As 2004 nears, policies on Iraq, economy divide voters
By David S. Broder and Dan Balz
<snip>
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 — Two years after a surge of national unity in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the United States is once again a 50-50 nation, shaped by partisan divisions as deep as ever that stand between President Bush and reelection.
A YEAR BEFORE Election Day, growing questions about the U.S. mission in Iraq and continuing anxieties about the jobs picture, despite recent signs of economic improvement, dominate the political agenda, according to interviews with scores of voters in all regions of the country and amplified by a new Washington Post-ABC News Poll.
Three years after one of the closest and most bitterly contested elections in U.S. history, the nation is again polarized over the performance of the president. Bush’s Republican supporters see him as strong and decisive, a man of good character and moral convictions. His Democratic detractors believe that, at home and abroad, he is leading the country in the wrong direction.
Democrats, however, are virtually invisible as an effective opposition to a president who commands center stage. Even many loyal Democrats complain that their party has no strong leaders and no alternative vision to Bush on either foreign or economic policy. The nine Democratic presidential candidates have made almost no impression on voters outside the few states with early caucuses or primaries next year. Most voters cannot name more than one or two of the candidates.
<snip>
Link:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/988055.asp?0cv=CB10We've got work to do!
:kick:
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
