Bush, Santorum get low ratings in poll of voters

[Judi Lynn]

Bush, Santorum get low ratings in poll of voters
Survey also finds dramatic drop in Iraq war support
Friday, October 07, 2005

By James O'Toole, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A new poll of Pennsylvania voters found plunging approval ratings for President Bush, the war in Iraq and Sen. Rick Santorum, the Republican whose re-election bid figures to be one of the premier races in the country next year.

The survey, conducted by Quinnipiac University, depicted the president and Mr. Santorum with their lowest overall approval ratings since the school's researchers began polling in the state several years ago. The poll also showed that a strong majority felt that it had been a mistake to go to war in Iraq, a dramatic drop in support over the past year.

In a trial heat against his anticipated opponent next year, state Treasurer Bob Casey Jr., Mr. Santorum trailed by the daunting margin of 52 to 34 percent.

More than three in five of the voters surveyed, 61 percent, said they disapproved of Mr. Bush's performance in office while 37 percent approved and just 3 percent were undecided. A little more than a month before the 2004 election, when Mr. Bush narrowly lost Pennsylvania to the Democratic nominee, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, the state's voters were about evenly split on Bush's job performance.
(snip/...)

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05280/584293.stm

[gratuitous]

1. Lowest Approval Ratings Ever

Well done, Sen. Man-on-Dog.

[LynneSin]

2. Either Santorum is going to move towards the middle or...

...he's going to find an excuse to bow out of the election. Tricky-Dick Jr isn't done with politics but a major upset for his re-election bids will pretty much put a nail into this coffin. Santorum would like to run for President in 2008 or possibly for Governor in 2010 (In Pennsylvania). He also has options in his home state of Virginia - he could run for a seat if one of the 2 open up (I'm sure warner is close to retirement).

The main thing is Rick can't risk being over-poweringly defeated. Bob Casey Jr. can run up a massive war chest to run his campaign and has the distinction of receiving more votes in a statewide PA race than any other candidate ever including presidential candidates (last year for his re-election bid for PA Treasurer and yes he had an opponent).

Finally, PA isn't as Black Box voter friendly. I've heard that some questionable voting machines have made it into the state, but mainly in republican strongholds. The Secretary of State is a democrat AND he has decertified a few unqualified machines. And there will be an overwhelming presense of election watchdogs in the Philly/Pittsburgh area.

[Brooklyn Michael]

12. Santorum? Move towards the MIDDLE?

BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!! :rofl:

Ohhhh, Mercy, that's funny!

Ricky doesn't even know where the middle IS, much less how to find his way there without looking like a complete vote-pandering ass....which, coincidentally, he's already got covered, but it's pandering to the far-right, which comes naturally to him.

I'd pay money to see him try, though...on any issue, any issue at all...the deficit, Iraq, healthcare....social issues (snicker)...He'd make Bush's eye-blinking from the last debates look like heroin addict on the nod. Not to mention, Ricky's said SO much stupid shit over the last several years, any PA resident with access to Google would be able to find MULTIPLE contradictions from him.

No, I think like most conservatives next year, he'll find out that the "Republican Revolutiuon" they've been enjoying - started in the 90's with the "Contract with (on) America" and seemingly cemented with *'s re-election - has swung too far to the right and the public is bucking the trend back to the left/middle, leaving idealogues like Ricky S.O.L.

Which, as a former resident of Philly with plenty of friends in PA (no pun on the state motto intended), I couldn't be happier about.

[LynneSin]

13. He did it 6 years ago

Like supporting the McCain Anti-torture law. Come on, if Ricky boy wasn't up for re-election he would have supported Bush all the way. But he can't have torture commericial being run against him in his re-election bid so he was stuck supporting McCain

[fujiyama]

16. He also supported Kerry's bill

to provide money/assistance for heating in the coming winter months because of rising fuel prices.

It is amusing watching the piece of shit squirm now that approval ratings are so low. That's a huge hurdle though. For an incumbent to be that far below is not a good sign...

[dchill]

17. Stop dragging Tricky Dick's name through the mud!

;)

[Ouabache]

3. Yes but the 04 election was their accountability moment

according to them and Diebold Election Systems.

[Deep13]

4. Excuse me a moment while I laugh my ass off.

*thud!*
There, all done.

[underpants]

5. Experts and analysts agree that that is pretty much based on ...

how much both

SUCK!

[4_Legs_Good]

6. I've wondered how Santorum survives in a very purple state

when he's such a very, very red guy.

david

[JPZenger]

8. Simple answer: Weak opponents

Santorum had did not have strong opponents in his two Senate elections. If he had gone up against a strong candidate, such as Bob Casey, in the past, he never would have been elected.

In 2000, Santorum defeated Ron Who? Klink. He was a former TV newsman who only won because the Democratic Party was so divided in the primary.

When Santorum was first elected in 1994, he defeated Harris Wofford. Wofford was a well-meaning intelligent person. However, it was too easy to paint Wofford as a liberal in the year of the "Contract With America." Wofford had pushed for national health insurance, which was being ridiculed in 1994.

The long tradition in PA. is to elect moderate Republicans to the Senate, such as Spector, John Heinz and Richard Schweiker. Santorum is an extreme exception. I believe most PA. voters didn't know much about Santorum until he went on his recent wacky-comment of the week campaign.

[Deep13]

9. Just like DeWine in Ohio! nt

[mduffy31]

11. The same question can be asked...

...of how Mitt Romny got elected in the "Socialist State of Taxachussets." :sarcasm:

[jedr]

7. This is what happens when we let a woman out of the house,

The next thing you know she's talking out against good Republicans...Read Ricky's book and report in the morning!:sarcasm:

[HockeyMom]

22. My thoughts exactly

How much support does he think he is going to get when he says women working for wages and not staying home (making more babies and homeschooling according to "gods will") is going to win him female votes?

[Straight Shooter]

10. Makes you wish all those Republicans would publish a book. n/t

[Demonaut]

14. I'm sure they'll dig up that Bob Casey slept with a 17 year old girl

....................................................................when he was 18:eyes:

[TheCowsCameHome]

21. Better that than Rick with a 10 year old boy

[JoFerret]

15. Dick Sanctorium is history

.

[antonialee839]

18. Is it any surprise? There's not much difference

between the two. Santorum is always right up the Monkey's ass. I think Santorum is more of a wing-nut than the Monkey.

[VegasWolf]

19. Maybe people are starting to awake from the stiffling effects of religion

in this country.

[pinniped]

20. Put that scumbag pombum from Tracy up and you will likely get the same...

results.

I don't think the majority of Californians want more oil rigs parked off our fine coastline.