| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"MrPepper11" |
| Date: |
26 Apr 2005 12:23:25 AM |
| Object: |
Americans Oppose Senate Rule Changes, Poll Shows |
Washington Post
April 26, 2005
Americans Oppose Senate Rule Changes, Poll Shows
By Richard Morin and Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writers
As the Senate moves toward a major confrontation over judicial
appointments, a strong majority of Americans oppose changing the rules
to make it easier for Republican leaders to win confirmation of
President Bush's court nominees, according to the latest Washington
Post-ABC News poll.
GOP leaders are threatening a rule change to prohibit the use of
filibusters to block judicial nominees and have stepped up their
criticism of the Democrats for using the tactic on some of Bush's
nominees to the federal appellate courts. They say they are prepared to
invoke what has become known as the "nuclear option" to ensure that
Bush's nominees receive an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.
But by a 2 to 1 ratio, the public rejected easing Senate rules in a way
that would make it harder for Democratic senators to prevent final
action on Bush's nominees. Even many Republicans were reluctant to
abandon current Senate confirmation procedures: Nearly half opposed any
rule changes, joining eight in 10 Democrats and seven in 10 political
independents, the poll found.
The wide-ranging survey also recorded a precipitous decline in support
for the centerpiece of Bush's Social Security plan -- private or
personal accounts -- despite the fact that the president and other
administration officials have been stumping the country in a 60-day
blitz to mobilize support. The Post-ABC poll found that a bare majority
-- 51 percent -- opposed such accounts, while 45 percent supported
them.
The poll also registered drops in key Bush performance ratings, growing
pessimism about the economy and continuing concern about U.S.
involvement in Iraq.
On the issue that has consumed the capital's political community this
spring, four in 10 said that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas,
under fire for alleged ethics violations, should resign his leadership
post, while a third of the public said he should remain in his job.
Among the 36 percent who said they have been following the allegations
against DeLay, nearly two in three said DeLay should step down.
Taken together, the findings suggest that Bush is off to a difficult
start in his second term, with Democrats far less willing to
accommodate him and his agenda than his reelection victory last
November may have foreshadowed. Beyond that, the survey highlights the
divisions within the Republican Party, whether that involves Bush's
signature Social Security proposal or the intersection of religion and
politics that has become a defining characteristic of today's GOP.
A total of 1,007 randomly selected adults were interviewed by telephone
April 21-24 for this Post-ABC News poll. The margin of sampling error
for the overall results is plus or minus three percentage points.
The survey found that Bush's overall job approval rating stood at 47
percent, matching his all-time low in Post-ABC News polls. Half
disapproved of the job he is doing as president.
On several other key measures of performance, Bush's standing with the
public was at or near new lows, with less than half the public
supporting the way the president is handling the economy, energy policy
and Iraq. Four in 10 approved of Bush's handling of the economy, down
six points since the start of the year. Slightly more than a third of
the public approved of Bush's energy policies, and Americans were more
inclined to blame the president rather than oil companies or other
countries for soaring gasoline prices.
Just over four in 10 -- 42 percent -- endorsed the way the president is
dealing with the situation in Iraq, a slight increase from the all-time
low in March of 39 percent. Almost six in 10 (58 percent) said the
United States has gotten bogged down there, and 39 percent said they
are confident Iraq will have a stable, democratic government in a year.
Bush continues to get strong marks on his handling of the campaign
against terrorism, with 56 percent supporting his actions, down five
points since January. But the survey also found that the sluggish
economy has eclipsed terrorism on the public's list of top priorities,
fueling Bush's drop in the polls.
A third of those interviewed (32 percent) said the economy should be
the highest priority for the administration and Congress, up five
points in the past month, followed by Iraq (22 percent) and health care
(15 percent). Only 12 percent cited terrorism as the top issue, down
five points since March.
The biggest changes in opinion came on Social Security, which Bush has
made the principal domestic priority of his second term. Three in 10
(31 percent) approved of the job Bush is doing on Social Security,
while 64 percent disapproved, an eight-point increase in disapproval in
a month. Only a third said they trust Bush more than the Democrats to
handle the Social Security issue, a new low for the president.
