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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: alanrs who wrote (3477)	7/17/2003 9:36:10 PM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793543

Bad news for Bush from California. But California is bad news for everybody right now. Plus, the SF Chronicle is the Dem outlet there. Bush's ratings plummet in California Less than half say he's doing a good job, the least since 9/11 John Wildermuth, Chronicle Political Writer Thursday, July 17, 2003 ©2003 San Francisco Chronicle \| Feedback California's economic concerns, combined with growing partisan grumbling, have dropped President Bush's popularity in the state to its lowest mark since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a Field Poll released today shows. Forty-nine percent of those polled approve of Bush's job performance, down from 61 percent in April and 74 percent in the days following the al Qaeda attacks on New York City and the Pentagon. While national polls still show Bush riding a wave of popularity, the sharp drop in California, which has 12 percent of the nation's population, is likely to start appearing elsewhere, said Mark DiCamillo, the poll's director. "If you're looking for cracks in support for a Republican president, you should look to California, since that's the first place they're likely to show up," he said. California, an increasingly Democratic state, has never been a hotbed of support for the president. In 2000, he was beaten by 1.3 million votes by Democrat Al Gore, and the 2002 state elections were a massacre for Republicans. The new numbers actually show California returning to a more traditional view of a GOP president, DiCamillo said. "We're seeing a very partisan view of the president, which is more typical than not," he said. For example, in September 2001 before the terrorist attacks, 42 percent of Californians approved of Bush's job performance while 44 percent disapproved. In the Field Poll released today, only 24 percent of the state's Democrats are pleased with the job Bush is doing, compared with 84 percent of the Republicans and 43 percent of the independents. While he has the backing of 73 percent of California's conservatives, moderates are split almost evenly over the job the president is doing. A major gender gap appears in Bush's ratings, with 56 percent of California's men pleased with the job he's doing, compared with only 42 percent of the women. BAY AREA IN THE LEAD The Bay Area leads the opposition to Bush, with 42 percent of its residents approving of the president's work and 50 percent unhappy with the job he's doing. That's a switch from three months ago, early in the war in Iraq, when Bay Area support for the war was high and a small majority backed Bush's efforts. "There was a rally-around-the-president effect then," DiCamillo said. "Now (Bay Area) opinion is moving in a more partisan direction." Overall, DiCamillo said, "the events of the past three months haven't served the president well." The poll's best news for Bush and the Republicans is the strong support he continues to receive from California's fast-growing Latino population. Forty-seven percent of the state's Latinos believe Bush is doing a good job, compared with 35 percent who disagree. That backing for Bush could help pry Latino voters from their traditional support for Democrats in future elections. IT'S THE ECONOMY The economy is the president's biggest problem in California. Among the state's adults surveyed, 52 percent are unhappy with Bush's handling of the national economy, up from 44 percent in April and 34 percent in April 2002. Growing worries about the economy will be a key concern in the 2004 presidential election, DiCamillo said. "How the economy is going is strongly related to voter choice," he said. "Any erosion in the economy would hurt Bush." The continuing conflict in Iraq also is hurting Bush in California. While 41 percent of those surveyed are very satisfied with the job the military did in overthrowing Saddam Hussein, only 20 percent feel the same way about the job the country has done since the major fighting stopped. The random telephone survey of 788 California adults was conducted July 1- 13. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. California's own problems could be reflected in Bush's ratings. Concerns about the recall effort aimed at Gov. Gray Davis, the continuing battle over the state budget and the partisan political sniping in the state may be making residents so grouchy they're taking their bad temper out on everyone. "Things are looking grimmer here than in other states" DiCamillo said. "There should be some distinction between what's happening in Sacramento and what's happening in Washington, but there may be some residual impact from what's happening in the state." sfgate.com

To: alanrs who wrote (3477)	7/17/2003 9:36:58 PM
From: Sully-	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 793543

Well, I can understand your POV. The reason I engaged him was that I find that folks on the left seem to attribute things to Bush & his Administration that they did not say or even intimate. Then they repeat it frequently. Once it's picked up by enough liberal media, it is then directly attributed to Bush or the Administration as though it were fact. Then the left clubs Bush & Co. to death with their self-contrived, negatively spun issue. Perception is reality...... regardless of the facts.