[GreenYes] Public Opinion Poll on Pres. Bush

["Peter Anderson" <anderson@recycleworlds.org>]

fyi

NY TIMES - July 18, 2002

Poll Finds Concerns That Bush Is Overly Influenced by Business

By RICHARD W. STEVENSON and JANET ELDER

"Americans worry that President Bush and his administration are too heavily
influenced by big business, fear that Mr. Bush is hiding something about his
own corporate past and judge the economy to be in its worst shape since
1994, the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll shows.

"The survey suggests that the unfolding revelations about corporate
misconduct and inflated earnings hold considerable peril for the White House
and Mr. Bush's party in this Congressional election year. Not surprisingly,
Democrats sounded particularly troubled about the administration's handling
of the corporate issue, but even Republicans shared many of the concerns.

"By more than two to one, the poll's respondents said the administration was
more interested in protecting the interests of large companies than those of
ordinary Americans. That concern was expressed by more than a third of
Republicans and an overwhelming majority of Democrats.

"Two-thirds of all respondents, and slightly more than half of Republicans,
said business interests had too much influence on the Republican Party.
Slightly less than half of all those polled said business exerted too much
influence over the Democrats. Many Americans also expressed concerns that
Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney had not been sufficiently
forthcoming about their own past business dealings.

"With the stock market falling, concern about the economy intensifying and
the United States facing the continued threat of terrorist attacks, the poll
found a surge since the start of the year in the percentage of people who
think the country is on the wrong track. It also found that Americans' trust
in government, which climbed after Sept. 11, has slid significantly.

"For all the reservations respondents expressed about the administration's
commitment to looking out for them - and about the business ethics of
administration officials when they were in the private sector - Mr. Bush
remains personally popular. His approval rating stands at 70 percent,
continuing a steady decline from its peak of 89 percent after Sept. 11, but
still impressive by any standard.

"...

"People who participated in the poll and agreed to follow-up interviews said
that they often separated Mr. Bush's performance as commander in chief from
his performance on domestic issues, and that they tended to give greater
weight to the fight on terrorism in judging him.

",,,

______________________________
Peter Anderson
RECYCLEWORLDS CONSULTING Corp
4513 Vernon Blvd. Suite 15
Madison, WI 53705
Ph:    (608) 231-1100
Fax:   (608) 233-0011
Cell:   (608) 345-0381
email: anderson@recycleworlds.org
web:  www.recycleworlds.org

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