Economy Lowers Bush's Re-Election Support
By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) basks in high approval ratings, but when potential voters are pressed about giving him a second term, the numbers drop, a reflection of worries about the struggling economy and a general wait-and-see attitude so far ahead of the election.
Bush's overall approval ratings are at 57 percent or higher in most polls since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But now that the electorate is turning to thinking about Bush's handling of the economy and wondering who the Democrats will nominate, the president's re-elect numbers are at 50 percent or lower in several polls.
In a recent CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll, 50 percent said they would vote for Bush and 38 percent backed the unknown Democratic candidate, with the rest undecided. Those numbers aren't very different from those garnered by Bush's father in June 1991, when the commander in chief was praised for the U.S. success in the Persian Gulf War (news - web sites) and the Democrats were scrambling for a candidate.
"With job approval, you're asking how they feel right now," said Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup poll. Bush's job approval ratings won't accurately reflect his potential until March or April next year, Newport said.
The current poll also found that 37 percent of Democrats approve of Bush's job performance, but only a third of those Democrats who approve would vote to re-elect him. Among independents, the re-elect numbers weren't as high as the approval ratings.
"What this means is that Democrats and independents who lean Democratic still want to consider other choices," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. "Bush will still have to convince swing voters that he's the right person for the job once a Democratic candidate emerges.
"It also says the public wants an election campaign and wants to see what the Democratic candidate will say," Kohut said.
Bush's re-elect numbers are even lower in the Ipsos-Cook Political Report tracking poll, which showed a drop for the president from April to June, a time when the nation's focus shifted from the U.S.-led war against Iraq (news - web sites) to the economy, Medicare and tax cuts.
* I know one thing, those 37% of dems who think Bush is OK are not going to vote for him. And most Independents and some GOP moderates wont either. Once the Dems have nominated John Kerry and he picks Bob Graham, the tide will turn and Bush-Cheney will start withering, no matter how much money they have. |
