E&P: First Gallup Poll on Hurricane Response Finds Americans at Odds

[Hissyspit]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001055733

First Gallup Poll on Hurricane Response Finds Americans Extremely at Odds

By E&P Staff
Published: September 07, 2005 11:30 PM ET

NEW YORK A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released this morning shows that the country very divided over who is primarily to blame for the poor emergency response to the hurricane castastrophe on the Gulf Coast.

Despite much criticism directed at the White House and federal government in the past week, President Bush seems to be maintaining much of his core support.

While 42% of respondents characterized Bush's response to the disaster as bad or terrible, 35% said it was good or great. Federal agencies got exactly the same marks. State and local officials fared only a little better--their response was described as bad or terrible by 35% and good or great by 37%.

Again, the views were strongly based on partisan leanings, with Republicans giving the president good grades on this issue by a 69% to 10% margin, while Democrats' views were precisely the opposite. But independents gave Bush a thumbs down by 47% to 29%.

Asked who was MOST responsible for the post-hurricane problems, 13% picked Bush, 18% said federal agencies, 25% selected state/local officials and 38% said no one was to blame.

MORE

[madame defarge]

1. Clearly they didn't poll people like us!!! n/t

[Media_Lies_Daily]

12. Exactly. Who the heck are they polling??

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

2. The 35% who said Bush's response was good or great

Would say the same if Bush took a shit on their dinner plate.

Some people are brain dead.

[4_Legs_Good]

5. That would be a big accomplishment for him

I gotta admit.

david

[slay]

7. This is why Republicans get to be so openly criminal - they only have to

convince 16% of relatively normal people to vote for them - because that 35% that thought the Katrina response was "good or great" are obviously insane. There are alot of hateful people out there, who think they know not only what is best for them, but what is best for all of us and they want us to be just like them. Most of these people are of the "not very well educated/evangelical" persuasion. They are, in my opinion, the most dangerous people in America today. These people will vote Republican even if Hitler ran as their candidate. :scared:

[nolabels]

15. Many probably thought the same type of thing about Hoover

President Hoover's Philosophies

Hoover believed that the depression was caused by problems than the U.S. economy, and that these problems were beyond U.S. control. He also believed that the key to recovery was confidence in the economy. Factories and businesses tried to maintain confidence, and even as they shut down, Hoover continued to insist that recovery was on its way.

Hoover believed that keeping high and steady wages for workers would bring recovery. He called together many business leaders and got their promise on keeping workers wages reasonable and steady. They held their part of the agreement for a few months, but they soon started to drop wages. Many Americans blamed Hoover s passive attitude for the Great Depression.

Feeling the pressure, Hoover finally began to act. The government, in an effort to create more jobs, built new public buildings, roads, parks, and dams. A Presidents Emergency Committee on Employment advised local relief programs. The Hawley-Smoot tariff was passed by Congress in 1930 to protect domestic industries from foreign competitors. However, these tariffs backfired European nations countered the tariffs by increasing their tariffs on American goods. In 1932, Hoover set up the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC), which gave government credit to banks so that they could extend loans to clients. Many people felt that this measure did more to bring prosperity to the bankers rather than to the ordinary citizens.

Hoovers efforts were not effective enough. He wanted the state and local governments to handle recovery, but unfortunately, their programs never had enough money. Hoover believed that direct federal intervention would create a large bureaucracy. After much disapproval from the American public, Hoover finally budged. He allowed state funds to provide relief for the unemployed. But this effort came too late.
(snip)
http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/depression/philosophies.html

[enid602]

3. 35%?

A gavorable response of only 35% is nothing to write home about. Those are the fundies and die-hards.

[4_Legs_Good]

6. At least we know what rock bottom is now

[4_Legs_Good]

4. George Jr. can do no wrong to his base

it's a fact, pure and simple. If it was found that he personally created the hurricane, they would still back him.

It's a sick, sick world we live in.

david

[slay]

8. So very, very sadly true

The core Bush voters are mean, hateful, stupid, bigoted, evil, brainwashed.. take your pick or all of the above - the result is the same - the rest of us get fucked. :(

[IndianaGreen]

9. Many Germans loved Hitler even after Germany's defeat

We are dealing with a cult of personality here! Bush supporters are incapable of rational thought, their minds polluted by political propaganda on Faux and rigthwing radio, their souls poisoned by the Jihadist filth they hear from the pulpits of their churches.

[daleo]

10. Some of his supporters are not troubled by the deaths of the poor or black

There is a percentage who are probably quietly satisfied by this result. I hope not a big percentage, but there will be some.

[Sub Atomic]

11. Why do the rest of you just write off the 35%

as "Bush's base" and "morons"?

That's over 1/3 of this country.



Yeah, they're just idiots. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Let's just write them off because there's no converting "them".






And we can all just sit back and enjoy Republican't rule for eternity.



That 35% means absolutely nothing. They're just a fringe group.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

14. Wrong. It's over one-third of the people they polled, not one-third....

...of the country.

Additionally, we have no idea who Gallup actually polls, but I have my suspicions.

