Obama Approval Barely Ahead of Bush on Eve of 2006 Midterms

President Obama's approval ratings in the final week before the midterm elections are only slightly better than George W. Bush's were at this point in 2006.

Obama's approval rating is 39 percent, according to a new CBS News poll. Bush's approval rating was 34 percent in an October 2006 CBS poll.

That year, Democrats won control of the House and Senate.

The newest Washington Post-ABC News poll, released earlier this week, showed Obama's approval at 43 percent. Bush's was at 37 percent in an October 2006 Post-ABC poll.

But Bush 2006 and Obama 2014 appear to be equally polarizing figures when it comes to political party affiliation, the Post-ABC poll shows. Seventy-six percent of Democrats approve of the job Obama is doing, much like the 77 percent of Republicans who approved of Bush.

Just 11 percent of Republicans approve of Obama. The exact same percentage of Democrats said they approved of Bush in 2006.

Originated from: The Washington Post

2006 Acura RSX, 2006-2007 Honda S2000 Recalled For Brake Defect

Honda is conducting a voluntary safety recall of certain 2006 model year Acura RSX cars and 2006 and 2007 Honda S2000 sports cars to fix a potential brake defect.

A notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website puts the number of vehicles potentially affected by the recall in the U.S. at 18,352.

Affected 2006 Acura RSX vehicles were built from January 18, 2006 through August 12, 2006, while affected 2006-2007 Honda S2000 vehicles were built from January 19, 2006 through November 13, 2006. 

The problem

According to the NHTSA bulletin, the issue is that the brake booster may not be able to maintain a vacuum when the brake pedal is depressed, thus decreasing brake assist.

A notice on the Honda website attributes the problem to a manufacturing error in the power brake system components allowing them to be produced outside of specification. The automaker said that this condition could potentially cause decreased brake assistance over time, thus increasing crash risk.

2006 Honda S2000

What Honda will do

Honda will notify owners of affected vehicles and dealers will inspect the brake booster assembly, replacing it as necessary. The service will be performed at no charge.

The Honda safety recall campaign is JA4. Acura’s is JA5. The safety campaigns are expected to begin in July 2013.

In the meantime, owners of 2006-2007 Honda S2000 sports cars with any questions or concerns may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009 and owners of 2006 Acura RSX sedans may call Acura at 1-800-382-2238, pressing option number 4 in both cases. Owners may also go to www.recalls.honda.com andwww.recalls.acura.com for more information.

Alternatively, owners of vehicles involved in the campaign may contact NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or go to http://www.safercar.gov.  Reference the NHTSA campaign ID No. 13V246000

Originated from: The Car Connection