WP: Polls Suggest War Isn't Hurting Bush

[kskiska]

Mounting Deaths in Iraq Haven't Resulted in Major Backlash in Public Opinion

This spring, when mounting casualties and a prison scandal were causing public support for President Bush's Iraq policies to plunge, his campaign strategists were confidently predicting that Iraq problems would present no major threat to his reelection once U.S. forces turned over authority to an interim government in Baghdad.

In the months since, the evidence so far has proven that prediction more right than wrong.

A steady procession of U.S. military deaths, which this week resulted in the passage of the grim milestone of 1,000, has so far not caused an obvious backlash in public opinion against Bush's handling of Iraq. This support has steadily weakened over the past two years, but not in ways that suggest a direct correlation between casualties and political support.

The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Bush with a 53 percent to 37 percent advantage over Democrat John F. Kerry when voters were asked who they think would do a better job handling the situation in Iraq.

These results challenge what some public opinion analysts had for years assumed was a reliable link -- which some scholars argued operated with an almost mathematical precision -- between combat deaths and erosion of support for military operations.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9968-2004Sep9.html

[still_one]

1. do not believe that crap

both washingtonpost and ABC have never been that accurate in the past polls

[Just Me]

12. I agree,...

,...the polls are premature. Soon, it will hit people that August was one of the worst (if not THE worst) month involving American casualties. Yet, they heard nothing of them.

We just have to keep on plugging towards awakening our people from their states of denial.

[Born Free]

40. It's not the deaths...

America can handle the deaths it's the reason for war, during Vietnam it wasn't the "deaths" but the growing knowledge that America was wrong. The majority of American people will chose right over wrong, the rising death count only keeps it in the news so Americans think about the situation. America was wrong in Vietnam and the bush team was wrong with Iraq, as more and more people learn and realize the bush coward sent America to an unjust war, America will turn on him. America can handle thousands of deaths if the cause is just but when the reasons for war are unjust, every single death just makes American sick. The invasion of Iraq is NOT an act for GOD, and the bush coward is NOT a Christian.

[JackDragna]

41. America's not going to turn on him.

America loves him. America cherishes George Bush. He is a monster of our own creation. For all the millions who protest and point out his failed policies, there are just as many who sit at home and smirk with grim satisfaction that such a man, who represents the worst of their smarmyness, bigotry and greed, runs the country. Unfortunately, too many of the undecideds are being swayed, once again, by Bush's negative campaigning.

[lordwhorfin]

47. Well put

This post gets it exactly. A cold wind is blowing.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

28. Bingo. I am at a loss to understand all of the knee-jerk reactions.

[jumpstart33]

30. War isn't hurting Bush but it is killing our children.

F**k the polls. I wish every friggin Bush supporter under 45 would go sign up for Iraq (and not some trip to Navy ship)or Afghanistan.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. WTF is this??? How can people still support his failures???

Are Americans that stupid?

:eyes:

:cry:

[still_one]

10. no they are not

the wp/abc poll has never been that accurate

this poll will humiliate them very shortly

Do not be demoralized.

ICR 9/5/04 bush 48 kerry 47
Fox Dynamic 9/8/04 bush 47 kerry 45
zogby 9/2/04 bush 46 kerry 44
american research group 9/1/04 bush 48 kerry 47
ICR 9/5/04 bush 48 kerry 47
Rasmussen 9/9/04 bush 48 kerry 47

someone is wrong, or they are both right. To me it indicates that the sampling methods are screwed

either way, wait two weeks and let's talk about it

[jab105]

16. Because Kerry isn't distinguishing them!!

I blame Kerry fully for this...

He says that the 1000 deaths were caused by the "war on terror"...and that gives them merit...

I am literally in tears by this...I dont understand how someone who had so much courage during the Vietnam war can have so little now...

