CA: Eco-friendliness not aiding governor

Mercury News ^ | 7/21/05 | Paul Rogers

[NormsRevenge]

When it comes to the environment, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is learning what Kermit the Frog discovered years ago: It's not easy being green.

According to a new statewide poll released today, Californians by large margins support many of Schwarzenegger's environmental efforts -- from increasing solar power and hydrogen cars to reducing global-warming emissions. But as the governor's overall approval ratings continue to tumble, the public is giving him little credit for being an environmental leader.

Just 32 percent of Californians approve of the way Schwarzenegger is handling the environment, according to a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California, a non-partisan research center in San Francisco.

Strikingly, that's the same approval rating on the environment that Californians give President Bush, despite the fact that Schwarzenegger has worked hard to establish himself as a moderate ``green Republican'' who has disagreed with the Bush administration on a host of eco-issues, including global warming, smog rules, ethanol mandates and offshore oil drilling.

``People agree with a lot of Schwarzenegger's policy decisions on the environment, but they are not giving him credit because they are generally down on his leadership,'' said Mark Baldassare, who conducted the poll for the Public Policy Institute.

--snip--

Overall, Schwarzenegger's approval rating fell to 34 percent from 40 percent in May, according to the survey, the lowest level since he took office in 2003. In the same poll in August, 65 percent of Californians approved of the job he was doing as governor.

``We saw the same thing with Gray Davis,'' Baldassare added. ``When his popularity slipped badly, people across the board marked him down on everything. That's where people are today with Schwarzenegger.''

[NormsRevenge]

The telephone poll of 2,505 California residents was conducted between June 28 and July 12, with funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

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California residents? :-?

Well, that could be damn near anyone.

[camle]

the guy owns - how many - Hummers. six? eight? a dozen? how can anybody in CA really beleives that he's anywhere NEAR green?

[stocksthatgoup]

"Republicans want to strip the land and kill children and throw Grandma out into the street." - DNC talking point.

[camle]

not the point. the guy ought to be who he is. one cannot own a fleet of gass-guzzlers and then claim to be eco-friendly. we flayed lurch (kerry) and igor (Al Gore) for pretending to be green when they owned Suburbans.

[Carry_Okie]

According to a new statewide poll released today, Californians by large margins support many of Schwarzenegger's environmental efforts -- from increasing solar power and hydrogen cars to reducing global-warming emissions. But as the governor's overall approval ratings continue to tumble, the public is giving him little credit for being an environmental leader.

You can never appease a leftist.