Income Gap Up Over Two Decades, Data Show
Income Gap Between Richest and Middle-Income Americans Up Steadily Over Two Decades, Data Show
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040817_394.html WASHINGTON Aug. 17, 2004 — Over two decades, the income gap has steadily increased between the richest Americans, who own homes and stocks and got big tax breaks, and those at the middle and bottom of the pay scale, whose paychecks buy less.
The growing disparity is even more pronounced in this recovering economy. Wages are stagnant and the middle class is shouldering a larger tax burden. Prices for health care, housing, tuition, gas and food have soared.
The wealthiest 20 percent of households in 1973 accounted for 44 percent of total U.S. income, according to the Census Bureau. Their share jumped to 50 percent in 2002, while everyone else's fell. For the bottom fifth, the share dropped from 4.2 percent to 3.5 percent.
Jobs and the economy top the list of voter concerns this election year. President Bush touts a strong economy that is growing, but polls find that Americans have doubts and think jobs are scarce. John Kerry is trusted more on the economy, with Democrats talking regularly of "two Americas," divided between the rich and everyone else.
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Kerry May Benefit From Voter Concern About Economy Under Bush, Polls Show-
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aAug. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Two-thirds of U.S. adults rate the country's economy as ``fair'' or ``poor'' and voters say Democrat John Kerry, a four-term senator from Massachusetts, is more likely to improve it than President George W. Bush, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center.
Fifty-two percent of the registered voters among the adults surveyed by Pew Aug. 5-10 said they think Kerry would do a better job improving economic conditions and 37 percent said Bush would be better. That is an increase of 4 percentage points for Kerry on the issue since Pew last asked the question in May.
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The Kerry campaign has plenty of positive numbers to cite, including:
-- A Quinnipiac University poll showing Kerry and his running mate, John Edwards, with a slight lead in Florida over Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
-- An Epic-MRA survey suggesting that Michigan is tilting slightly toward the Democratic ticket.
-- An American Research Group survey showing Kerry-Edwards with small lead in New Hampshire.
Those three states, with a combined 48 electoral votes, were evenly split between Kerry and Bush before last month's Democratic National Convention in Boston.
In addition, Pennsylvania and Oregon -- a combined 28 electoral votes -- were evenly split in July, and now the states appear to tilt toward Kerry, according to private polling and interviews with strategists in both parties.
More:
http://www.11alive.com/specials/local/decision2004/decision_article.aspx?storyid=50474__________________________________
Mounting concerns over the war and the sluggish economy have sent President Bush's popularity plummeting among young adults in the past four months, complicating his bid for reelection and challenging Republicans to increase their efforts to win over new or lightly committed young voters>>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1509-2004Aug14.html?referrer=email __________________________________
Ohio -- from swing state leaning Bush to Kerry stronghold
Kerry is ahead in Ohio by a whopping 9 points.
http://2.004k.com/state/?s=Ohio___________________________________
Bush vs. Kerry
Moral values issues
8/3-5/04------44 44
7/20-22/04----48 40
Tax policy
8/3-5/04------43 47
The economy
8/3-5/04------42 51
7/20-22/04----42 50
Health care
8/3-5/04------36 54
Understanding the needs of people like yourself
8/3-5/04------38 53
7/20-22/04----40 52
Source: Time magazine
http://www.pollingreport.com/wh04misc.htm ______________________________________
John Kerry holds a 47-42 point lead in Pennsylvania with Ralph Nader attracting 4% in a new poll released today. This represents little change from a July poll which gave Kerry a 46-41 point lead.
Interestingly Kerry leads 46-42 among vets and their families and among these same voters Nader actually attracts 6%. Vets and their families are among the most anti-Iraqi war in Pennsylvania opposing the war by a 54-41 margin.
Bush has a 45% approval rating and 52% disapproval rating.
In the Senate race Specter leads Hoeffel 48-33.
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x12945.xml ______________________________________
National Polls:
Zogby: Kerry 47, Bush 43, Nader 2
Gallup: Bush 48, Kerry 46, Nader 3
Pew: Kerry 47, Bush 45, Nader 2
Rasmussen (8/17): Kerry 49, Bush 46
State Polls:
MD: Kerry 53, Bush 40
CA: Kerry 54, Bush 38
NC: Bush Up 3 & 6 Pts in New Polls
http://www.realclearpolitics.com /
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A poll conducted by the National Jewish Democratic Council gives John Kerry a commanding 75-22 percent lead over George W. Bush among Jewish voters. "The work that the Bush administration has done over the last three years to reach out to Jewish voters has been largely unsuccessful," says pollster Anna Greenberg.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20040816-114755... ___________________________________________
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/3658916/detail.html ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A new statewide poll shows little change in the presidential race in Maryland, with Democrat John Kerry continuing to hold a substantial lead over President George W. Bush.
the poll by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies of Annapolis, Kerry was favored by 53 percent of voters and Bush by 40 percent. There was little change from a poll two months earlier which gave Kerry a lead of 52 percent to 38 percent.
