After sticking toes in, Bush and Romney dip in the polls

An interesting thing happened to Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney on the road to their decision whether to run for president of the U.S. Both men have high name recognition (Romney much more than Bush) and both are respected among the American public. The problem, they are slowly beginning to realize, is that one thing is to be respected by the American public, it’s another to face that same public with intentions of leading them as president.

A recently released NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll has them taking a dip in the polls since both announced they are considering a presidential run.

NBC News reported that “just 27 percent of Americans now offer a positive rating for Romney, the Republican party’s nominee in 2012, compared to 40 percent who give him negative marks. And just over half of Republicans – 52 percent – give him a thumbs up, while 15 percent disagree.

“In September of last year, when Romney was widely expected NOT to seek the presidency again, his ratings stood at 32 percent positive/ 39 percent negative. With Republicans, that split was 60 percent positive/ 13 percent negative.

“While former Florida governor Jeb Bush is not quite as well-known as Romney, with 13 percent of respondents saying they don’t know the name, he’s also seen a drop in approval since announcing that he’s ‘actively exploring’ a 2016 run.

“Just 19 percent of Americans now give Bush a positive rating, while 32 percent assess him negatively. His fans include just 37 percent of Republicans, while 15 percent offer a poor assessment of him.

“That’s compared to an overall rating last November of 26 percent positive and 33 percent negative. Among Republicans at that time, Bush’s rating stood at 44 percent positive to 12 percent negative.”

Of course, it is still too early to take any poll seriously, but the results are telling and should give both possible candidates plenty to think about before taking the full plunge in the 2016 presidential merry-go-round.

The poll, according to NBC News, also had potential “Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton currently enjoy[ing] an overall positive assessment from the American public.

“Forty-five percent of Americans rate her positively, while 37 percent rate her negatively.

“Among Democrats, three-quarters give Clinton a thumbs up, with just 7 percent disagreeing.”