Poll: Bush Not Taking Brunt of Katrina Criticism

[Lori Price CLG]

Poll: Bush Not Taking Brunt of Katrina Criticism
Hurricane Preparedness Is Faulted; Fewer Blame Bush for Problems

Americans are broadly critical of government preparedness in the Hurricane Katrina disaster -- but far fewer take George W. Bush personally to task for the problems, and public anger about the response is less widespread than some critics would suggest.

In an event that clearly has gripped the nation -- 91 percent of Americans are paying close attention -- hopefulness far outweighs discontent about the slow-starting rescue. And as in so many politically charged issues in this country, partisanship holds great sway in views of the president(sic)'s performance.

<snip>

http://abcnews.go.com/US/HurricaneKatrina/story?id=1094262

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

Lori Price

[Catfight]

1. WRONG...I hold him responsible...100%.

[ECH1969]

3. But the average Murkin doesn't

[Melodybe]

7. That is bull shit!! That is a total lie, everyone is pissed at that

incompetant piece of shit, do not listen to these lies.

[Lori Price CLG]

9. It should be obvious to anyone with an IQ above 38. n/t

[whistle]

2. Do the polls still blame the Clinton administration.....

[madame defarge]

4. they only asked Faux viewers probably n/t

[skids]

8. Well, I know who they definitely didn't ask...

...all the people in shelters without phones. All the volunteers working shelters without phones. All the people still trapped in NOLA.

[skooooo]

5. Reality STILL has not set in.

Americans have not even begun to realize what these events mean.

It's our nature to be hopeful. Hell, even I'm hopeful in the long run that things will get better.

But, I think this means that the country is still in denial. I really think this will plunge us into a very, very bad recession or depression.

Its the cognitive disconnect.

[notadmblnd]

23. I'm with you.. I think we're on the edge and things could go either way.

If gas supplies dry up and becomes unobtainable, things are going to get a lot worse.

[ECH1969]

6. I said three days ago

No matter how bad they screw things up the public isn't going to blame him.

[Lori Price CLG]

11. Yes, plus, he can always trot out Rove's freelancer, Osama bin Laden. n/t

[tishaLA]

10. I think they asked the questions wrong

I think it should be "who is primarily responsible for this: the federal government, the state government, or nobody?" Then you'd see the truthful result.

But then again I'm not a political scientist.

[shanti]

12. screw that

he'll take the blame whether he likes it or not! WE THE PEOPLE will make SURE of THAT! :grr:

[applegrove]

13. See - by letting the rule of law deteriorate - he get's to commune with

his base: racists & people afraid of black crime. They are all happy together and bonding. Seeing all that white light of their own goodness refected back & forth between. The sociopaths..and their followers & enablers.

Kind of like a national pity picnic for themselves...where they get to stamp out the ants together. Quite something...since it started out as a hurricane & a flood that only a few of the red states were victims of.

Just think.. if FEMA & Bush had cut through tape and not gotten the military to stand down.. lawlessness would have been only sporadic.

[KaryninMiami]

14. A half-freeper friend just said it best-

"You can't tell me that you are blaming them for a natural disaster of this magnitude? Sure they could have reacted quicker, but they did the best that they could".

I had to retain myself from screaming obscenities at her-- but knowing that would not help the situation so I addressed her comments in the clearest way possible, listing all the ways the DID NOT come to the aid of millions of Americans and how many things these assholes have mismanaged. But she is a good example of how they see this-- a huge disaster that was too big for anyone to manage so it's not anyone's fault.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[stickdog]

34. But you voted for Bush because you thought he'd protect us better?

That stops them dead in their tracks.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

15. I call bullshit on methodology

Methodology

This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone Sept. 2, 2005, among a random national sample of 501 adults. The results have a four-point error margin. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by TNS of Horsham, Pa.

[Straight Shooter]

83. Oops. For a second, I read that as Horshit, PA, instead of Horsham.

Maybe the poll was taken in Horseshit, Pa. Wouldn't be surprised.

[NWHarkness]

16. A little perspective

Even if you believe these numbers, (and I don 't; everyone I have talked to is extremely angry at Bush), you've still got a situation where 47% of the people blame the president for malfeasance that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Americans. There is no comparable situation in US history. By any measure, Bush is the greatest failure in the history of the American presidency.

[pursuivant]

17. Let the spin begin

What the hell ever happened to "The buck stops here?"

We expect our leaders to lead, not gallivant all over the nation with their thumbs up their butts when there's a national catastrophe.

And even if people are willing to give Bush a pass on this one, why can't the see that it's his policies that let it happen?

