[lbo-talk] Fwd: The Pew Research Center for The People and The Press Update

[Doug Henwood]

>The final leg of the Pew Research Center's war opinion tracking 
>survey finds that President Bush's overall job approval rating has 
>risen only slightly in recent days, even as increasing numbers 
>believe that the war in Iraq has been won. At 72%, his approval mark 
>has not yet come close to matching President George H.W. Bush's peak 
>approval score of 89% after the successful conclusion of the Persian 
>Gulf War in 1991.
>
>The new poll also finds no indications to date of significant 
>political gains for the president. Just under half of registered 
>voters (48%) say they would like to see him reelected president in 
>2004, while a third say they would prefer to see a Democratic 
>candidate win.
>
>But the war has largely prevented Democratic candidates from gaining 
>much exposure. Only 32% of Americans could offer a name when asked 
>who was running for the Democratic nomination in 2004, down slightly 
>from 35% in January.
>
>The Democratic Party also lags behind the GOP in overall 
>favorability.  Currently, 63% of Americans say they have a favorable 
>view of the Republican Party, 57% say the same about the Democrats. 
>This reflects a continuing favorability gap in favor of the 
>Republicans over recent months.
>
>
>To view our new poll, please see our website:
>http://www.people-press.org