NEWSWEEK POLL: A Majority (58%) of Americans Say the U.S. is Spending Too

[huckleberry]

Voters Close to Evenly Split on Whether They'd Like to See Bush Re-Elected (46% Say Yes, 47% Say No); 40 % Say His Iraq Policy Will Make Them More Likely To Vote for Him, 38 % Say Less
Dean Overtakes Clark As Favorite For Democratic Presidential Nomination for the First Time

NEW YORK, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- In the wake of President George W. Bush's securing of $87 billion for Iraq's reconstruction, a majority of Americans (58 percent) say the U.S. is spending too much on operations in postwar Iraq, according to the latest Newsweek poll; 31 percent say spending is about right. Almost half of Americans (49 percent) say they don't think the Bush administration has a well-thought-out plan to establish security and a stable government in postwar Iraq; 39 percent say it does. Despite this, the majority of those polled (59 percent) say the U.S. did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq, up from 56 percent in the Newsweek Poll of October 9-10, 2003; 34 percent in the current poll disagree.

more at
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031025/nysa015_1.html

[BlueJazz]

1. Oh....brother.

"40 % Say His Iraq Policy Will Make Them More Likely To Vote for Him"

Regarding the past posts (on DU) concerning how stupid Americans are
we, at least, know 40% of the American people don't have a clue... :)

[huckleberry]

2. The trend is what's important here, IMHO!

It's all downward for bushco!

[jamesinca]

3. The trend and the undecideds are what you need to look at

I see you are a Dean supporter, have you been writing your letters. The gap can be made up with some edumacation of the public and the letter writing campaign that Dean has. I have been writing mine.

[huckleberry]

5. Letter campaign

No, I haven't written any letter yet but will soon. I have been to a couple of house parties and also work on an Outreach Group. And, for the first time ever, I've been contributing a political campaign!

[MGKrebs]

4. From the same poll:

If the next general election were held now with Bush as the Republican candidate and retired General Wesley Clark as the Democratic candidate, 43 percent would vote for or lean towards Clark, while 49 percent would vote for or lean towards Bush; an increase of two percentage points for Bush over Clark from the Newsweek poll of October 9-10, 2003, when 47 percent would vote for Bush and 43 percent for Clark, a statistical dead-heat. A matchup between Bush and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean would see the same result: 49 to 43 percent, a narrower margin (six percent) than in the last Newsweek Poll when Bush led Dean by nine percent. By comparison, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry trails Bush by 42 v. 50 percent, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman trails Bush by 43 v. 50 and Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt trails Bush by 42 v. 51 percent, the poll shows.

Among Democrats and Democratic leaners, Dean has overtaken Clark as favorite for the party's presidential nomination for the first time since Clark entered the race, with 15 percent. Close behind, 12 percent favor Clark, while Kerry, Gephardt and the Rev. Al Sharpton are tied at eight percent each.

[Jackpine Radical]

6. Well, Maynard G.--

I don't think the Dobie Gillises of the country have taken any note whatsoever of the election or the Democratic candidates so far. Probly not much more than a majority of them can really recall having heard of Bush. They're just voting for the guy with the "Prizdint" in fronta his name cause he sounds kinda familiar. That's one big reason why we have a primary season--to stir some vague awakenings of at least name recognition in the yahoos.

[MGKrebs]

9. Oh I agree. The interesting part

is the trend. Clark is losing a little, Dean is still making progress. And also, where is Edwards? He is not mentioned at all. Is he behind Sharpton? What is going on with that campaign?

Among Dems we have:
Dean
Clark
Kerry
Gephardt
Sharpton

No Lieberman, no Edwards. Those two are supposed to have some name recognition, and Lieberman has shown well in previous national polls. We'll have to see if this is a blip, or if folks are starting to pay attention.

[david_vincent]

7. It's Bush's own damn fault. Why can't people make the connection?

Why don't people in general realize that the cost of Iraq's reconstruction would be far, far easier to bear if it weren't for Junior's gargantuan tax cut gifts to the elite class?
So, if a lot of people think the cost is more than we can afford, it's Junior himself who predetermined what we can or can't afford. Remind me who it was who used the term "voodoo economics"?

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. That it isn't 100% attests to the stupidity of the public

That another dollar is spent on this illegal occupation is astounding. I suppose that the average stupid american has been brainwashed to believing that somehow this is buying them "security"
Instead, it is buying them nothing but big profits for Halliburton.