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WASHINGTON -- Angry conservatives are driving the approval ratings of President Bush and the GOP-led Congress to dismal new lows, according to an AP-Ipsos poll that underscores why Republicans fear an Election Day massacre.
Six months out, the intensity of opposition to Bush and Congress has risen sharply, along with the percentage of Americans who think the nation is on the wrong track.
The AP-Ipsos poll also suggests that Democratic voters are far more motivated than Republicans. Elections in the middle of a president's term traditionally favor the party whose core supporters are the most energized.
This week's survey of 1,000 adults, including 865 registered voters, found:
*Just 33 percent of the public approves of Bush's job performance, the lowest of his presidency. That compares with 36 percent approval in early April. Forty-five percent of self-described conservatives now disapprove of the president.
*Just one-fourth of the public approves of the job Congress is doing, a new low in AP-Ipsos polling and down 5 percentage points since last month. A whopping 65 percent of conservatives disapprove of Congress.
*Most Americans say they want Democrats rather than Republicans to control Congress (51 percent to 34 percent). Even 31 percent of conservatives want Republicans out.
*Six of 10 conservatives say America is headed the wrong way.
Republican strategists said the party stands to lose control of Congress. ''It's going to take some events of significance to turn this around,'' GOP pollster Whit Ayres said.
He said the party needs concrete progress in Iraq and action in Congress on immigration, lobbying reform and tax cuts.
Conservative voters blame the White House and Congress for runaway government spending, illegal immigration and lack of action on social issues such as gay marriage.
''I think he's the dumbest president we've ever had,'' said Mark Rauzi, a conservative voter from Downstate Gillespie. AP
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-poll06.html