Posted on 02/21/2003 6:30:08 AM PST by Constitution Day
Most in N.C. favor war
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ABOUT THE POLL | |
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By MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE, Staff Writer
In the wake of widespread antiwar protests here and abroad, North Carolinians continue to show strong and unconditional support for war with Iraq, a new statewide poll shows.
The poll, commissioned by The News & Observer, found:
* More than two-thirds of North Carolinians support military action against Iraq.
* More than half of those supporters said they would endorse the use of ground troops.
* A majority of those polled also said they supported military action against Iraq without the approval of the U.N. Security Council.
The poll results place North Carolina at the forefront of support for President Bush's tough stance against Iraq. While recent national polls also show strong support, it appears more conditional nationwide.
Susan Eaton of Raleigh, who helped organize a rally to support the military at the state Capitol last Saturday, said the results don't surprise her, even though her rally group was greatly outnumbered by antiwar protesters. She said she believes she has a "silent majority" behind her, and the poll supports that.
"I think conservative people are not used to activism," said Eaton, 41, a stay-at-home mom and independent voter. "We're not used to having to get out and hold up signs. I think we're a little uncomfortable. I'm hoping that will change."
The poll results were based on telephone interviews with 607 likely voters Sunday through Wednesday and have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Of those interviewed, 68 percent supported using military force against Iraq, 30 percent opposed it, and 2 percent were uncertain.
While 57 percent supported going to war with Iraq even without U.N. Security Council approval, 32 percent were opposed, and 11 percent were uncertain.
Although the economy remained residents' chief concern, taxes and spending -- second on their list a month ago -- dropped behind homeland security and the war on terror/Iraq in the latest poll.
North Carolina's military character and economy, conservatism and historically hawkish neighboring states all play a part in the poll results, political observers said.
Home to Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station and Seymour Johnson and Pope Air Force bases, North Carolina also has the fourth-highest number of active military adults per capita of any state, according to the 2000 Census.
"North Carolina has become more Republican over the years, and your Republican base is going to support what a Republican president does," said Ted Arrington, longtime chairman of the political science department at UNC-Charlotte.
Arrington sees the state divided into thirds as it was during the Vietnam War: those for, those against and those satisfied to stay the course toward war. But support for military action is much "softer" than during Vietnam, he said, and far from silent.
"Nobody's shy that I've seen of saying they're in favor of this war," Arrington said. "Not after 9/11."
A new national poll mirrors the North Carolina results, but most of its respondents qualified their support for war.
Nearly six in 10 Americans, 57 percent, said the United States should get another U.N. resolution before attacking Iraq, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted Feb. 12 and 13 and Feb. 14 through 18 and released Thursday. About the same number said the United States does not have enough international support to attack.
Still, the Pew poll pegged national support for military action against Iraq at 66 percent.
While Iraq topped the security concerns among North Carolinians, they also worried about North Korea. When asked which poses the greatest security threat to the United States, 48 percent chose Iraq, 34 percent North Korea and 9 percent both.
The numbers surprised Del Ali, president of the Maryland polling firm that did the survey for The N&O. Because North Carolina is a national "high water mark" for war support, he said the response casts North Korea as a significant concern nationwide.
Several of those polled said they had trouble weighing one threat against another.
"I find it hard to distinguish between the two, although I think North Korea is probably less of a threat," said Hugh Howards, an assistant mathematics professor at Wake Forest University.
Howards, 32, of Winston-Salem has listened to news reports of North Korea's nuclear capabilities. He said he thinks North Korea's leaders only want a "bargaining tool," while Iraq has stopped negotiations.
John Sechrist, 49, of Durham saw North Korea as less of a threat. The former Navy SEAL also said he opposes military action.
Sechrist, who served in the Vietnam War, said he would support going to war if there were a clear purpose, such as removing and replacing Saddam Hussein. But Colin Powell's presentation to the Security Council left him with many unanswered questions, he said, and antiwar protests have stoked his frustration with war supporters.
"I've seen what death looks like, and it isn't pretty," Sechrist said.
Arrington, the political science professor, said public opinion across the state is poised to swing dramatically should military leaders falter or U.S. forces suffer major casualties.
"If it drags on and the casualties are high, we could end up turning against it stronger than the rest of the country if they think the military's been misused," he said. "I'm not sure people are really prepared for those sorts of losses."
(except for Chapel Hell, etc.)
She seemed to choke on the words, as if to say, "Hoo boy, am I embarrassed to be living with these yahoo rednecks."
Did anyone else hear her report?
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