The "Mendoza Line" for Resignation
Sunday, May 07, 2006
In baseball, batting less than .200 is considered to be batting below the "Mendoza line". When a ballplayer bats below the Mendoza line for a long period of time, it means trouble for the ballplayer-- perhaps looming a trade or a demotion to the minor leagues.In baseball, the Mendoza line is clearly set at .200. What is the Mendoza line for a president? When should a president step down?
The latest AP-Ipsos poll shows that Bush's job approval numbers continue to fall. According to the Associated Press:
Just 33 percent of the public approves of Bush's job performance, the lowest of his presidency.
Now....
I usually stay away from mentioning approval ratings on this site because impeachment isn't about popularity, it's about the violation of law. And God knows we have certainly documented countless Bush transgressions on this site.
Today, I am drawing attention to Bush's (dis)approval ratings to point out that W is coming damn close to Richard Nixon's "Mendoza line" for resignation.
Compare W's numbers to these:
President: John F. Kennedy
Lowest Rating: 56 percent
Date: September 1963
President: Dwight Eisenhower
Lowest Rating: 49 percent
Date: July 1960
President: Bill Clinton
Lowest Rating: 37 percent
Date: June 1993
President: Gerald Ford
Lowest Rating: 37 percent
Dates: January and March 1975
President: Ronald Reagan
Lowest Rating: 35 percent
Date: January 1983
President: Lyndon Johnson
Lowest Rating: 35 percent
Date: August 1968
President: George H.W. Bush
Lowest Rating: 29 percent
Date: July 1992
President: Jimmy Carter
Lowest Rating: 28 percent
Date: June 1979
President: Richard Nixon
Lowest Rating: 24 percent
Dates: July and August 1974
