Voters Now Prefer Bush on Both the War and Economy

Rasmussenreports ^ | April 30, 2004

[demlosers]

By a 47% to 41% margin, voters say they trust Bush more than Kerry when it comes to the economy.

April 30, 2004--A Rasmussen Reports survey found that 50% trust President Bush more than Senator Kerry when it comes to national defense and the War on Terror. Just 38% now prefer Kerry on these issues.

From the President's perspective, those numbers are a little better than last week, but not as good as two weeks ago.

John Kerry's talk of going to the United Nations first as an Iraq policy is unlikely to be well received by many voters. By a 2-to-1 margin, voters believe our allies should follow the U.S. lead more often rather than having the U.S. follow the lead of others.

A related survey finds that Bush voters are confident that the U.S. is a good role model for the world to follow. However, Kerry voters are not sure if having other nations follow the U.S. lead would make things better or worse.

The issue of national defense presents other challenges for Kerry. Just 11% of voters know that Kerry has called for sending more troops to Iraq on a temporary basis. Seventy-two percent (72%) of his supporters oppose this position.

While voters have a clear preference for Bush on national defense matters, the candidates are more evenly divided when it comes to the managing the economy--47% say that they trust Bush while another 41% have more trust in Kerry.

The candidates have been closely matched on this issue all year.

A related survey found that 37% of Americans say that President Bush is doing a good or excellent job managing the economy. .

Perceptions of how the candidates will handle the economy and the War on Terror are the fundamental issues of Election 2004. Rasmussen Reports will provide weekly updates of the Bush-Kerry comparisons on these issues throughout the campaign.

Rasmussen Reports also provides daily updates on the Presidential Election, the President's Job Approval rating, and on the economic confidence of Consumers and Investors.

The national telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports April 28-29, 2004. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. (see Methodology).

[onyx]

Truly amazing, considering our anti-Bush media.

[GOPJ]

Good news bump.

[Tamzee]

Nahhh... not amazing. In any group there will be the top half of the group on the intelligence scale and the bottom half that is below average. The top half believes in Bush and isn't going anywhere :-)

[WFTR]

These numbers are good news, but I still see 2004 as a repeat of 2000. I don't see where anyone has changed his or her mind about what happened then or what is happening now. A few people who blindly support the incumbent will switch to the president's side. A few people who realize the world is a dangerous place will switch from voting Democrat to voting Republican because most people understand that Democrats can't keep Americans safe. President Bush might win one or two states that he lost by a small margin last time, but for the most part, nothing will change.

Book Review - Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children
Bill

[Havoc]

Well, at least they're half right.

[Tamzee]

He's dreaming of the day when French children study the "Kerry Purchase".... President J Effin Kerry selling the continental United States to France for $1.87.

[DeFault User]

There's a fairly wide gap of 6 to 12 points on the war and the economy yet Rasmussen consistently shows percentages at 45/45 on the presidential poll. What gives?

[Tall_Texan]

Try this poll question on your liberal friends and wait for the backlash:

"Q: If you could choose between military defeat in Iraq *and* electoral defeat of Bush OR complete victory in Iraq and re-election by Bush, which would you prefer?"

They won't answer the question! They'll do everything to avoid answering the question because to choose military defeat in Iraq will make them look like hate-America extremists (which they are, they just don't want to admit it) and to choose Bush's re-election goes against everything they believe in.

Do ask the question because you'll enjoy seeing them squirm but be prepared for the name-calling and ad-hominem attacks that will replace any form of a direct answer to the question.

[des]

These ads JFK is doing will resonate when (if) the U.N. scandal gets a full airing in the press.

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

I actually got polled today by a real pollster.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but everytime I answered a question, the pollster said "really? Uh... OK."

[OldFriend]

Of course, this was widely reported on all the mainstream news media tonight.

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

They won't answer the question! They'll do everything to avoid answering the question

To them the question is completely illogical. There is no scenario in their minds where Bush manages to make the world safer. It is a truism of the ABB crowd that Bush will destroy the world. Therefore they reject the question.

Similarly, they think a total "gotcha" question is "do you think the war in Iraq will make the world safer or less safe". They are flabbergasted if you answer "more safe". To them it is proof that you are a gibbering moron.

Why they would think so is beyond me. It makes perfect sense that the only way to diminish terrorism is to radically alter the costs and benefits of conducting terrorism. If terrorists and their enablers think that a terrorist act will cost them little and achieve much, they'll go for it. If they think a terrorist act will cost much and achieve little, they'll find something better to do.

I honestly think that the hardcore Bush Haters would rather be killed by a terrorist attack than give Bush credit for stopping the attack.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Wow! Iraq was all he had left to run on!

John Kerry, the Seinfeld candidate.

"The campaign about nothing."

I changed my tag below by the way

[Trinity_Tx]

"Try this poll question on your liberal friends and wait for the backlash:

"Q: If you could choose between military defeat in Iraq *and* electoral defeat of Bush
OR
complete victory in Iraq and re-election by Bush, which would you prefer?"

Great idea!

I'm thinkin' we should try it on a few third party conservatives too... <G>

[Tamzee]

Yep... Kerry is the Neverending Story about the Great Nothing.

Yech... why do Dems keep putting forward such vile candidates?

[Mo1]

April 30, 2004--A Rasmussen Reports survey found that 50% trust President Bush more than Senator Kerry when it comes to national defense and the War on Terror. Just 38% now prefer Kerry on these issues

Well this might explain the new tone Kerry gave in his speech today

The DNC internal polls must have them really worried

[Trinity_Tx]

"It makes perfect sense that the only way to diminish terrorism is to radically alter the costs and benefits of conducting terrorism."

Absolutely. Perfect sense. Welcome to FR! : )

[smonk]

what on earth made these big dummies think that the
"go to the UN and beg for help" policy would actually
help them? even without the oil-for-food scandal, most
americans reflexively balk at the thought of carrying
water for the UN. WITH the scandal, carrie's whole
position on the war is more than likely going to blow
up in his face. not a prob, I realize; he'll just
change it.


for what is allegedly "the smarter presidential candidate",
he sure is stupid. cooperative, mind you, but stupid.


BRING . . . IT . . . O . . er . . ah . . TAKE IT BACK! IT
BURNS !

[BigSkyFreeper]

Yech... why do Dems keep putting forward such vile candidates?

I just can't stand to watch him. He's horrid and an bleeping idiot. The upshot of it all is, the more exposure he gets, the more mainstream voters get turned off by him.

The "Great Nothing" is exactly right. He's yet to define himself beyond having served in Vietnam, subordinating the S to the UN, and favoring higher gasoline prices. No wonder the Dems want to dump him like a hot rock.

[Trinity_Tx]

"Kerry voters are not sure if having other nations follow the U.S. lead would make things better or worse."

And that is the fundamental, critical difference between Them and Us.

I'm usually the type who sees both sides to the point that I find myself fence-sitting when I really shouldn't. But that mindset is just impossible for me to grasp.