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November 24, 2003
If the Economy’s Improving, It’s Still Not Helping Bush Much
Two just-released polls confirm that the recent good economic news hasn’t helped Bush’s standing with the public much. The latest Ipsos/Cook Political Report poll has the right direction/wrong track question at 38 percent right direction/56 percent wrong track, exactly where this measure was in the last half of September and early October.
Bush’s overall approval rating in the Ipsos poll is at 50 percent, the lowest rating they’ve recorded for him since 9/11. Even his approval rating on the economy has snapped back to net negative (46 percent approval/51 percent disapproval) after reaching the break-even point in early November. And, for the first time in this poll, the number who would “definitely vote to re-elect Bush as President” is identical with the number who would “definitely vote for someone else” (37 percent to 37 percent). (Another 25 percent say they would “consider voting for someone else”.)
The latest Time/CNN poll has a different re-elect question, but also has Bush at a post-9/11 low. In this poll 47 percent say they would be very likely or somewhat likely to vote for him for re-election, compared to 48 percent who say they would be very or somewhat unlikely to vote for him. Significantly, more people say they would be very unlikely to vote for him (38 percent) than say they would be very likely to support him (32 percent).
This poll also shows how the public’s personal bond with Bush is continuing to erode. Just 44 percent now say he is a leader they can trust (down from 56 percent in March), compared to 54 percent who say they have some doubts and reservations. Note that political independents have an even more jaundiced view: only 38 percent say they can trust him, while 61 percent have doubts.
In addition, by 48 percent to 39 percent, the public thinks Bush has been too partisan in office; by 53 percent to 43 percent, they think he has been too quick to interject his own moral and religious beliefs into politics; by 54 percent to 44 percent, they think he is out of touch with ordinary Americans; and by 58 percent to 37 percent, they think he has favored policies that benefit the rich at the expense of the middle class.
Hmmm. Sounds like the public’s starting to catch on.
Posted by Ruy Teixeira at 11:35 PM | link
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