Bush Attack on Kerry's Defense Record Fails to Win Lead in Poll

[Feanorcurufinwe]

March 24 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President George W. Bush failed to gain the lead in public opinion polls last week after challenging the national defense record of Democratic challenger John Kerry, who wouldn't interrupt his ski vacation to respond. Bush and Kerry remain in a statistical tie a week after a television ad calling Kerry ``wrong on defense'' began running, a Newsweek poll found. The ads aired against the backdrop of Kerry snowboarding in Sun Valley, Idaho, while Bush was donning a flight jacket to visit soldiers in Kentucky and Vice President Dick Cheney questioned Kerry's ability to lead the U.S. in war.

``What you essentially have is a deadlocked race,'' said Evans Witt, who conducts polls for Newsweek as president of Princeton Survey Research International. ``And that isn't changing, even though Republicans have been going after Kerry for the past three weeks in an increasingly aggressive fashion.''

<snip>

Kerry got help last week from Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, a Vietnam veteran who said he doesn't believe Kerry is ``weak on defense,'' when asked on NBC's ``Today'' show. ``Senator McCain essentially just inoculated the Democratic opponent from these kinds of charges,'' Witt said. McCain ``will campaign and supports President Bush for re-election but he will not attack his personal friend Senator Kerry,'' said Marshall Wittmann, a McCain spokesman.

The Newsweek poll taken March 16-18 found Bush and Kerry would each get 48 percent of the vote if the election were held now and included only the two of them. In a race that included independent candidate Ralph Nader, 70, Bush would get 45 percent support among registered voters, compared with 43 percent for Kerry and 5 percent for Nader, the poll of 1,006 adults found.

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=nifea&&sid=a30MdWiDRPJ4

[barbaraann]

1. Deadlocked?

Bush has been campaigning nonstop for 3+ years and Kerry hasn't even been officially nominated and they say it is deadlocked??? That is total garbage.

They may both appear at about the same level but Bush is fighting tooth and nail (and lie) to stay there while Kerry is revving up his Harley for the main event.

[JI7]

2. kerry looks good out there in the snow

[Old and In the Way]

3. How much did they spend on ads last week? $2MM

to say Kerry, a decorated Viet Nam war hero is weak on security? AWOL is getting that investment canceled and then some this week....how he can say he is "strong" on security when 3000 people died 9/11 on his watch is beyond me.

[Mountainman]

4. Also Bush gets 24/7 talk show advertising for free

and he still can't convince 1/2 the voters to support him.

[sangh0]

8. It doesn't matter how much money you have if you have no credibility

You can scream till the cows come home, but if no one trusts you, it doesn't matter how many times you say it.

[Democat]

5. Maybe the Kerry vacaction wasn't a bad idea?

It makes it look like Kerry thinks Bush is so bad that he doesn't even have to be around to outdo him. Kerry certainly doesn't look scared of Bush in the eyes of Americans.

Maybe there is more strategy to the "vacation" than some of us give Kerry credit for.

[JI7]

6. of course

the vacation was always about more than just a vacation. he already has a bunch of things planned after wednesday , today, which is his last vacation day. it's better for him to take some time off and be ready when speaking on the issues than to be out campaigning all the time while tired since it could cause him to not be on message. there is no point in campaigning all the time if he will just be making mistakes because he is tired.

[dusty64]

7. Electronic "voting" machines

are the "deadlocked" election insurance for our junta.

[THUNDER HANDS]

9. it's called hitting a wall

Bush's numbers won't rise no matter what he does. There's a solid wall of anger against him that he won't be able to break through no matter how hard he slanders Kerry.

And remember kiddies, Bush's re-elect numbers have NEVER been above 50%.

[Snivi Yllom]

10. 45-43 is a slight Bush lead. 45-45 would be deadlocked.

just pointing out what it saws. The same with the new Rasmussen poll that has Kerry up, that is not a deadlock.

[Marymarg]

11. What about the

margin of error. If you count it in, unless it is one, this is a deadlock.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

12. Yep. Unless the lead is greater than the MOE, it's a tie.