By CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It's all Bush's fault.
That's where most Americans still put the blame for our economic problems, even though it's been more than three years since George W. Bush left office.
A new Gallup Poll shows 68% of those surveyed say the former president deserves either a great deal or a moderate amount of blame. Thirty-one percent say he deserves not much or no blame at all.
Compare that to the man who has actually been steering the ship for the last three-plus years.
Fifty-two percent say President Obama deserves the blame for America's economic troubles. Forty-eight percent say he's not to blame.
The relative economic blame given to the two leaders is virtually the same as September 2011.
As is usually the case, there's a partisan divide here, although Republicans are more willing to blame Bush than Democrats are willing to blame President Obama.
As for independents, they are substantially more likely to blame Bush than Obama.
With the economy the top issue for November, all this is very good news for President Obama.
Even though Americans have more negative than positive views of the economy – and the direction it's headed – people are more likely to blame the president's predecessor.
It kind of makes you wonder at what point President Obama will own this nation's problems.
Meanwhile all this comes on the heels of another poll that showed President Bush as the least popular living ex-president.
Mitt Romney may want to keep this in mind as he selects his running mate. Several of his potential vice presidents have close ties to Bush, including folks like Rob Portman, Mitch Daniels and, of course, Jeb Bush.
Here’s my question to you: How long will we blame George W. Bush for our problems?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
David in Herndon, Virginia:
Until we get out from under the disastrous consequences of his presidency. Bush is emblematic of the winner-take-all, I-got-mine, screw you attitudes that have destroyed the futures of so many. It's going to be awhile.
M.:
Bush will continue to be blamed as long as it is politically expedient to do so. It does NOT matter if it is true or not, or if someone else makes the situation worse.
David in Las Vegas:
Jack, If I had my way, I'd blame him forever for the deaths of American soldiers and the rise of Islamist terrorism. Financially, there's a lot of blame to spread around starting with Alan Greenspan who said he thought the banks would police themselves. Good luck with that then & now.
Tom in Pennsylvania:
Jack, George W. Bush gets the blame until Hoover is absolved.
Jenna in California:
How long will we blame George W. Bush for our problems? About the same amount of time that Republicans have blamed President Jimmy Carter.
Loren in Chicago:
Maybe you do, but I don't. The blame lies with Bill Clinton, for easing import restrictions contrary to law to allow Walmart to begin sourcing every product it could in China, and Barney Frank, for easing mortgage underwriting standards asserting that everyone should have the right to a home without understanding that a mortgage must be paid back. Those two Democrats have created the greatest outflow of capital from a country that the world has ever seen, yet all of the newspaper pundits continue to blame Bush and fawn over Bill Clinton. What fools.
Ed in Maryland:
Until 2065, when the current people are replaced by people taught in history class that he was a great man who saved America from a man in a cave with access to box cutters.