[sendero]

32. They are only morons..

... if you think racists and/or classists are morons. Because that, along with the fundies, is exactly who we are talking about here.

And yes, I agree - there is 30% of this country you might as well write off - because they ARE racists and/or classists and/of fundamentalists, and no amount of reason or fact will ever appeal to them.

[Laelth]

13. independents gave Bush a thumbs down by 47% to 29%

That's the only statistic that really matters, and it's a good sign for us.

Tragic that thousands had to die for people to get the message we've been preaching all along ... that the * administration is, itself, an unmitigated disaster.

-Laelth

[tedoll78]

18. Bingo.

That's one of the first stats I look for.. "How are the independents feelin'?"

[FreeStateDemocrat]

25. Your right. The indepentent's vote can give the congress back to democrats

[lonestarnot]

16. FUCK A GALLUP POLL!

[orleans]

17. AM I CRAZY??? Are we all nuts on this website???

what the hell is wrong with this country? Are we so biased that we can't see the "truth" or "reality" that Resident Fuck-Up is really doing a great job???

is there some sort of hypnotic drug they have been taking that we haven't gotten a dose of yet?

what the hell is this gallup poll?

where's zogby? he's the pollster i trust. calling john zogby....

[Laelth]

19. is there some sort of hypnotic drug ...

they have been taking that we haven't gotten a dose of yet?

Well, yes, there is. It's called Fox News. In addition, the rest of the media have been playing lapdog to * for four years. Let's hope that worm is turning now.

-Laelth

[kansasblue]

20. SPIN! The damage is there it's just being spun. look.....

"While 42% of respondents characterized Bush's response to the disaster as bad or terrible"


If that was a Dem the Republicans would be all over it.

42% say "bad" to "terrible"

Thats not 'questionable', or 'could be better', or 'unsatifactory'... it's "bad" and "terrible" at 42%. Spin away... the damage is there. As firefighters go home from handing out FEMA flyers to National Guard troops that had to play cards while NO flooded the damage is there and people will talk.

[keopeli]

21. I take issue with the characterization of American's as being "at odds"

First, look at the most striking figure.

Was Bush's response:

Great - 10%
Good = 25%
Not Good or Bad - 21%
Bad - 18%
Terrible - 24%

Margin of error - 4%.

Let's add Great/Good/Indifferent - 56%
Let's add Terrible/Bad/Indifferent - 63%

Of those who said Bad/Terrible, a majority said TERRIBLE.
Of those who said Good/Great, a large majority said Good.

Now, let's look at this like it was a scale (which is the way the question was presented) of 1-5, 5 being Great.

5 = 10%
4 = 25%
3 = 21%
2 = 18%
1 = 24%

This means the mean score is 2.73 which is clearly tilted to 2 (Bad).

Further, 36% of Americans consider themselves Republicans. That takes care of the entire Great/Good response.

Finally, let's consider the Independents, who gave Bush a thumbs down 47% to 29%. That means even they spread well into the Bad/Terrible collumn.

I'd say presenting these results as "Americans being at odds" is disinginuous at best and deceptive at worst. More appropriate would be "Few Americans are pleased with Bush's response"

[fasttense]

22. I saw this poll on CNN and of course they touted it

as an approval of the administration's handling of the Katrina disaster. What they focused on was the 38% who said no one is to blame.

Now I wonder if they used the word "blame" or perhaps even "blame game" in the actual poll? I wonder if they used "who should be held accountable" if they would have had a different response? That 38% comes so close to 35% who think brush is good or great. This poll is so much like a repukes wet dream that I am seriously suspicious.

I wonder what is the percentage of repukes to Dems to independents they polled. Seems a while back a good look at Gallup showed a clearly repuke organization run by big repuke donors. You know Gallup is the one doing the poll. CNN and USA Today are news organizations and are only paying for the poll. They put their names in the poll to give it a not so obviously repuke spin.

I have serious doubts about this poll because most of the polls leading up to this were clearly against brush (even if they were unofficial).

[0007]

23. fixed

[NYC]

24. People who think it was good or great must have liked the outcome.

Note the missing parishes. (Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Jefferson)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4692732

Someone who knows Louisiana geography can figure out what else is missing. The question is why?

[ramapo]

26. How about a poll of NOLA survivoirs?

The Bushbots who surround me have taken up all the Rovian talking points. The propaganda machine works much better than the emergency response teams.

[BooScout]

27. This doesn't surprise me....

This country is divided. Bush divided it. His base will never turn away from him no matter how blatent his crimes against humanity. Why should they give a shit if he causes poor people to die by the thousands?

[RebelOne]

28. Sean Insannity was gloating about the 13%

on his radio show yesterday.

[iconoclastic cat]

29. Wow. Have Fundies begun to worship the State instead of Jesus?

[atommom]

30. Didn't you hear? Bush IS Jesus now.

:banghead: :nuke:

[Mountainman]

31. Bush's core would rather he didn't respond. They have no feelings for the

people caught in the storm.

We look at it like Bush did a lousy job responding and should have done much more much earlier. His base thinks that he did too much and should just leave people to fend for themselves.