Diageo and
The Hotline are the latest organizations to release polling for the month of October, and
their survey finds the following:
The new Diageo/Hotline Poll of 500 registered voters, conducted by Financial Dynamics with analysis by Ed Reilly (D) and Ed Rollins (R), found 60% of Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction, with only 26% saying the country is headed in the right direction. Bush's job approval also fell to 41%, an eightpoint drop since July and the lowest approval in the history of this poll.
Most Americans think Bill Clinton did a better job appointing officials than George W. Bush (52% to 32%). Specifically, 47% of Americans think Bush chose Harriet Miers primarily because of personal ties, while only 15% thought she was chosen for her quality and experience. By comparison, only 26% of Americans thinkBush appointed John Roberts to the Supreme Court because of "personal ties."
Despite this growing skepticism towards Bush, there has been no major shift in support for Congressional Democrats over the past three months. When asked about generic party support for Congressional elections, Democrats have a nine-point edge over Republicans (40% to 31%), but Democratic support has only increased one point since July.
Although it might be true that Congressional Democrats haven't gained much ground in recent months, it is nevertheless important to note that only 31 percent of Americans would vote for Republican and only 30 percent think the country would be better off with Republicans, rather than Democrats, in control of Congress.
Looking at the specific data from the poll, Congress is unpopular. Its approval rating stands at a mere 29 percent. And Americans view the Democratic Party much more than they do the Republican Party (51 percent view the DP positively, 45 percent view the GOP favorably). Given these numbers and the fact that only 16 percent view former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay favorably (compared with the 45 percent who view him unfavorably), it sounds like Americans might be ready for some change after all.
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