http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/bw/20050502/bs_bw/nf20050526591db038Losing touch with average Joes and Janes
During the '04 campaign, Bush successfully portrayed Democrat
John Kerry as a liberal dilettante who was out of touch with common folk and tailored his policy positions to the latest political fashion. Well, nobody is accusing Bush of trying to be on the right side of public opinion in recent months. People feel strongly about the economy and health care, and they hear a debate in Washington that's focusing on judges, a brain-damaged Florida woman, and Social Security. The trouble for Bush is that voters disagree with his handling of all of those things.
Only one in three Americans approve of the President's performance on Social Security, according to a recent Gallup poll, and just one in four thought the President did the right thing when he empowered the federal courts to supersede Florida state courts in the Schiavo matter. What's more, two-thirds of the country wants to retain the Senate filibuster rules that Bush strongly opposes.
Kerry advisers feel some slight sense of vindication. "When (the President) is running against himself, it's hard for him to demonize his opponent," says pollster Mark Mellman. While most Americans say they like Bush personally and think he's a strong leader, more and more are wondering if he understands their concerns.