poll numbers dropping like rocks

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Thu Feb 20 15:21:38 PST 2003


[via Sam Smith's Progressive Review]

HARRIS - The last two months have taken a heavy toll on the president's popularity, but a modest 52% to 46% majority still gives him positive ratings. Two months ago, almost two-thirds of all adults (64%) gave the president positive ratings and only just over a third (35%) gave him negative ratings. Other members of President Bush's cabinet, as well as the parties in Congress and congressional leaders, with one exception, have all seen a huge decline in their popularity since the very high numbers we recorded soon after September 11, 2001. The one exception is Secretary of State Colin Powell. He still enjoys an extraordinarily high degree of popularity. These numbers are fractionally better than they were in December 2002, perhaps because of his powerful recent testimony to the United Nations Security Council. Including results from the latest poll, we see the following declines in popularity since soon after September 11, 2001:

* President Bush down from 88% to 52%, a decline of 36 points.

* Secretary of State Colin Powell down from 88% to 76%, a decline of 12 points.

* Vice President Dick Cheney down from 69% to 45%, a decline of 24 points.

* Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld down from 78% to 56%, a decline of 22 points.

* Attorney General John Ashcroft down from 65% to 51%, a decline of 14 points.

* House Speaker Dennis Hastert down from 52% to 33%, a decline of 19 points.

* The Republicans in Congress down from 67% to 43%, a decline of 24 points.

* The Democrats in Congress down from 68% to 38%, a decline of 30 points.



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