Poll: Bush is divisive for Texans

Former President George W. Bush calls Texas home, but that doesn't mean all Texans welcome him with open arms.

They have split views on Bush's eight years in the Oval Office, according to a new Texas Tech poll.

About 44 percent of Texans polled said Bush's presidency was a failure, while 41 percent said it was a success. Twelve percent were unsure.

Bush was raised in Midland and Houston. He and his wife, Laura, settled in Dallas earlier this year when his controversial presidency came to an end.

Not surprisingly, whether a Texan is a Bush lover or hater heavily depends on whether he or she is a Republican or a Democrat, the poll shows. About 81 percent of Democrats said his presidency was a failure, but 67 percent of Republicans said it a success.

"We are still trying to make up our minds as to how (Bush) should be viewed. Now, I think what this tells us ... is that Texans are fair. Presidential legacies are going to be written until a generation after you leave office. We'll definitely have to wait and see 'what's this gonna mean later down the road?' " said Peter Wood, a 21-year-old junior at Tech who helped conduct the poll.

Political science majors at Tech polled 579 Texans age 18 or older by telephone during the last two months to find out how they feel about Bush and other hot political topics.

A surprising number of people in the state, which is well known as a Republican stronghold, approve of President Barack Obama, the students also found. The majority of those polled - about 44 percent - said they approve of how the nation's 44th and first black president is handling his new job.

The approval ratings mirror national polls.

"I really think that this shows that no matter what your ideology is ... Texans are really apt to giving their leaders a fair chance," said Daniel Howell, a 21-year-old Tech student who also helped conduct the poll.

Though many Texans gave Obama the thumbs up for job performance, they're less confident in the multi-million stimulus act he pushed through Congress

earlier this year. Nearly 49 percent don't support it. A slim majority - 32 percent - think it will help the slumping economy. About 29 percent think it will hurt it and 31 percent think it'll make no difference.

But the surest way to win lots of disdain in Texas? Get a seat in the U.S. Congress, the poll shows. About 67 percent of Texans disapprove of the way the lawmaking body is handling its duties.

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GOVERNMENT/Texas Tech poll shows Texans split on feelings for past president, but many dislike stimulus