Posted on 05/13/2005 6:06:11 AM PDT by SheLion
AUGUSTA — Gov. John E. Baldacci’s job approval rating plunged over the cliff this week, according to a New Jersey-based polling organization’s state-by-state comparison of chief executives.
Although nearly 70 percent of respondents approved of his job performance in a February poll, according to one Maine pollster, Baldacci’s approval rating plummeted to 37 percent over the weekend, according to SurveyUSA, one of the country’s largest computerized polling companies.
A subsidiary of Hypotenuse Inc. of Verona, N.J., SurveyUSA conducts numerous “bullet polls” for 50 television stations across the country, including WLBZ-TV Channel 2 in Bangor and WCSH-TV Channel 6 in Portland.
On the second floor of the State House, the governor’s office was taking the news in stride Wednesday.
“Polls come and go,” said Lynn Kippax, spokesman for the governor. “The governor’s worked hard for Maine and he believes the people know that.”
The poll was conducted last Friday through Sunday by a computerized calling system that randomly sampled 600 adults. Information at the firm’s Web site indicated the poll had a margin of error of 4.1 percent.
Fifty-two percent of those polled were women. Twenty-seven percent were ages 18 to 34, 42 percent were 35 to 54, and the remainder were 55 or older. Ninety-seven percent of the respondents described themselves as Caucasians. Politically, 29 percent were Republicans, 30 percent were Democrats, and 40 percent were not enrolled in a party. One percent were not sure of their political affiliation. The results were posted at www.ksdk.com/news/governor_ranking.aspx .
Respondents were asked, “Do you approve or disapprove of the job John Baldacci is doing as governor?” Thirty-seven percent of those questioned said they approved, 55 percent said they disapproved, and 9 percent were unsure. (Percentages don’t add up to 100 because of rounding.)
Maine’s Democratic governor received the lowest approval rating of all New England governors and ranked 39th in the country, according to the survey. North Dakota’s Gov. John Hoeven received the highest approval rating at 71 percent, and Ohio Gov. Bob Taft received the lowest at 19 percent. The average approval rating in the survey was 48 percent.
The poll was taken in the aftermath of intense debates at the State House over a $5.7 billion state budget that was narrowly approved in a party-line vote by majority Democrats. The budget is balanced in part by language authorizing a loan of up to $450 million, to pay down debt on the state retirement system, provide $250 million in additional education funds to municipalities and bolster the state’s budget stabilization fund.
Republicans at the State House argued the Democratic budget should rely more on spending cuts than borrowing. They since have staged a counterattack by promoting a signature-gathering effort to place the borrowing component of the budget issue on the ballot in November in the form of a people’s veto. Meanwhile, the people’s veto and the budget borrowing plan are both factors that representatives of Wall Street bonding houses said could nudge the state’s bond rating downward this year.
Not surprisingly, Republicans on Wednesday were quick to seize upon the poll results, which they perceived as a harbinger of the 2006 election cycle and Baldacci’s bid for a second term.
“These poll numbers seem to reflect what we have been hearing from voters across the state, who are very much aware of the governor’s lack of leadership on the issues that are most important to them, namely: the size of the state budget and the $450 million borrowing proposal,” said Randy Bumps, the GOP state chairman. “Those are the issues that resonate with them.”
Even Pat Colwell, the state chairman of the Maine Democratic Party, had to admit the governor’s numbers had “probably dropped” in the heat of the vigorous budget debate at the State House. But he doubted Baldacci could have fallen to the depths indicated by the SurveyUSA poll.
“These bullet polls are notorious for being inaccurate,” he said. ``It is just a snapshot. When you’re in a position like the governor of the state of Maine and you have to make tough decisions to move our state forward, I think there will always be folks working against you. But I also think people in Maine trust John Baldacci and know he’s been growing jobs, investing in education and keeping his promises.”
Some pollsters in Maine also were skeptical of the SurveyUSA results. Patrick Murphy at Strategic Marketing Services in Portland released a poll in February that placed Baldacci’s job approval rating at 67.5 percent. Murphy questioned the methodology used in computerized telephone polling, saying, “I cannot fathom that kind of a drop” in Baldacci’s approval ratings.
Kevin Fay, at Critical Insights in Portland, shared similar concerns about the reliability of computer-based polling techniques and also found it hard to believe the governor’s approval rating could have taken such a dive.
“That’s the kind of thing you might expect if the state’s bond rating dropped to junk and there was complete gridlock over property tax reform and that basically nothing was working right,” Fay said.
