No Bounce: Bush Job Approval
Unchanged by War Speech Published on Thursday, June 30, 2005 by the Zogby
Poll President Bush’s
televised address to the nation produced no noticeable bounce in his approval
numbers, with his job approval rating slipping a point from a week ago, to 43%,
in the latest Zogby International poll. And, in a sign of continuing
polarization, more
than two-in-five voters (42%) say they would favor impeachment proceedings if
it is found the President misled the nation about his reasons for going to war
with Iraq. The Zogby America
survey of 905 likely voters, conducted from June 27 through 29, 2005, has a
margin of error of +/-3.3 percentage points. Just one week ago,
President Bush’s job approval stood at a previous low of 44%—but it has now
slipped another point to 43%, despite a speech to the nation intended to build
support for the Administration and the ongoing Iraq War effort. The Zogby
America survey includes calls made both before and after the President’s
address, and the results show no discernible “bump” in his job approval, with
voter approval of his job performance at 45% in the final day of polling. Where voters live has
some impact on their perceptions. The President’s job rating remains relatively strong in the
South, with 51% rating his performance favorably; in all other regions, those
disapproving his performance are in the majority. In a more significant
sign of the weakness of the President’s numbers, more “Red State” voters—that is, voters living in
the states that cast their ballots for the Bush-Cheney ticket in 2004—now rate
his job performance unfavorably, with 50% holding a negative impression of the
President’s handling of his duties, and 48% holding a favorable view. The President also gets negative marks
from one-in-four (25%) Republicans—as well as 86% of Democrats and 58% of
independents. (Bush nets favorable marks from 75% of Republicans, 13% of
Democrats and 40% of independents.) Impeachment
Question Shows Bitterness of Divide
In
a sign of the continuing partisan division of the nation, more than two-in-five
(42%) voters say that, if it is found that President Bush did not tell the
truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should hold him
accountable through impeachment. While half (50%) of respondents do not hold
this view, supporters of impeachment outweigh opponents in some parts of the
country. Among those living in
the Western states, a 52% majority favors Congress using the impeachment
mechanism while just 41% are opposed; in Eastern states, 49% are in favor and
45% opposed. In the South, meanwhile, impeachment is opposed by three-in-five
voters (60%) and supported by just one-in-three (34%); in the Central/Great
Lakes region, 52% are opposed and 38% in favor. Impeachment is
overwhelmingly rejected in the Red States—just 36% say they agree Congress
should use it if the President is found to have lied on Iraq, while 55% reject
this view; in the “Blue States” that voted for Massachusetts Democrat John
Kerry in 2004, meanwhile, a plurality of 48% favors such proceedings while 45%
are opposed. A large majority of
Democrats (59%) say they agree that the President should be impeached if he
lied about Iraq, while just three-in-ten (30%) disagree. Among President Bush’s
fellow Republicans, a full one-in-four (25%) indicate they would favor
impeaching the President under these circumstances, while seven-in-ten (70%) do
not. Independents are more closely divided, with 43% favoring impeachment and
49% opposed. Americans
Tiring of Partisan Division on Capital Hill The
same survey finds that a 55% majority of voters believe the two parties are too
focused on their respective bases, and as a result, compromise—and results—have
become impossible in Washington. Just 36% in the poll rejected that notion,
saying the parties’ organization provides as broad a base as possible, and that
compromise is occurring. A follow-up question found that
seven-in-ten (70%) voters believe the parties should be broad-based, and should
pursue compromise—while
less than one-in-four (23%) favored putting base issues first, even if it means
nothing is accomplished. These views are held
by members of both major political parties, as well as independents, although
Republicans, whose party controls both houses of Congress, are more likely to
favor the parties focusing on the desires of their base than are Democrats and
independents, with 31% of Republicans favoring this approach—more than the 20%
of Democrats and 17% of independents who hold that view. Pollster
John Zogby: “The nation continues to be split down the middle but there
appears to be a deep and growing concern about how polarized we are. The
President tried to address the situation on the ground in Iraq and hoped to
allay the fears of the nation. It looks like that did not happen. Meanwhile,
opposition to the war reveals that Americans are just as hostile and intense as
they were the day after the 2004 election. The message seems to be pretty clear
for Mr. Bush: lay off the partisan rhetoric and work to find compromise
solutions.” Zogby International
conducted interviews of 905 likely voters chosen at random nationwide. All
calls were made from Zogby International headquarters in Utica, N.Y., from June
27 to 29, 2005. The margin of error is +/- 3.3 percentage points. Slight
weights were added to region, party, age, race, religion, and gender to more
accurately reflect the voting population. Margins of error are higher in
sub-groups. (6/30/2005) article found at http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0630-03.htm original http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1007 |
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