Poll: Public?s trust in Bush at low ebb

[anitram]

From Washington Post / MSNBC.

WASHINGTON - A majority of Americans believe President Bush either lied or deliberately exaggerated evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in order to justify war, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

...

Barely half -- 52 percent -- now believe Bush is "honest and trustworthy," down 7 percentage points since late October and his worst showing since the question was first asked, in March 1999. At his best, in the summer of 2002, Bush was viewed as honest by 71 percent. The survey found that nearly seven in 10 think Bush "honestly believed" Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Even so, 54 percent thought Bush exaggerated or lied about prewar intelligence.

...

Questions about Bush's use of prewar intelligence, in addition to feeding doubts about his honesty, have sent his performance rating plummeting. Fifty percent of Americans approve of the job he is doing, the lowest level of his presidency in Post-ABC polling and down 8 percentage points from January. The survey found that, for the first time since the war ended, fewer than half of Americans -- 48 percent -- believe the war was worth fighting, down 8 points from last month. Fifty percent said the war was not worth it.

...

The survey found a steep drop in public perceptions of Bush as a president and as an individual. In a sign that Bush has been set back by recent controversies over Iraqi weapons, his National Guard record and the federal budget, the number of Americans viewing him as a "strong leader" has slipped to 61 percent, down 6 points from December and the lowest level since the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Bush's rating on handling the economy stood at 44 percent, down 7 percentage points, with nearly half of the public saying they are worse off now than they were when Bush became president three years ago. Six in 10 disapprove of the job Bush is doing creating jobs. On education, 47 percent said they approve of the job Bush is doing, down 8 points from January. And his rating on health care has also fallen.

But the president's declining ratings related to Iraq were most striking. Approval of his handling of the situation there has fallen to 47 percent, down 8 percentage points in the past three weeks. About half of Americans -- 51 percent -- said they would prefer a report evaluating the accuracy and use of prewar intelligence before the election, while 35 percent favor what Bush has ordered: a broader study of the overall accuracy of U.S. intelligence-gathering operations that reports its findings after the election.

 

[nbcrusader]

Is the election Kerry's to lose?

At this rate, GWB will need a drop in unemployment and Osama's head on a platter to win in November.

 

[BVS]

Is the election Kerry's to lose?

At this rate, GWB will need a drop in unemployment and Osama's head on a platter to win in November.

That's already in cold storage to be thawed out in time for the election.

 

[theSoulfulMofo]

http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm

According to this website that collects Presidential approval rating polls from CNN, Gallup, Time, Newsweek, etc., Bush's approval rating is NOW about where it was before 9/11.

Post 9/11, Bush's approval rating jumped up around 80%. And every year following after that, his approval rating dropped at an average of 10%...

And now, Bush's rating is fluctuating around the same average as pre-9/11.

I think this year's presidential election is gonna be a pretty close call.

 

[Rono]

http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm


I think this year's presidential election is gonna be a pretty close call.

Florida, here we come,....

 

[Rono]

What will happen when they find a longhair Kerry picture, at a protestmars against the war in Vietnam ?

 

[Dreadsox]

What will happen when they find a longhair Kerry picture, at a protestmars against the war in Vietnam ?

 

[Rono]

Yeah for Kerry,....

 

[Dreadsox]

It apparently was a doctored photo...sorry

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I don't think that was the doctored photo-I thought the doctored one was the black and white one.

Here's what I posted in another thread re the color photo

Wednesday, a Kerry campaign aide confirmed that Kerry was at the rally and he did speak.

But Kerry's aides stress that he and Jane Fonda were only acquaintances; the rally was nearly two-years before Fonda's contentious trip to North Vietnam; and, they say, Kerry did not support Fonda's trip.

Jane Fonda spoke for herself, telling CNN:

"My reaction is that the American people have had it with the big lie. Any attempt to link Kerry to me and make him look bad with that connection is completely false. We were at a rally for veterans at the same time. I spoke, Donald Sutherland spoke, John Kerry spoke at the end. I don't even think we shook hands. And they're also saying this organization, the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, was a Communist organization. This was an organization of men who risked their lives in Vietnam, who considered themselves totally patriotic. So anyone who slams that organization and slams Kerry for being part of it is doing an injustice to veterans. How can you impugn, how can you even suggest, that anyone like Kerry or any of these veterans were not patriotic? He was a hero there."

 

[verte76]

This happened *before* Fonda's trip! OK, I had forgotten when Fonda did her trip. This really is a bum rap on Kerry. Karl Rove is going to have to get smarter in the smear department, this stuff is pretty weak.

 

[nbcrusader]

Karl Rove is going to have to get smarter in the smear department, this stuff is pretty weak.

This comment is no better than the "doctored" photo. Guilt by association - the American way!

 

[verte76]

This comment is no better than the "doctored" photo. Guilt by association - the American way!

Busted. I probably need a sabbatical from politics. I will try to do better. I'm scheduled to do confession this weekend. No word on how many confessions I'll have to do just on politics-related sins.

