NYT: Nation's Direction Prompts Voters' Concern, Poll Finds

[kskiska]

George Bush and John Kerry enter the general election at a time of growing concern among Americans that the nation is veering in the wrong direction, the latest New York Times/CBS News poll shows. Mr. Bush faces unrest over his management of the economy, while the public has doubts about Mr. Kerry's political convictions.

Americans do view Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry as strong leaders who share their moral values and have a clear vision of where they want to take the country, the poll found. But while the candidates are starting on roughly equal ground on those critical generic measures of leadership, the poll found that nearly half of respondents have not yet formed an opinion about Mr. Kerry. That result suggests that Mr. Bush has an opening to mold public opinion of his largely unknown challenger.

Already, most voters think Mr. Kerry is a politician who says what people want to hear, the poll found, rather than what he believes — the line of attack Mr. Bush has used against him in speeches.

At the same time, there is sweeping concern among Americans about the president's economic policies, including his ability to create jobs and the effectiveness of his tax cuts, according to the poll. By a margin of greater than 30 points, more people said the policies of Mr. Bush's administration had reduced the number of jobs in the country rather than increased them. Those findings could prove particularly significant if the election is fought over economic issues in hard-hit states like Ohio.

Perhaps most significant for Mr. Bush, the number of Americans who think that the nation is heading in the wrong direction is now 54 percent, as high as it has been in his presidency. The right direction/wrong direction figure is a measure that pollsters view as a highly reliable early indicator of problems for an incumbent.

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/16/politics/campaign/16POLL.html?hp

[bluestateguy]

1. Bottom line

If a majority of voters believe the nation is on the wrong track (that's the key question), that always spells trouble for the incumbent. Eventually people who answer the question that way find their way toward supporting the challenger.

[David Dunham]

2. Not too surprising. Terrorist attack in Spain drove up Bush's numbers.

It won't last.

[Teaser]

3. What likely drove up Bush's number's is that...

the poll was taken over the weekend. For some reason, Bush does better on weekends than on weekdays.

[LosinIt]

5. everyone is drunk then

[The Zanti Regent]

4. I'm so sick of the Screw York Times lying for Bush

the only person who tells the truth in the Screw York Times is Krugman.

Everyone else lies any lie for Bush and I'm tired of it!

[Cooley Hurd]

6. Morning kick...

:kick:

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

7. Kerry's letting * define him

Already, most voters think Mr. Kerry is a politician who says what people want to hear, the poll found, rather than what he believes — the line of attack Mr. Bush has used against him in speeches.

If Kerry & the Dems don't start establishing a single, positive identity for Kerry, he's going to suffer the same fate as Gore, who let himself be defined as a "serial liar".

It doesn't matter that Rove does it (swing * with the polls), or that * is lying about Kerry's record. Voters want simple answers, and "Kerry sways while I am steady" is a pretty simple statement.

[Stephanie]

8. Why do they conclude that bush will define Kerry?

That result suggests that Mr. Bush has an opening to mold public opinion of his largely unknown challenger.

They could just as easily have concluded that Kerry has the opportunity to define himself. BIAS