Bush name as campaign weapon weakened

LOS ANGELES, July 26 (UPI) -- Campaigning Democrats hoping to make political capital by blaming George W. Bush for the nation's weak economy may find it harder to do, a new poll says.

While Bush's standing among the electorate remains weak, a Gallup poll last week found his personal favorability rating was up 10 points from a 2009 poll, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

At 45 percent, it was just seven points behind President Obama's flagging numbers, bringing into question whether attacking the Bush legacy would be an effective campaign ploy for Democratic candidates in the upcoming mid-term elections, the newspaper said.

Democratic strategists concede that they won't be able invoke the former president's record against Republican candidates as they have in the past.

"I think that voters this year are a little bit too smart for boogeyman. You can't just throw out a name and hope that it's going to have an impact," Nathan Daschle, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association said.