Amy Fried, a political science professor at the University of Maine, said it was important to cross-reference the poll’s findings with any other existing surveys given the wide disparity in results over the four-month period. She added the Mother’s Day weekend also could have skewed the results.
“There’s some polling firms that won’t do polling over a big holiday because they can’t find a lot of folks,” she said.
Jay Levee, an editor with SurveyUSA, said the voice used to ask the questions in Maine belonged to Pat Callaghan, a news anchorman at WCSH-TV in Portland. He defended his firm’s 12-year history in Maine and encouraged Internet users to visit the company’s site at www.surveyusa.com .
“People can make conjecture about the results, but the reality is our track record is unsurpassed,” Levee said.
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And the news goes on!
Maybe they'll use their heads when they vote next time.
Maybe not.
If they can't balance their budget now, when the economy is strong, they really are pathetic.
They better start using SOMETHING! Maine is going to hell in a hand basket in a record spin.
WGME just announced PNSY is closing!posted 05-13-2005 09:22 AM
They are closing the Accounting Center in Limestone too - WCSH is reporting this was a complete surprise.
Bob - BNAS is slated for "realignment" and the Navy Center in Bangor is on the list for closing.
BNAS was spared thank God, a Naval reserve center in Bangor and Limestone is going to close too. This is a very black day for Maine!
"Thank you Tom Allen, and Susan Collins, and Snowe for your help. The poster goes on to say:" I would also like to Thank the ANSWER GOON ACTIVISTS and NEW HAMPSHIRE PEACE AND JUSTICE for their ongoing protest of Portsmouth Naval Ship Yard.I personal look forward to seeing the Smelly Hippies dancing in the streets."
EJS
[ 05-13-2005:
However WCSH reports only: "The Pentagon is recommending the Brunswick Naval Air Station in Maine be realigned, meaning it wants to change the base's mission."
"The announcement ends months of anxious anticipation and speculation over which bases the nation's military leaders had deemed obsolete."
"Hey, we are a blue state with purple Senators. What do you expect?", writes another Mainer.
"BNAS realignment could mean a couple of things. It could possibly pick up some other elements as "resident commands", or otherwise broaden it's overall role and population. Or it could mean that it's reporting chain changes, its stature drops down a level or so, with possible reduction in senior command staff, or....??????"
"We'll see what our school department says as the budget is passed."
ASMAINEGOES - Registered site.
An article on Boston.com estimates that Brunswick would lose 2300 military and 60 civilian under the mission change. I'm surprised Portsmouth made the list and I never thought Limestone was even considered.
Wonderful days ahead in the pine tree state.
Snowe and Collins along with McCain have been on the wrong side of almost every issue and have been losing up to date. Will this be a wake up call for the Rhinos in Maine. The Governor had better act and act fast or protestors will be on his doorstep 24/7!!!
BTTT
BLACK FRIDAY IN MAINE
Don't let them fool you. DFAS is located on the old Loring Air Force Base. Seems the government just doesn't want people to make a living up here.
DFAS houses 241 employees. Most moved up here and bought homes. Now they have this closure hanging over their heads, and our local economy as well.
Maine is the second poorest state in the nation. Is it any wonder?!
The old Loring Air Force Base. DFAS has been the glue that held the old base together. Now there is a chance we will lose it as well.
I wonder if Collins and Snowe will "save it?" They sure didn't do jack to save the base back in 1994.
Total BS. And we can scream all we want to the lawmakers, but they won't listen to us! They could care less about "the little people."
Sure, close all the bases and keep the borders open. Makes sense to me! /scarasm
I realize this has a great impact on your area of Maine. The State relies on tourism and tourism alone. These events will finally greatly impact those in office serving; and notice I used the word serving, the constituents of Maine. All business owners are up in arms without today's collapse before mentioned.
What other employment will "feed" the families in the areas devasted by this base closing news?
..and the highest taxed state in the country...
Well, I'm not sure. We can't get businesses up here and we are losing the ones we have. Over on the old Loring Air Force Base, the big Maintenance shop is being used to refurbish humvie's for the war. They fly them in on C5's and rebuild them and then fly them back overseas.
We have Job Corp over there and a Doctor's office. Plus a telemarketing company that is housed in the old commissary.
Actually, our small town has a bank on nearly every corner which is surprising. Some one must have money up here. LOL!
This is a big farming country. Most people are farmers up here. As for big corporations, I can't think of anything.
We have quite a few offices for truckers. Trucking is big up here. Going out and coming in.
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