QUOTE
Poll finds disapproval of Bush
By John Marelius
STAFF WRITER
February 18, 2005
The majority of Californians disapprove of the job President Bush is doing and more than two in three now believe the war in Iraq is not worth the cost, a new Field Poll shows.
Bush, who lost California to Democrat John Kerry by 10 percentage points in the November election, has been negatively regarded by a solid majority of Californians for the past year.
In a statewide telephone survey of 503 adult Californians conducted Feb. 8 through Sunday by the nonpartisan Field Poll, 54 percent said they disapproved of the job the president is doing, compared to 41 percent who approved. The poll has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
Support for the war in Iraq among Californians has eroded precipitously since the March 2003 invasion.
In April of that year, 58 percent said they believed the war was worth the toll in American lives and other costs. Now, 68 percent say it is not.
"There is growing public impatience," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. "They're not thinking the war is worth the cost in American lives. The deaths mount. And the costs, as these budget appropriations go through Congress, I think that's part of it."
The poll shows that three in 10 Californians, 30 percent, believe the U.S. should begin pulling troops out of Iraq now. Another 16 percent said withdrawal should begin after an elected Iraqi government is in place. The largest group, 48 percent, said U.S. forces should not be withdrawn until security can be maintained by Iraqis.
Bush's ambitious second-term goal of overhauling the Social Security system is also unpopular in California.
Nearly twice as many Californians, 56 percent to 30 percent, told the Field Poll they do not approve of the president's handling of the Social Security issue.
That disapproval was registered fairly uniformly by both men and women and among all age groups.
"What's striking to me is there really isn't any real constituency for Bush on this," DiCamillo said. "If you put it in the context of his agenda for his second term, he's going to have some convincing to do."
By John Marelius
STAFF WRITER
February 18, 2005
The majority of Californians disapprove of the job President Bush is doing and more than two in three now believe the war in Iraq is not worth the cost, a new Field Poll shows.
Bush, who lost California to Democrat John Kerry by 10 percentage points in the November election, has been negatively regarded by a solid majority of Californians for the past year.
In a statewide telephone survey of 503 adult Californians conducted Feb. 8 through Sunday by the nonpartisan Field Poll, 54 percent said they disapproved of the job the president is doing, compared to 41 percent who approved. The poll has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
Support for the war in Iraq among Californians has eroded precipitously since the March 2003 invasion.
In April of that year, 58 percent said they believed the war was worth the toll in American lives and other costs. Now, 68 percent say it is not.
"There is growing public impatience," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. "They're not thinking the war is worth the cost in American lives. The deaths mount. And the costs, as these budget appropriations go through Congress, I think that's part of it."
The poll shows that three in 10 Californians, 30 percent, believe the U.S. should begin pulling troops out of Iraq now. Another 16 percent said withdrawal should begin after an elected Iraqi government is in place. The largest group, 48 percent, said U.S. forces should not be withdrawn until security can be maintained by Iraqis.
Bush's ambitious second-term goal of overhauling the Social Security system is also unpopular in California.
Nearly twice as many Californians, 56 percent to 30 percent, told the Field Poll they do not approve of the president's handling of the Social Security issue.
That disapproval was registered fairly uniformly by both men and women and among all age groups.
"What's striking to me is there really isn't any real constituency for Bush on this," DiCamillo said. "If you put it in the context of his agenda for his second term, he's going to have some convincing to do."
