Although the current expansion is in its sixth year, most Americans continue to give President Bush poor marks on the economy.
A Gallup poll taken late last month found that only 41 percent of respondents approved of Bush’s handling of the economy, compared to 55 percent who disapproved.
White House spokesman Tony Fratto said the mainstream media has displayed a “double standard” by largely ignoring economic growth under Bush after giving extensive coverage to the economic expansion during Bill Clinton’s presidency.
But Fratto conceded there is another reason why Clinton gets more credit than Bush for the health of the economy.
“If you go back to that point in time in the mid-90s, you have to ask yourself, what the heck else was going on? I mean, there wasn’t a whole lot else to pay attention to except the economy,” he said.
By contrast, today’s headlines tend to focus more on the Iraq war, which Fratto called “this huge, dominating issue.”
“It’s something that has turned – from a public perception standpoint – very negative for the president,” he said.
“And if they have a negative view of the president right now on what many people consider the most important issue, it’s hard to give him credit on other things,” Fratto said.
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