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Exit poll: Florida Democratic voters angry with President Bush (what else is new?)
AP ^ | 3.9.04

Posted on 03/09/2004 6:24:17 PM PST by ambrose

Exit poll: Florida Democratic voters angry with President Bush

By John Pain The Associated Press March 9, 2004

MIAMI ? Many voters in Florida's Democratic presidential primary Tuesday said they were angry with President Bush's administration, worse off financially than they were four years ago and in favor of reducing the U.S. military presence in Iraq, according to an Associated Press exit poll.

Half the voters in the battleground state that Sen. John Kerry won as expected said they were angry with Bush's administration, and their distaste was almost as great for the president's brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, the poll found. Only a handful of states that have had exit polls for Democratic races so far had higher levels of voters angry with the president than Florida.

"He doesn't think about the middle class. He doesn't think about medicine. He's concerned about going to the moon and Mars," said Carl Altchilar, 76, a retired dentist who voted in Orlando.

Voter turnout was low in a primary for a Democratic presidential nomination that Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, essentially wrapped up last week. As expected, the poll found Kerry received heavy support across most categories of voters in the state that gave Bush the presidency by a razor-thin margin in 2000 and is expected to be crucial this year.

The top two issues were the economy/jobs and health care/Medicare among voters in Florida, according to the poll of 1,899 voters conducted for the AP and television networks by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International. Results were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, higher for subgroups.

Eight in 10 voters believed the state of the national economy was not so good or poor. Almost half of voters said their family's financial situation was worse today than four years ago, while a third said about the same and only around one in 10 said better.

Bush's Iraq policy also came under fire from Tuesday's voters, even though the issue wasn't as important to them as the economy or health care. More than four in 10 voters said the United States should remove all troops from Iraq, while about a third said some troops should be pulled out. Only two in 10 thought troop levels should stay the same or should be raised.

Retiree Paul Ambrose, of Palm Beach Gardens, was one of those blasting Bush, saying the war and the economy were his biggest failures.

"Really, at 71, I'm voting for my children's future and not mine. That's what brought me out here," Ambrose said.

Florida's senior senator, Bob Graham, fared poorly among voters as a vice presidential candidate. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, who dropped out of the presidential contest last week, was the choice of almost half of voters. Graham had less than half that support and was about even with New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

While some believe Kerry needs to select a charismatic running mate because of his reputation of aloofness and being out of touch with common people, more than eight in 10 voters said Kerry shared many or some of their values.

"I think he's saying the right things now. I think his heart's in the right place," said Lenore Gorkin, a retiree in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Boynton Beach.

About seven in 10 voters Tuesday said they were very or somewhat confident that their votes would be counted accurately this year. Less than one in 10 said they were not at all confident.

Voters were almost evenly divided on the issue of whether gays should be able to marry. About three in 10 voters choose each of the following responses: gay marriage should be allowed, gays should only be able to form civil unions and same-sex relationships should have no legal recognition.


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: exitpoll; primary
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1 posted on 03/09/2004 6:24:18 PM PST by ambrose
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Comment #2 Removed by Moderator

Luddite Alert:

"He doesn't think about the middle class. He doesn't think about medicine. He's concerned about going to the moon and Mars," said Carl Altchilar, 76, a retired dentist who voted in Orlando.

3 posted on 03/09/2004 6:25:30 PM PST by ambrose ("John Kerry has blood of American soldiers on his hands" - Lt. Col. Oliver North)
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To: William Creel
THIS ISN'T NEWS!!!!

You got that right! Tell us something we don't know!

4 posted on 03/09/2004 6:28:26 PM PST by Sister_T (Democrats AND The Lamestream Press are the REAL enemies to freedom in the world!)
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To: ambrose
My response would be so what??? Apparently this guy does not give a damn about the future.....
5 posted on 03/09/2004 6:28:48 PM PST by KevinDavis (Let the meek inherit the Earth, the rest of us will explore the stars!)
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To: ambrose
My response would be so what??? Apparently this guy does not give a damn about the future.....
6 posted on 03/09/2004 6:28:54 PM PST by KevinDavis (Let the meek inherit the Earth, the rest of us will explore the stars!)
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To: KevinDavis
My response is at the peak voting hour there was one person in line.

If the turnout is 2% they'll be lucky.

7 posted on 03/09/2004 6:32:33 PM PST by zarf (..where lieth those little things with the sort of raffia work base that has an attachment?)
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To: zarf
aren't these democratic voters?
8 posted on 03/09/2004 6:33:24 PM PST by cajungirl (John Kerry has no botox and I have a bridge to sell you!)
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To: cajungirl
Yep...exit poll of those coming out of voting in the democratic primary.
9 posted on 03/09/2004 6:34:49 PM PST by CWOJackson (What are you complaining about, she called me compassionate...)
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To: William Creel
When will GWB learn that giving away something for nothing...prescription drugs....will not get a return?
10 posted on 03/09/2004 6:36:03 PM PST by gathersnomoss
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To: ambrose
Voter turnout was low in a primary for a Democratic presidential

Even Floriduh RATS couldn't muster the enthusiasm to come out and vote for JF'nK.

11 posted on 03/09/2004 6:36:20 PM PST by Mike Darancette (General - Alien Army of the Right (AAOTR))
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To: All
The other top story of the hour is that Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
12 posted on 03/09/2004 6:38:03 PM PST by COEXERJ145
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To: ambrose
An exit poll of a Democrat Primary and only 8 in 10 is unhappy. I would be willing to bet that 10 in 10 were unhapppy with Clinton during the Republican primary of 1996
13 posted on 03/09/2004 6:39:09 PM PST by MJY1288 (There's no leaders on the path of least resistance, ask John Kerry, he's been paving it for 32 yrs.)
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To: Mike Darancette
The lowest turnout since MondalE Ferrarro
14 posted on 03/09/2004 6:39:56 PM PST by MJY1288 (There's no leaders on the path of least resistance, ask John Kerry, he's been paving it for 32 yrs.)
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To: COEXERJ145
"Half the voters in the battleground state where Sen. John Kerry won as expected said they were angry at the Bush administration......"

In my best Gomer Pyle voice..."Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!"

What a stupid statement....what's funny is it doesn't say ALL of the voters.....since their all dims..
15 posted on 03/09/2004 6:45:01 PM PST by bornintexas (..)
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To: William Creel
Anybody but Bush? Well how about Nadar?
16 posted on 03/09/2004 6:48:51 PM PST by TonyM (E)
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To: William Creel
Anybody but Bush? Well how about Nadar?
17 posted on 03/09/2004 6:48:54 PM PST by TonyM (E)
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To: ambrose
These Alter Kockers should remember, if we don't have
a president that will stand up to terrorism, all their
social security, 401 ks, stocks, condos, etc. won't buy
their way out of another 9/11
They have been drinking the Kerry kool-aid
18 posted on 03/09/2004 6:56:37 PM PST by SoCalPol
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To: cajungirl
They are the worst kind, old dem-rats with thier hands fully extended into your pockets all the time.
19 posted on 03/09/2004 6:58:24 PM PST by rodguy911
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To: SoCalPol
I think it's alta-Cocker, but any way you slice it it's the old people who helped ruin south florida.
20 posted on 03/09/2004 6:59:51 PM PST by rodguy911
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