Reality check:
Poll: Democrats losing ground
....More Americans, 61%, have a favorable view of the Republican Party; 55% have a favorable view of the Democratic Party. That erases a 9-point Democrat edge just before the Sept. 11 attacks.
And if the fall congressional elections were held today, 46% say they would vote for the Republican candidate in their district, 43% for the Democrat. That's counter to history. The party not in power in the White House usually gains congressional seats in off-year elections.
But there is a bigger gap on issues.
When the poll asked which party would do a better job on specific issues, Republicans had huge leads on defense (65%-24%), combating terrorism (61%-23%) and foreign affairs (56%-30%)
The GOP had smaller advantages on taxes (52%-40%), the economy (47%-41%) and the federal budget deficit (47%-41%).
Democrats were preferred on health — prescription drug help for seniors (56%-32%), Social Security and Medicare (53%-36%) and a patients' bill of rights (54%-32%).
Meanwhile, the collapse of energy giant Enron has not hurt Bush's standing, so far his job approval is 83%, down just 1 point from 84% a week ago, before news that the company had contacted several White House officials as it neared bankruptcy.
The public is judging Enron officials more harshly than the Bush administration:
10% said the administration did something illegal, and 36% said it did something unethical but not illegal.
But 42% said Enron officials did something illegal, and 29% said they did something unethical but not illegal....
usatoday.com
Other poll findings:
Most want Bush to have more influence over the direction of the country this year than Democrats in Congress, 59%-36%.
Bush's approach to budget and taxes is preferred over the Democrats, 50%-38%. |
