Here is a pertinent fact: "Six weeks after the spill began, 69% rate the federal response negatively, compared with 62% who did so two weeks after the August 2005 hurricane."

Note that this Gulf mess poll was taken SIX weeks after the spill; the Katrina poll was taken TWO weeks after the storm.

Might it be that at two weeks people figured that things would get rapidly better in the region? Didn't happen.