``He seems like he's got a good head on his shoulders,'' Montgomery said.
Posted on 08/06/2004 7:23:26 PM PDT by RWR8189
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrat John Kerry, whose nominating convention highlighted his war service and focused on national security, has narrowed the gap on President Bush's strong suit of protecting the country, according to an Associated Press poll that shows the race remains tight.
Flanked by his Vietnam crewmates, Kerry delivered an acceptance speech last week laden with references to patriotism, his decorated military record and his qualifications for commander in chief -- a theme underscored by speaker after speaker over the four-day gathering.
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The images and rhetoric registered with a number of voters.
In the AP survey conducted Tuesday through Thursday, 43 percent said Kerry would do a better job of protecting the country -- a gain of 8 percentage points for the Democratic presidential nominee from a similar survey in March.
Kerry improved his standing on the issue with a demographic group that tends to lean Republican: men under age 45.
Bush still has the advantage on the issue, with 52 percent saying the Republican incumbent would do better in protecting the nation. But Bush's percentage on the issue has dropped 6 percentage points since March, according to the poll conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs, and the latest survey was taken as he faced questions about dated intelligence for increased terror alerts.
Edison Montgomery, a 59-year-old Democrat from Lancaster, Ohio, said that after watching the convention he has grown more comfortable with Kerry -- especially on whether he is capable of protecting the nation.
``He seems like he's got a good head on his shoulders,'' Montgomery said.
Despite the gains for the Democratic challenger, Bush and Kerry remained essentially tied in the presidential race -- an outcome similar to where they've been for months.
In a three-way matchup, Kerry and running mate John Edwards have the backing of 48 percent, Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney 45 percent and independent Ralph Nader and running mate Peter Camejo 3 percent among registered voters.
The poll had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
In July, Bush had a slight lead over Kerry -- 49 percent to 45 percent -- with 3 percent backing Nader.
Kerry also improved his standing in state polls in two swing states -- Florida and New Hampshire -- pulling slightly ahead of Bush since the convention, according to the American Research Group.
Although Bush's ratings have dipped in other areas, including his stewardship of the war in Iraq and his handling of the economy, 51 percent still approve of the president's handling of the war on terrorism to 48 percent who disapprove in the AP poll.
``I don't think Kerry's ready to be president,'' said Laura Weber, a 37-year-old Republican from Pierre, S.D. ``Bush would be more decisive.''
The economy has been improving in fits and starts but continues to be a troublesome issue for Bush. Fewer than half -- 46 percent -- said they approve of the Republican's handling of the economy, about the same percentage as July.
Kerry held a clear advantage over Bush on the question of who would do better at creating jobs, with 55 percent naming Kerry and 39 percent saying Bush -- a number essentially unchanged from March.
The job numbers released Friday are likely to reinforce that perception.
New figures on job growth in July were far below analysts' predictions, with only 32,000 jobs being added -- a potentially troubling sign that the rough patch the economy hit in June was not an isolated problem despite 11 consecutive months of jobs growth. Analysts were expecting the economy to add anywhere from 215,000 to 247,000 jobs in July.
All total, 1.1 million jobs have been lost since Bush took office in January 2001.
``We have a long way to go on jobs,'' said Cara Easterly, a 37-year-old Democrat from the Seattle area. ``I don't think Bush is focused on the problem. He's more focused on what's going on outside the country.''
Strong support for Bush and Kerry now is about even, with 32 percent saying they are backers of the Republican and 31 percent saying their candidate is Kerry. In July, Bush was slightly ahead of Kerry in intensity of support.
``I think President Bush has done an excellent job,'' said Linda Roberts, a conservative Republican from Liberal, Kan. ``He's a Christian. I don't believe there's any reason to kill babies by abortion. I don't believe in gay marriage. I believe he is for equal rights, but also for God's rights.''
The AP-Ipsos poll surveyed 1,001 adults, including 798 registered voters.
All the more reason to support the Swift Boat Vets for Truth. It is amazing how the big leftist lie about Viet Nam has become central to this race.
Yeah right. I want to see how they asked this question.
``He seems like he's got a good head on his shoulders,'' Montgomery said.
Relax!
Ap polls like the FIeld Poll or the LA SLimes polls tend to be skewed left..what is the point of posting them any more...Even the headline is misleading...should say MAJORITY BELIEVE BUSH IS THE MAN
Kerry leads Bush 48 percent to 43 percent with 4 percent for independent candidate Ralph Nader, Time said. The poll of 1,202 adults included 1,001 registered voters of whom 758 are likely voters. It was conducted by telephone Aug. 3-5 and the margin of error is 4 percentage points.
In a Time poll conducted in mid-July, Kerry led by 46 percent to 43 percent with 5 percent supporting Nader.
Look like W is @ 43-45% V Kerry @ 46% -49% in all polls except Gallup
Update on Bush
Bush's ratings are little changed in past few weeks. His overall job approval ratings continues to hover at the 50% level (50% approve, 46% disapprove), the same as our previous poll's finding of 50%-47%. His weak spots remain the economy and Iraq.
Senator John Kerry leads President Bush among likely voters by a margin of 48% to 43%, with Ralph Nader running at 4%. Kerry's lead has risen only slightly from immediately before the Democratic Convention, when polls found him edging out Bush by 46% - 43%, with Nader at 5%.
http://www.time.com/time/election2004/article/0,18471,678367,00.html
Updated Numbers :
My 2 cents: Don't get mad @ me, get Glade.
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Right now W's average approval ratings is 47.5% from last 8 polls (Dem/GOP don't count). The max W will get over his average approval rating is 0.5%.
So: If the election were held today, the approx election results would be.
W/O Nader
Bush 48.0%
Kerry 51.0%
Others 1.0%
Bush 48.0%
Kerry 50.0%
Nader 1.3%
Others 0.7%
MOE+/-1%
UpDATE 2(W/Zogby numbers)
My 2 cents: Don't get mad @ me, get Glade.
------
Right now W's average approval ratings is 47.1% from last 9 polls (Dem/GOP don't count). The max W will get over his average approval rating is 0.5%.
So: If the election were held today, the approx election results would be.
W/O Nader
Bush 47.6%
Kerry 51.4%
Others 1.0%
Bush 47.6%
Kerry 50.4%
Nader 1.3%
Others 0.7%
MOE+/-1%
"relax" I will but my blood pressure won't!!!!
Its August and Republicans across America are on vacation and the GOP will not poll well until the week of the convention. People in the biz know this.
Are you nuts?
No, I’m not crazy - my mother had me tested.....
Well that’s encouraging. Speaking for myself, I no longer eat bran muffins. Remember hen bran muffins was considered a health food...now everybody has wheat belly syndrome.
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