[Media_Lies_Daily]

27. IMHO, you don't know what you're talking about.

[ElectroPrincess]

19. It's easy for the misinformed to embrace military power ...

Please notice that the guys/gals that get all exited over the might of of our modern US Military ... plus the devastation of it's weapons are the same jerks that considered themselves *too good* (Cheney's "other priorities"?) to serve in the military or actual combat.

Many veterans do not *preach war* as the universal solution because they have seen life inside the military and/or combat operations ... military veterans know that there is no such human being as John Wayne. We watch in disgust as the a**hole who stars on "mail call" is lauded by unwitting "civilians." Why? Because in the real world he'd be one of the few NCOs readily identified for fragging along with the other arrogant "know it all" company officer Hollywood wannabe personas (Col Kilgore?) ... sh*tty leader in real time operations ... whose unthinking bravado in combat resulted in needless casualties.

[amber dog democrat]

45. yes

Americans ARE that stupid.

I can think of no other reason for Reagan, Nixon, and the current Chimp theft of the presidency.

Americans are that stupid , but this does not mean the Chimp should rest easy on his throne.

[Cha]

3. If it's not hurting bush then

the People aren't informed. Otherwise they would be outraged!

[KittyWampus]

20. News Of Iraqi Deaths Moved To Page 7 After "Turnover".

And it was even mistakenly reported that number of deaths had fallen not so long ago.

Citizens really dont' have any idea just how fucked up Afghanistan AND Iraq are right now.

[leesa]

4. These polls are pure crap put out by the media that has paid big bucks

for Bush. It is being done to support the lie that the charges against Bush are politically motivated by an alleged drop in Kerry's polling. Look around you. Bush is not at all popular.

[still_one]

5. the fox opinion dynamic poll, which is actually quite accurate

has:

bush 47%
kerry 45%

survey end date 9/8/04

[Prodemsouth]

6. How can they measure public opinion in two days - It just went over 1000

at the beginning of this week - you can't get an accurate reading right now.

[otohara]

7. Simply Astonishingly

I see dead people and I don't care

[sonicx]

9. WP/ABC poll sucks. ignore it. follow zogby, rass, and fox(i'm serious).

[still_one]

11. actually you are right about fox

fox outsources their polling to a third party whose technique is quite accurate

[Zynx]

13. Fox was dead on in 2000.

[foo_bar]

33. self-fulfilling prophecy in their case

[WMliberal]

8. i believe it. issue salience has more sway over voters than facts

if what is being discussed is military related, it helps the GOP. Regardless of whether of not they're behind the fuckup. if what is being discussed is the environment,our numbers go up. Even if it's a fuckup on our part.

[Malva Zebrina]

14. When there are no pictures and no reports and no journalists

that are not controlled or embedded, the public knows nothing and knows no outrage. There is nothing to remind them or even to let them know of the terrible thing Bush has done. Why do you think pictures of flag draped coffins were forbidden? They have it all figured out

[Gyre]

26. This is the crux

of the public's complacency. Perfectly stage-managed by the WH w/ the whores in the media aiding and abetting the cover-up cause they're afraid of losing their access to the WH. To wit, Helen Thomas.

Gyre

[nolabels]

35. It's a secret mission for now

But after the election is over, watch out

[agincourt]

15. My feelings on this,

are that the only thing that can seriously cut shrub's sheeple support is a major cut in the standard of living or losing a loved one overseas. Sheeple support him until his policies directly affect them.

[olddad56]

21. and because he is way more crooked ...

than your average hard working family oriented person wants to acknowledge.

Those of us who see through the Big Lie have all had to struggle emotionally to break through our denial over what has become of this once proud, wonderful nation. It is a difficult process to have to give up everything you believed about our government to come to the place where you can accept the fact that we are being controlled by a ruthless group of thugs. It is so much easier to buy the lie and pretend that what has happened could never happen in America. But it has, democracy ended for me in November of 2000, it had possibly ended long before them. The election was rigged, plain and simple. I have serious concerns about 9-11 and wonder if the same people weren't behind both events. If they were, it all would make more sense to me. This is just my opinion. I'm not sure I believe it myself. I'll vote in November, as if the election was legit. But I have to wonder how long Kerry would last even if he won. It isn't like this conglomerate of fascists are going to dissolve if Bush loses an election. Sorry to sound so negative, but for me, I guess, hope for a better future for America, and for the world is fading.

