td> 6 Determined    </td><td>   6 War/warrior   </td><td> 6 Selfish           </td><td>7 Fair              </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  4 Persistent </td>    <td> 6 President    </td><td>   5 Brave             </td><td>       (N=748)</td><td>         (N=602)         </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  4 Egotistical </td>    <td>  6 Selfish    </td><td>   5 Confident         </td><td>        </td><td>                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  4 Greedy     </td>    <td> 5 Trying            </td><td>   5 Courageous     </td><td>        </td><td>                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  4 Jerk     </td>    <td> 5 Warmonger    </td><td>   5 Decisive         </td><td>        </td><td>                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  4 Patriotic </td>    <td>     5 Ignorant    </td><td>   5 Dumb         </td><td>        </td><td>                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td>  4 Terrible   </td>  <td>     5 Terrible    </td><td>   5 Excellent         </td><td>        </td><td>                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td>           </td>  <td> 4 Diligent    </td><td>   5 Great         </td><td>        </td><td>                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td>           </td>  <td> 4 Consistent    </td><td>   5 Honorable         </td><td>        </td><td>                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td>           </td>  <td> 4 Sincere    </td><td>   5 Straight-forward     </td><td>        </td><td>                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td> N=?           </td>  <td> 4 Ineffective    </td><td>   (N=897)         </td><td>        </td><td>                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td>sigma=?           </td>  <td> 4 Inept        </td><td>             </td><td>        </td><td>                 </td> </tr>
<tr><td>           </td>  <td> (N=761)        </td><td>             </td><td>        </td><td>                 </td> </tr>

</table>

by turnerbroadcasting 2005-07-27 11:27AM | 0 recs
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Re: Now coming to a table near you..
woops. thought the html would translate. Chris, if you want, you can take that table and put it into the original post. The data is all jumbled. you can delete this blog entry and take the code, it will
make your post more readable..
by turnerbroadcasting 2005-07-27 11:28AM | 0 recs
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Re: Now coming to a table near you..
Argg!! all this work for waste?
FireFox which is 20% of the browsers on the net
out there, will scramble that table of yours
chris.

use this table!!

by turnerbroadcasting 2005-07-27 01:45PM | 0 recs
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&quot;Honest&quot; George
Jesus, funny as this is, the fact that "honest" is first every time, tells me that this is nearly useless.

I wonder what the same thing would look like for Nixon?  Any other president?

Curious that W has a rap for being "honest" -- truly Orwellian, since the guy is incapable of telling or articulating the "truth" in nearly every context.

by MRL 2005-07-27 12:22PM | 0 recs

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