State of the Union? Not so good, most say
By Susan Page
USA TODAY
Fri Jan 27, 2004
A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken last weekend and interviews across the
country this week found most Americans pessimistic about the economy,
divided on the war and doubtful that Bush has the best plan to address the
issues that matter most to them - among them health care and corruption.
(Related: Poll results)
By more than 2-to-1, those surveyed say things have gotten worse in the
United States over the past five years. "I love my country, but we're going
the wrong way for sure," says Faye Sherer, 59, of Salinas, Calif., who helps
run a family produce company and was among those polled. "I don't see the
point in Iraq, when there were other countries going through worse
atrocities and we did nothing to help them."
Bush has strong defenders, to be sure, and views of the country's course
divide on partisan lines. Chris DeCaro, 20, of Farmington, Mich., praises
the president, particularly for his handling of terrorism. "He runs this
country not as a politician but as a businessman who does things that need
to be done," DeCaro says. He says public opinion has been swayed by a
"liberal media" that are "defeatist" on the war and antagonist toward Bush.
Still, even conservatives divide 47%-44% on whether things have gotten
better or worse.
The country's downbeat mood poses a challenge for the president as he tries
to command support for the legislative agenda he'll unveil for his sixth
year in office. With a 43% approval rating, he is in "a weakened position
trying to convince Congress to do whatever it is in the State of the Union
that he wants them to do," says Charles Franklin of the University of
Wisconsin.
Bush doesn't seem to be getting much credit for positive economic reports on
unemployment and inflation. "This is a presidency whose ratings are less
influenced by the economy" than his modern predecessors, says Richard
Eichenberg of Tufts University. "The war in Iraq has defined his
presidency."
Those surveyed:
â?¢ Said the country has gotten off track. By 62%-35%, they were
dissatisfied with the way things are going in the USA. That's the most
pessimistic view at the start of a year since Bush took office.
â?¢ Rated the economy as faltering. Six in 10 said the current economy was
only fair or poor, and 54% said economic conditions were getting worse.
Views differed by party: 68% of Republicans but just 16% of Democrats called
the economy excellent or good.
â?¢ Questioned Bush's leadership. By 64%-34%, they said Bush didn't have a
clear plan for solving the country's problems. The president received his
strongest approval rating, 52%, on fighting terrorism. But on health care -
ranked as an issue equal to the economy - congressional Democrats were more
trusted, 54%-35%.
The poll of 1,006 adults Jan. 20-22 has a margin of error of +/-3 percentage
points.
"I'm too old to be worrying about much," said Bernice Tabor, 76, of
Cleveland. But she frets about casualties in Iraq and layoffs at Ford Motor
Co. "We're going backward instead of forward."
http://tinyurl.com/ayj4p
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060127/ts_usatoday/stateoftheunionnotsogoodmostsay&printer=1;_ylt=Ak1e7WG2CArKH5M33p45HL7fB2YD;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MXN1bHE0BHNlYwN0bWE-
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The number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.3 million
last year (2003), while the ranks of the uninsured swelled by 1.4 million,
the Census Bureau reported Thursday (August 27, 2004).
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/08/26/census.poverty.ap/
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