Another day, another poll, another new low

Another day, another poll, another new low. From the NY Times lead story today:

Americans have a bleaker view of the country's direction than at any time in more than two decades, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. Sharp disapproval of President Bush's handling of gasoline prices has combined with intensified unhappiness about Iraq to create a grim political environment for the White House and Congressional Republicans.

In this one he matches the Gallup poll appproval of 31 percent.

Which brings up another point that's been knocking around. A number of pundits have opined that, once you get this low, it gets harder and harder to go any lower. You're beginning to eat into the hard core supporters, and it takes much more to change their minds than those in the center.

That sounds like it makes sense, but I'm not sure it's true. There's also such a thing as the "band wagon" effect. When everyone else is saying one thing, and you're saying just the opposite, you begin to question your own position more and more.

The talk around the office water cooler or among the hard hats standing around watching each other do nothing at the construction site has changed. Gone is the glorification of our great war leader and the talk of how the Democrats are waging class warfare. Now the talk is about incompetence.

On the late night TV shows, the mild friendly ribbing has given way to pointed painful barbs.

Pop singers are no longer shunned for criticizing the president.

This is no longer laughing with him. It's laughing at him. The man has become a subject of mass ridicule.

I have a feeling this is a bit like a snowball gathering mass and momentum as it plunges down the hill, eventually triggering the avalanche.

Of course, I will admit that once you hit the floor, you can't fall any further, but I think this may not be a soft landing.