Poll: Bush losing conservatives, South included

AP-Ipsos has a new poll, and it's not good news for the ruling party in Washington:

Angry conservatives are driving the approval ratings of President Bush and the GOP-led Congress to dismal new lows, according to an AP-Ipsos poll that underscores why Republicans fear an Election Day massacre. [...]

* Just 33 percent of the public approves of Bush's job performance, the lowest of his presidency. [...] Forty-five percent of self-described conservatives now disapprove of the president.

*ï Just one-fourth of the public approves of the job Congress is doing, a new low in AP-Ipsos polling and down 5 percentage points since last month. A whopping 65 percent of conservatives disapprove of Congress.

*ï A majority of Americans say they want Democrats rather than Republicans to control Congress (51 percent to 34 percent). That's the largest gap recorded by AP-Ipsos since Bush took office. Even 31 percent of conservatives want Republicans out of power.

*ï The souring of the nation's mood has accelerated the past three months, with the percentage of people describing the nation on the wrong track rising 12 points to a new high of 73 percent. Six of 10 conservatives say America is headed in the wrong direction.

The poll slightly oversampled in the South, with 36% of the respondents hailing from the region, making the results even more fascinating.

Given these numbers and the strength of populist themes in the South, this might be the moment for Democrats to turn the tide here -- not just for 2006, but 2008 and beyond. Can they do it?