Geez, is there Koolaid in the nation's water systems?

[leveymg]

18. Push poll - propaganda alert. n/t

[devinsgram]

19. People are not hearing about the number of dead yet

so the reality of what has happened has not yet sunk in. When the dead are all accounted for, then you will see a different outcome. Remember the tsunami, every day they gave figures, here they are amazingly quiet with only a few even giving an estimate. I really believe when the numbers come in, it will change. The shock and awe will set in.

Also, remember, the hurricane season has yet to really begin and from what they are forecasting, we have only seen the beginning.

[Teaser]

20. STOP POSTING OLD POLLS

People, this was ABC's poll released the 2nd. Last day it was taken was the first.

[ECH1969]

21. No

This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone Sept. 2, 2005

[Lori Price CLG]

37. The article was dated 04 Sept.. New polls will follow, but that was recent

[struggle4progress]

22. Americans Split Evenly On Bush's Relief Efforts

By RICHARD MORIN & CLAUDIA DEANE & THE WASHINGTON POST
Published on 9/4/2005

Washington — An overwhelming majority of Americans believe oil and gas companies are gouging consumers in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina but offer mixed reviews of President Bush and the government's initial response to the deadly storm, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The survey conducted Friday night found that 72 percent of the respondents say oil companies and gas suppliers have taken advantage of the storm emergency by raising gasoline prices, which spiked virtually overnight last week to $3 dollars a gallon or more in many areas. Eight in 10 fault the federal government's response to surging gas prices, the survey found. <snip>

The survey also found that Americans were sharply divided over the performance of Bush and local, state and federal governments in the aftermath of Monday's storm. Slightly less than half — 46 percent — approve of the way Bush has handled relief efforts while 47 percent disapprove, a result that might offer some cheer to some beleaguered White House staffers who feared a stronger negative reaction. <snip>

http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=278D2117-3CAD-41FF-9663-D2BFC746B8DE

[confuddled]

24. Wonder why......

"...White House staffers...feared a stronger negative reaction."

[belle]

40. Um, those are *bad* numbers for him any way you slice it.

The fact that they're spinning it as "whew, thought it'd be worse" shows how fucked they are, I think.

People are still in shock this week. It hasn't sunk in for a lot of people just how bad this is.

and he's STILL at roughly fifty-fifty. even a bit less. compare that to the rallying after 9/11.

not good for him.

[confuddled]

82. Yeah, but not bad enough.

I was just being sarcastic - without the clarification of that neat dripping sarcasm icon that I don't know how to use. I cannot understand why his approval ratings aren't in the toilet at this point. And, apparently, neither can they.

[daleo]

25. There will be a lot of phony polls

They will be a key part of the propaganda effort to rehabilitate Bush's image. That must be kept in mind at all times.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

30. X-actly...the polls are the only thing that can be controlled

A little push polling here, a little selective questioning there...

paraphrasing Samuel Clemens There's truth, there's lies and then there's polls.

(he said statistics). MKJ

[daleo]

54. And a little "I didn't quite catch that answer".

I am becoming more and more convinced that there are all kinds of ways to get the answers you want.

[Maraya1969]

26. HOW could 74% of republicans approve of the way Bush handled

this fiasco? Seriously, what are they thinking? Are there they many people in our country that don't care about poor people?

God HELP America

[psychopomp]

76. African Americans have been subject to media "drive-by's"

for years which have desensitized Americans to the suffering of many of the U.S.'s most downtrodden citizenry. Frankly, one must add a significant population who are happy to see African Americans reduced to a subsistence-level struggle for survival. This tragedy has been repeated in slow motion for, well, for our country's entire history and it doesn't bother a large number of people.

[QC]

80. Because the GOP is now a personality cult. n/t

[bribri16]

27. The "government?" Bush and his minions ARE the government.

WTF? He gets credit for things for which he deserves no credit and shifts blame when he deserves the blame.

[Igel]

58. In the poll state/local government takes a bigger hit than

the federal government.

* isn't Blanco isn't Nagin. In oh so many ways.

[Hegemony Cricket]

28. The people to poll have no phones.

They will engage a word of mouth campaign that will devastate the Republican south come 2006. Of course, Democrats will fall as well (a certain senataor from Lousiana comes to mind)...but this is a long term, grass roots disaster for the RNC.

After this short-term prop barrage we'll see how things shake out.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

29. This country has become dangerously divided and may never reunite

This may be most deeply split this country has been since the Civil War/Reconstruction era. It seems the divisions are becoming more polarized every week.

[expatriot]

31. Actually, 44% of a country blaming their President for a cripplingly

slow response that led to perhaps thousands more deaths and untold more misery is quite significant in my opinion. This number will grow as facts are distributed.

