NEWSWEEK Poll: Democrats Trusted More Than Republicans On Key Issues

Posted by | October 2, 2010 12:54 | Filed under: Top Stories


Current narratives to the contrary, anger won’t decide the upcoming election, and the candidates expressing anger (i.e. white Republicans) aren’t the majority of the vote, according to a NEWSWEEK poll.

…majorities of voters say they would not be more likely to vote for candidates who express anger at Washington incumbents (60 percent), Wall Street bankers (52 percent), the illegal-immigration problem (53 percent), the Gulf of Mexico oil spill (65 percent), or health-care reform (55 percent). Fifty-three percent of voters see Obama’s unemotional approach to politics—his “coolness”—as a positive, versus only 39 percent who don’t.

Contrary to another narrative, the president is not a negative force in the upcoming election.

His approval rating stands at 48 percent, roughly where it has remained since January of this year, and far better than where George W. Bush stood before the 2006 midterms (33 percent) or where Bill Clinton stood in 1994 (36 percent). Meanwhile, the percentage of voters who say they will be voting “for Obama” in November’s congressional elections (32 percent) is statistically identical to the percentage who say they will be voting “against” him (30 percent).

On the issues Republicans lead by 6 points on terrorism, and Democrats are ahead on every other issue.

Afghanistan (by 6 points), health care (by 12), immigration (by 2, though that figure is within the margin of error), Social Security (by 14), unemployment (by 12), financial reform (by 14), energy (by 19), and education (by 19). Voters even prefer Democrats to Republicans on federal spending (by 4 points), taxes (by 5), and the economy (by 10)—the GOP’s core concerns.

This doesn’t mean Democrats will come out ahead in the midterm elections, as the public is divided about which party should control Congress, and uncertainty about the economy will be a major voting factor.

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Copyright 2010 Liberaland
By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.

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