[Skittles]

34. olddad, I echo your sentiments exactly

welcome to the DU

[LisaL]

17. I came to a conclusion that nothing seems to hurt Bush

He could eat a baby on national TV and it wouldn't hurt him, IMO.
His supporters are truly blind in their devotion to him.

[olddad56]

23. no shit

he could eat a republican baby on TV, deny it and the next day Fox News would blame the whole thing on Kerry.

[The_Casual_Observer]

24. He bought their souls with a $600 tax check.

That goes a long way, in the back of their minds they think he will send them another one

[Monkey Lord]

37. Ha!

"He could eat a baby on national TV and it wouldn't hurt him, IMO."

Sorry, I know this is an inappropriate subject, but that struck me as a really funny image...

[frank frankly]

18. ugh. that hurts.

perhaps the WaPo should look in the mirror.

:puke:

x(

[manteuffel1]

22. are you a troll?

Why do you post this, troll?

[Kathy in Cambridge]

25. No, but You are

troll, begone!

[PartyPooper]

29. Karl Rove will resort to *anything* to re-Select Junior.

And, that includes gutter politics!

:evilfrown:

[Guaranteed]

31. That's because the press isn't REPORTING them anymore. nt

[fearnobush]

32. April's 135 had a lag effect on Bush's support, the negative numbers

did not show up until late May. So reality is give the RNC it's two weeks then watch the numbers re-stabalize again. Ohh, almost forgot about Rhamada this October.

[Monkey Lord]

36. I think too many people had it in their hearts...

that the 1000 casualties mark would be some kind of milestone upon which public opinion would turn, and make the election a shoe in for Kerry. Heck, I was even beginning to think so, given the emphasis the media was putting on it for the past few weeks. It was almost some kind of morbid, implicit countdown.

[Tight_rope]

38. Bullshit...I know many who are not voting for that jackass because of the

war. Among many other list of things that Bush* has fucked up on!

[PurityOfEssence]

39. If he can get North Korea to nuke us, he could probably have a landslide

It's amazing.

[malatesta1137]

42. We have to stop calling

polls 'crap' every time we don't like them. 50% to 55% of Americans, sad as it is, enjoy war. They LOVE the fact that we are TOUGH and can show the world who RULES. They LOVE to see blood being shed by others rather than themselves.

The only way to explain why a dishonest man is ahead in the polls is the fact that 50% to 55% of Americans SEE themselves in their leader, they are dishonest themselves.

[leftchick]

43. Perhaps if our TVs showed Photos like these.....

The reality of the "pro-life" CIC* murdering thousands of innocents, people would become more aware of the reality of this war. The media is complicit in the Genocide the US is commiting in Iraq....



Doctors try to revive baby Abdul Khalil after he sustained fatal injuries during an air raid in Fallujah, Iraq (news - web sites), Thursday, Sept. 9, 2004. American warplanes fired missiles on a building used by an al-Qaida-linked militant group in the rebel stronghold of Fallujah early Thursday, the U.S. military said.The military said intelligence showed that three associates of Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi were in the area when jets unleashed a precision strike. Dr. Ahmad Thair of the Fallujah General Hospital said five people were killed, including two women and a child, and nine others injured in the strike. The U.S. military had no information about casualties. (AP Photo / Abdul Khader Sadi)

[JCMach1]

44. Why>? The Media isn't covering the war any more...

THE WAR DOESN'T EXIST 'CAUSE IT AIN'T ON T.V.

[lancdem]

46. It's a post-convention poll

Let's wait a bit.

[many a good man]

48. Give the American people some credit

The know the real reason we're in Iraq: Freedom for SUVs!