 

[deep]

This happened *before* Fonda's trip! OK, I had forgotten when Fonda did her trip. This really is a bum rap on Kerry. Karl Rove is going to have to get smarter in the smear department, this stuff is pretty weak.

verte,


you are probably right


these are typical of rove tactics.


there may not be "proof".

but everything polints in that direction.


rove is scum

 

[deep]

here is an article supporting why the public should not trust Bush

Scientists Charge Bush With Distorting Science




The Associated Press

February 18, 2004, 4:05 PM EST

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's administration distorts scientific findings and seeks to manipulate experts' advice to avoid information that runs counter to its political beliefs, a private organization of scientists asserted on Wednesday.

The Union of Concerned Scientists contended in a report that "the scope and scale of the manipulation, suppression and misrepresentation of science by the Bush administration is unprecedented."

"We're not taking issue with administration policies. We're taking issue with the administration's distortion ... of the science related to some of its policies," said the group's president, Kurt Gottfried.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said he had not seen the report but that the administration "makes decisions based on the best available science."

White House science adviser John Marburger said he found the report "somewhat disappointing ... because it makes some sweeping generalizations about policy in this administration that are based on a random selection of incidents and issues."

He added, "I don't think it makes the case for the sweeping accusations that it makes."

Marburger acknowledged that the complaint was signed by a wide assortment of prominent scientists, including Nobel Prize winners and recipients of the National Medal of Science.

That, he said, is "evidence we are not communicating with them as we should and I'll have to deal with that."

"We need to have a dialogue about what is actually happening, but this report does not do it," Marburger said.

F. Sherwood Rowland, a Nobel prize winner for his studies of ozone in the atmosphere, was particularly critical of the administration's approach to climate change.

He said the consensus of scientific opinion about global warming is being ignored and that government reports have been censored to remove views not in tune with Bush's politics.

The union's report came at the same time the National Academy of Science was releasing its own study that commends the administration's plan to study climate but also expresses concern that the research was underfunded and not being pursued vigorously enough.

Asked if they had seen any political interference in the climate program, Thomas E. Graedel of Yale University, chairman of the academy committee, said his group did not look for that. But, he added, he had not seen anything that would suggest the research plan had such political concerns.

A commission member, Anthony L. Janetos of the John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, noted that the climate program involves high level members of the administration.

That's a two-edged sword, Janetos said. It means scientists are dealing with people who can make decisions and provide resources, but it also creates a challenge in maintaining scientific credibility.

Among the examples cited in the union's report:

--a 2003 report that the administration sought changes in an Environmental Protection Agency climate study, including deletion of a 1,000-year temperature record and removal of reference to a study that attributed some of global warming to human activity.

--a delay in an EPA report on mercury pollution from some power plants.

--a charge that the administration pressed the Centers for Disease Control to end a project called "Programs that Work," which found sex education programs that did not insist only on abstinence were still effective.

 

[verte76]

I'm no fan of Karl Rove, but I should be able to prove he did something before I accuse him of doing it. The guy's controversial as heck, no question. And this report about the science stuff is quite damning.

 

[nbcrusader]

Union of Concerned Scientists - An oxymoron

scientists who skew scientific data to suit their own political agenda

 

[TylerDurden]

Union of Concerned Scientists - An oxymoron

scientists who skew scientific data to suit their own political agenda

Similar to the Christian Coalition (sorry if I got the name wrong - you know the group I mean).

 

[Sherry Darling]

That's the inherent problem with these types of debates. Both sides consider the other side a priori biased and invalid. No one gets anywhere. It's never productive.

Cheers,
SD

 

[Scarletwine]

This speaks for itself.

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/elections/article.adp?id=20040218183609990003&_ccc=1


In Polls, Kerry, Edwards Both Lead Bush
By WILL LESTER, AP

WASHINGTON (Feb. 18) - Both John Kerry and John Edwards are ahead of President Bush by double digits when matched against him in hypothetical elections, says a poll released Wednesday.

Kerry, the Democratic front-runner and a Massachusetts senator, leads Bush by 55 percent to 43 percent among likely voters, according to the CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll. Edwards, the North Carolina senator who is challenging Kerry, leads Bush by 54 percent to 44 percent.

The poll comes at a time that both Kerry and Edwards have been highly visible as they compete for the Democratic presidential nomination. Bush has been defending himself on his National Guard service and his Iraq policy after an adviser acknowledged he doesn't believe weapons of mass destruction existed.

"Certainly, we'd rather be up than down," said Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie. "But I understand where we are in this cycle. We have seen $49 million in negative advertising and I suspect that has had an impact."

In early February, both Kerry and Edwards were tied with Bush in head-to-head matchups in this poll.

A solid majority in the poll - about two-thirds - said Bush has strong moral character and is a strong and decisive leader. Only four in 10 said Bush has a clear plan for solving this country's problems. Just over half, 55 percent, said Bush is honest and trustworthy.

Six in 10 said Kerry is honest and trustworthy and is a strong and decisive leader. Only four in 10 said Kerry has a clear plan for solving this country's problems.

The poll of 1,006 adults, including 898 registered voters and 568 likely voters, was taken Feb. 16-17 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, larger for subgroups like registered or likely voters.

 

[verte76]

Union of Concerned Scientists - An oxymoron

scientists who skew scientific data to suit their own political agenda

You've definitely got a point here nbc. As a scientist's kid myself I can attest to the truly massive egos these people have. I appreciate their contributions but one has to be honest about their egos. It's like Hollywood. They can get awfully bent out of shape if they don't get their way. I won't get into the horror stories, but I have them.