[senseandsensibility]

36. I was thinking the same thing

But it is essential that *'s name is tied to this. This morning, Shieffer said "Washington" came back from a five week vacation and was unprepared. He wouldn't use *'s a name. If we let them, the faceless "government" will take the blame and * will ride above it all.
This is why, too, our Dem leaders need to call him out by NAME.

[Nay]

64. Not only *'s name should be attached to this horror--the whole Repub

Party should be attached to it. For a long, long time.

[stickdog]

32. I CALL BULLSHIT.

I've talked to about 25 Repukes so far and only 2 have defended Bush on this disaster.

[thinkingwoman]

33. I second that...ABC?

Didn't ABC have Bush approval 5 points higher than everybody else a week before the hurricane? Or am I misremembering?

Anyway, any poll watcher knows that it is frankly too soon for damage from this incident to show up clearly in polls. Give it another week or so to reach all the idiots who watched football this week instead of the news.

[xchrom]

35. don't call me surprised.

i'm no fan of the american public at large -- and to me this tracks with how i feel about the culture.

[melody]

38. This is bovine excrement

Rovean spin - nothing more, nothing less, trying to psychops the population.

EVERYONE I know holds Bush 100% responsible and I know a LOT of Republicans.

So much for all the media coming to its senses... some are still corporate whores.

[agincourt]

39. The repigs I know,

would support Bush if he dropped an atomic bomb on New Orleans. All the worry about is blah blah blah it's not Bushes fault, blah blah blah why blame Bush. If the repigs control the government that's all that matters to them nothing else. The effect of this will be to show to normal people what ratshit we have in power. The staunch conservative cock-suckers wouldn't care if Bush anthraxed the area. However, the fence sitters might get a clue finally.

[Nay]

66. Agreed, Agincourt. I know a bunch of Repigs and they also

couldn't care if they anthraxed the area, either. Fence sitters are, indeed, another story.

[Dr Fate]

41. Have they polled the evacuees & their families yet? n/t

n/t

[jus_the_facts]

42. 91 percent of Americans are paying close attention...to THIS right?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=3956844

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=3954289

[brentspeak]

43. Bush could eat a live baby during a press conference

and 3/4 of Republicans would still rate his performance approvingly.

[HockeyMom]

44. If this had been Florida and the First Brother Governor,

would the response have been as slow?

I doubt it.

[Nay]

69. In fact, it WASN'T as slow. If you remember, it was right before the

2004 prex election when Bush made a big show of having all supplies ready to go into Fla right after the hurricane went through. Those Floridians saw NG trucks the day after. Too bad for NO that it wasn't a presidential election year. Or that Brother Jeb wasn't mayor.

[Lori Price CLG]

45. They purposely used the word 'blame,' and people are brainwashed...

into thinking it's rude to 'blame' someone. And so, the results are skewed. (That was part of the problem w. that poll.)

Lori Price

[shance]

46. P.R.O.P.A.G.A.N.D.A.

compliments of "American" Broadcast Company.

[Lindacooks]

47. THIS IS WHY THE DEMS HAVE TO START SCREAMING!!!

People see very little coming from the left, so they swallow the fuhrer's crap.

[Lori Price CLG]

51. We need to ONLY nominate *screaming* Dems. The 'moderate' Dems

have proved to be Bush sycophants, and are absof*kinglutely useless.

Lori Price

[HockeyMom]

48. Bush doesn't care about people

as long as Halliburton and the Oil Companies are getting richer.

[mogster]

49. How trustworthy are TNS as pollsters?

I have no idea what these people are, but here's something I found during the search:

"Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) wants to know what you watch on the telly, what you eat for breakfast, and even what qualities you value in a friend. The company is the world's second largest market research conglomerate (behind Dutch giant VNU), with operations serving customers in 70 countries. Its operations offer market data on the automotive business, consumer products and retail sales, the financial services industry, healthcare, and information technology. TNS also performs television audience ratings in 25 countries in addition to other media measurement services, and it provides a variety of polling and survey data."

http://www.hoovers.com/taylor-nelson/--ID__90422--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml

http://www.tns-global.com

[HockeyMom]

50. Fox Poll on Government Handling of Disaster

__basic_1347.htm

35% Great Job (WTF????)
32% Disgraceful
25% Bad but getting better


To even get 32% calling it disgraceful on a Faux News Poll is an accomplishment.

[6000eliot]

52. I don't believe this

The American public can't be so stupid as to buy a couple of hours of stage-managed photo op crap.