In little more than a month, there has been a double-digit shift in
sentiment. In mid-March, 56 percent favored private accounts, compared
with 45 percent in the latest poll, which marked the first time in
Post-ABC News polling that less than half of the public supported
allowing workers to invest some of their Social Security contributions
in the stock market.
The decline in support was widespread. The poll found that support
among Republicans fell by nine percentage points, among Democrats by 10
percentage points and among political independents by 12 percentage
points.
Neither party is held completely blameless in the increasingly
acrimonious Senate battle over judgeships, with only four in 10 saying
they approved of the way Democrats or Republicans were handling the
confirmation process. But other findings suggested that Senate GOP
leaders risk alienating the public over their efforts to circumvent
opposition to nominees who Democrats say are far too conservative.
So far, the Senate has confirmed 35 federal appeals court judges
nominated by Bush, while Senate Democrats have blocked 10 others by
threatening to filibuster. According to the poll, nearly half of the
public said Democrats are right to block the 10 contested Bush
appointees, while slightly more than a third said they are wrong.
Religious and ideological splits are now at the center of the debate
over judicial appointments, and the survey found that the deep partisan
divide is matched by large differences over the proper role of religion
in politics. For example, more than six in 10 Republicans said they
think political leaders should rely on their religious beliefs in
making policy decisions, while an equally large proportion of Democrats
disagreed.
Four in 10 Americans said they think religious conservatives play too
large a role in the Republican Party, a view shared by about half of
all Democrats and independents but only one in five Republicans.
Conversely, nearly as many Americans (35 percent) said liberals have
too much influence over the Democratic Party, a view held by nearly six
in 10 Republicans.
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| User: "Tazmanian Devil" |
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| Title: Re: Americans Oppose Senate Rule Changes, Poll Shows<*****! |
01 May 2005 04:12:47 PM |
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On 25 Apr 2005 22:23:25 -0700, "MrPepper11" <MrPepper11@go.com> wrote:
Washington Post
April 26, 2005
Americans Oppose Senate Rule Changes, Poll Shows
By Richard Morin and Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writers
Senate Rule 31clearly states that nominees can only be "confirmed or
rejected" on condition that there is a SIMPLE majority vote, not by
filibuster or by a 60 vote super majority. The ability for them to do
this (rule 22) was amended and the power to do this was removed from
them in 1949, by...can you believe it?...A DEMOCRATIC CONTROLLED
SENATE!
Wonder what the public would say if they were asked this question and
if the Senate could change the rules to have an illegal filibuster on
judicial nominees when this is not one of the only SEVEN valid US
Constitutional reasons for having a filibuster.
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| User: "Tempest" |
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| Title: Re: Americans Oppose Senate Rule Changes, Poll Shows<*****! |
01 May 2005 04:40:03 PM |
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Tazmanian Devil wrote:
On 25 Apr 2005 22:23:25 -0700, "MrPepper11" <MrPepper11@go.com> wrote:
Washington Post
April 26, 2005
Americans Oppose Senate Rule Changes, Poll Shows
By Richard Morin and Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writers
Senate Rule 31clearly states that nominees can only be "confirmed or
rejected" on condition that there is a SIMPLE majority vote, not by
filibuster or by a 60 vote super majority.
Lie.
102) Claimed on 05/01/05 Senate Rule 31 prohibits filibustering on
nominees. It says no such thing.
http://rules.senate.gov/senaterules/rule31.htm
The ability for them to do
this (rule 22) was amended and the power to do this was removed from
them in 1949, by...can you believe it?...A DEMOCRATIC CONTROLLED
SENATE!
Lie.
103) Claimed the Senate was in Democrat control in 1949. Naturally, it
was in Repug control.
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/one_item_and_teasers/partydiv.htm
--
"Ignorance is an evil weed, which dictators may cultivate among their
dupes, but which no democracy can afford among its citizens."
- William H. Beveridge, 1944
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