MSNBC: "Approval for Bush, with doubts (NO "mandate") on key issues"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6719733/

More than a month after President Bush won re-election and Republicans picked up seats in the House and Senate, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that a plurality of Americans approves of the job Bush is doing as president. But these Americans also have doubts about his plan to reform Social Security and whether the situation in Iraq will come to a successful conclusion.

According to the poll, conducted by Hart/McInturff, 49 percent of respondents say they approve of Bush’s job performance, compared with 44 percent who say they disapprove. That’s a slight change from the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Oct. 19, two weeks before the election, when 49 percent approved of Bush and 47 percent disapproved.

But his approval numbers don’t necessarily mean he has a mandate for some of his second-term legislative goals, such as reforming Social Security. The survey shows that only 35 percent believe Bush has a mandate to allow workers to invest some of their Social Security taxes into the stock market, while 51 percent say he doesn’t have a mandate to do this. Democratic pollster Jay Campbell of Peter D. Hart Research Associates says these numbers won’t prohibit Bush and the Republicans from pushing ahead with their agenda on Social Security. “At the same time,” he said, “they will have a massive battle on their hands.” “It will certainly be as big of a fight as everyone expects it to be,” Campbell added.

The survey has other interesting findings. For instance, the issue of “values” has become a hot (and controversial) political topic after exit polls showed that 22 percent of voters found moral values to be their most important issue in the election — more than in any other issue — and that Bush won 80 percent of these voters. The NBC/Journal poll shows that Americans believe the Democratic and Republican parties represent different sets of values.

[Downtown Hound]

1. What is such a big deal about 22% of voters saying

moral values are the most important quality in a president? That's one out of five, the wacko fundie population. I don't understand why this is getting so much attention. One out of five is hardly a mandate.

[noamnety]

2. I'm not a wacko fundie, I voted for moral values

My moral values had to do with not invading countries that didn't attack us, and making sure people had food and health care.

I'm pretty sure I answered at least one zogby poll with moral values being my main issue. Don't be so sure those votes went to Bush.

[Downtown Hound]

3. True, but when the media talks of moral values

They are usually talking about the Christian right's version of them. Liberals definitely have moral values, but they are ignored by the media. In media speak "moral values" is a code word for religious fundamentalism, even if they don't acknowledge it. If the media wanted to do a more in depth analysis of what moral values are, then we wouldn't be having this conversation. But they never do.

[Griffy]

4. moral values is a red herring.. code to far right, WMD

weapon of mass distraction..

[PROGRESSIVE1]

5. kick

[A Brand New World]

6. I'd like to know how someone with a 49% approval rating before

and after the election wins with 52% of the vote. Of course, I know the answer to that and so don't you - he didn't win the election. But why doesn't the media notice this disparity in figures.