[young_at_heart]

53. What happened to....."The buck stops here"?

Have Karl Rove and Dick Cheney been able to completely destroy responsibility or credibility by blame?

[stevedeshazer]

55. I said two days ago that Bush would get away with the and was vilified

I was right, and I hate being right about this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2056836

*Bushco has pinned the blame elsewhere. It's been successful.

[ElectroPrincess]

56. Those evil people's (Our super-secret, inner circle * Administration)

luck can't last forever. The world is crying out for justice. Sooner or later Our Executive Branch will get *exactly* what they deserve. :grr:

[Patchuli]

57. Wait until they find all the dead

and really see how bad this is. * again, as on 9/11, DID NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's just run that poll again in a few more days as it sinks into our people what the feds have and have not done. They are dangerous to us all! I lived through the Northridge Quake in the San Fernando and if not for FEMA, we'd have heen pretty screwed. * is directly responsible for sending National Guardsman away from the states that now need them desperately and he is responsible for cutting funds for levee repairs and FEMA.

He's not going to smirk out of all this...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

59. "He really, really isn't," cried ABC.

:eyes:

[progressivebydesign]

60. Because the talking heads TOLD THEM not to blame him.

Well duh. Considering HE is the one that submitted the budgets totally screwing the infrastructure there, then HE needs to be held responsible.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

61. Catapulting the Propaganda kick

:kick:

[Skittles]

62. BULL FUCKING SHIT

PROPAGANDA OF THE WORST KIND

[mitchum]

63. PHONY POLL ALERT!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

65. Bullshit

Tell the people most Americans don't blame him, and a goodly number will follow blindly, regardless of whether or not it's true.

[niallmac]

67. LIES!!

[Name removed]

68. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ken_g]

70. B.S.!

Did they NOT notice how many consrevative commentators are ripping Bush a new one? How could this possibly be true? What an insane perspective!

[Cha]

71. I guess they didn't see those

photo ops of him in San Diego when Katrina was decimating the Gulf States and don't really think of him as a leader anyway..so they didn't miss having a leader in this catastrophic tragedy.

Stupid, Stupid, Ignorant people.

[LibDemAlways]

72. I sincerely doubt 91% are paying

"close" attention to this. If they were they'd know that as the storm raged and then the levee broke the next day, the chimp was in Arizona sharing birthday cake with McCain, addressing a handpicked group of seniors in Southern Calif, relaxing at the Hotel Del Coronado, and speaking to a military audience also at Coronado - where he was photographed strumming a guitar. Then, he returned to the ranch in Texas. I think if people were better informed and shown the birthday cake and guitar photos, the poll results would have been very different.

[Cha]

This sounds more like it..

"Fed Response to Katrina Gets Thumbs Down---Rasmussen"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4633256

[ken_g]

74. No Shit!

Now that sounds a little more real.

[truthisfreedom]

73. i love this:"Lower consumption is possible in the weeks ahead, but not"

mainly for the reason Bush suggested. He called for Americans this week to conserve the nation's fuel supply by buying gas only if they need it."

uhh, prez bush, does that mean after this is over we should all go back to buying gas WHEN WE DON'T NEED IT?

[aquart]

75. Unbelievable.

The bastard is skating. Poor little object of sympathy that he is.

[0007]

77. Who in the fuck gets to vote in this poll?

[are_we_united_yet]

78. Sounds like

bullshit to me

[fishwax]

79. let's give it some time ...

there are certain defense mechanisms that seem to be at play in the american psyche at times like this ... i think once some of the initial shock wears off, the public will generally realize what a thorough disgrace the administration handling has been.

[AX10]

81. So they asked Fox "news" viewers only then?

:argh:

[andino]

84. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DEMS DON'T POINT FINGERS AT HIM!!!!

We need SOMEONE to point the finger at him. Sad thing is, no dems are stepping up....

And that is why we have lost the last 2 elections.

No backbone.

[bklyncowgirl]

85. I agree.

They have no problem pointing out the failures of Democrats in state and local governments but by and large the Democrats have sat there with their fingers in the wind.

They should start with that horses ass in FEMA--a guy with no disaester relief experience who was fired as a total screw up by the International Arabian Horse Association.

A President is judged by the people he appoints and this appointment of a political hack to a key public safety position would seem a logical starting point to put the blame for this horror where it belongs.

[DeadManInc]

86. I think the numbers

are all fabricated bullshit!

[FreeStateDemocrat]

87. Wait for the next approval rating poll for the idiot.

They didn't simply ask the poll participants if they approved of the way the idiot handled the debacle but if they BLAMED the idiot which is much more ambiguous in a natural disaster.