The telephone poll of 847 registered voters was conducted Aug. 10 through Aug. 15. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Bush's job approval rating improved, although only 43 percent of those polled said they think he is doing a good job compared with 51 percent who disapproved. The numbers were 39 percent approving and 54 percent disapproving in the June poll.
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For the fourth time this month--John Kerry has 49% in a tracking poll for Rasmussen. Bush is at 46%. Yesterday, Kerry led by only one-point 48-47. Bush has by and large been stuck between 45-46 in this poll all month. Kerry has been at 48-49 for seven of the last eight days.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/ ______________________________________________
Bush 48%, Kerry 45% (Research 2000)
Bush 48%, Kerry 44% (LCV)
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1527546p-7702817... Bush, Kerry close in N.C., poll says
In what may be the closest presidential race in the state since 1992, Democrat John Kerry is within 3 percentage points of President Bush in a new poll.
Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney hold a lead of 48 percent to 45 percent over Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards, according to a poll conducted this week for The News & Observer, WRAL-TV and WUNC radio.
The poll, taken about two weeks after the Democratic National Convention, shows a slight gain of 2 percentage points for Kerry since the poll a month ago, when he trailed Bush by 5 points. The percentage of voters who say Edwards' presence on the ticket makes them more likely to vote for the Democrats also rose 2 points, to 27 percent.
The margin of error is 4 percentage points
Kerry, to show he is serious about competing here, plans to visit the Charlotte area Friday and discuss economic security, jobs and affordable health care, said campaign spokesman Ron Eckstein.
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Kerry is ahead 47% to Bush 43% if you throw in Nader and Libertarian candidates.
Without, Kerry 50% to 43%.
Interesting snips:
When asked if President Bush "deserves to be re-elected", 43% of likely voters responded positively, while the majority (53%) still says that it is "time for someone new."
Pollster John Zogby: “Kerry leads in the Blue States by 17 (54%-37%) while Bush leads in the Red States by 6 (47%-41%). Good news for the President: he is back to attracting 86% of Republicans, while Kerry gets 79% of the Democrats. However, Kerry leads 49% to 31% among Independents.
Kerry leads among all age groups except 30-49 year olds, where the two candidates are pretty much tied. Catholics give Kerry a 50%-37% edge – numbers more similar to Clinton’s leads in 1992 and 1996 than Al Gore’s 51% to 46% margin in 2000. Protestants are for Bush (57% to 33%), especially on the strength of the President’s 68% to 20% margin among Born Again Protestants.
The two candidates are in a dead heat among self-identified members of the investor class – Kerry 45% to Bush’s 44%. Bush won this group by double digits in 2000. Not only has this group shrunk from almost half of all voters to only 31%, but Bush is now tied among a group he will need for victory.
Kerry also way up among women voters!
More here:
http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=851 _____________________________________
Amongst military households, 54 percent think going to Iraq was the wrong thing, compared to 41 percent who think it was the right thing. Amongst independents, 58 percent think it was the wrong thing, compared to 37 percent who still approve.
"In what may prove to be damaging news for the President, the anti-war attitude among voters from military households in Pennsylvania is greater than the attitude among all voters. Kerry hold the same slim lead among these voters that he has among the electorate in general," Richards added.
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x12945.xml ________________________________________
There is usually a point where the public decides that both the candidates are too negative. At that point the question always is: What does your candidate stand for, what does he intend to do for America besides throw mud. I recall that the Bush team last election was able to cast Gore as more negative by claiming he was practicing the 'politics of personal destruction', a Clinton team line.
It would be nice to see our candidate get the credit for a positive campaign that addresses the concerns and needs of Americans, rather than be seen as just another brawler in a overly negative campaign. That seems to be the strategy of John Edwards when he asks the crowd "Aren't you sick of the negative attacks?" I don't believe there is any evidence that the Bush smears are resonating with anyone but those who aren't inclined to like or vote for Kerry. The voters we need in the closely divided electorate have indicated over and over, in this campaign and others, that they want a positive campaign that focuses on their lives, not on tit for tat rhetoric that has nothing to do with their needs or concerns.
I just don't give much weight to the moronic slaphappy nonsense of the Bush camp. I don't see the impact registering in any poll, most of which show Kerry gaining moderately on his lead in key areas. Negative attacks, whether as a response or as an offensive tactic tend to drive up a candidate's negatives more than those actions contribute to any gain in their polls or standing. The articulation of a positive vision for America takes time and effort.
Kerry can't just show up at the debates and offer to clean up the system if he is caked with mud that he has been throwing and not much else of substance that the public recognizes he stands for. Remember, most folks don't actually know alot about Kerry. He is correct in presenting himself and his campaign with substance and a determination to stay focused on the real concerns of the voters. Especially the 'swing voters', who may have been turned off by 'politics as usual' and would welcome a debate on the issues.
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