Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : WHO IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2004 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (5802)	10/25/2003 1:02:34 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 10965

Who lobbies Bush on Cuba? news.bbc.co.uk

To: American Spirit who wrote (5802)	10/26/2003 1:36:18 AM
From: Glenn Petersen	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 10965

Dean now has the national lead amongst the Democratic candidates. Kerry is tied with Sharpton at 8%. How embarrassing is that? When matched up with Bush, Dean now fares as well as Clark. msnbc.com Out of Balance A new Newsweek poll finds that while the Bush administration remains focused on Iraq, voters are worrying about the economy By Laura Fording NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE Oct. 25 — The Bush administration’s recent effort to highlight the positive about U.S. operations in Iraq is registering with Americans, a new NEWSWEEK poll shows. Forty-eight percent of those polled say they approve of Bush’s handling of Iraq, a 4-point boost from two weeks ago, though still down 26 points from when troops first entered Baghdad in mid-April. NONETHELESS, AMERICANS remain mixed about U.S. policy in Iraq. Forty-nine percent of those polled think that the Bush administration does not have a well-thought out plan for establishing stability in Iraq; 39 percent do. While the majority of Americans—59 percent—believe that the United States did the right thing by taking military action in Iraq, 58 percent also think that too much money is being spent on the operation. The majority—56 percent—think troops should be reduced and some should come home, up 7 points from the end of September. Far fewer—12 percent—think the United States should send in more troops. And about one-quarter—23 percent—think the number of soldiers in Iraq should remain the same, down 6 points from the end of September. The president’s overall approval rating remains at 51 percent, 35 points below his ratings in the weeks immediately following September 11. Although Iraq may currently top the Bush administration’s agenda, voters say they are most concerned about domestic policy. The economy seems to weigh heaviest on people’s minds, with a large majority of register voters—80 percent—saying it is a very important issue in determining who they will vote for. Other issues voters ranked as very important: education (78 percent), healthcare (75 percent), Social Security and Medicare (73 percent) and terrorism and homeland security (70 percent). Fewer registered voters, although still a majority, gave the situation in Iraq as much weight: 60 percent thought the decision to go to war was very important; while 57 percent thought the commitment of U.S. money and troops to Iraq was very important. When asked how various Bush administration policies would influence their decision to vote, Bush scored highest for his response toward terrorist threats since the September 11 attacks. Fifty-five percent of registered voters said his policies in this area would make them more likely to vote for him, while 26 percent said Bush’s policies on terrorism would make them less likely (16 percent said it would not effect their vote.) Voters were more evenly divided on other issues: 29 percent said Bush’s tax cuts would make them more likely to vote for him, while 28 percent said they would make it less likely to vote for him (39 percent said it made no difference). The amount of money the United States is spending to rebuild postwar Iraq weighed the most heavily against Bush—48 percent of voters said this would make them less likely to vote for him, while only 28 percent said it would make them more likely. Twenty-one percent said it would have no effect upon their vote. Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean now ranks among the Democratic Party’s 2004 presidential candidates, taking the lead from retired General Wesley Clark. Dean now polls at 15 percent among registered Democrats and Democratic leaners, trailed by Clark (12 percent), Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman (10 percent), Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (8 percent), Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt (8 percent) and the Rev. Al Sharpton (8 percent). The other Democratic nominees each have 6 percent or less of votes. While Bush still leads in the polls against every one of the Democratic candidates, the gap between Bush and Dean has grown markedly tighter in recent weeks, from a 14 percent gap (52 percent vs. 38 percent) at the end of September, to a 6 percent gap (49 percent vs. 43 percent) in the latest poll. Clark fares identically against Bush, with a 6 percent gap (49 percent vs. 43 percent), while Lieberman, Kerry and Gephardt have slightly wider gaps (7, 8 and 9 percent, respectively). For the Newsweek Poll, Princeton Survey Research Associates interviewed by telephone 1,007 adults aged 18 and older on October 23 and 24. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.