Sid
03-30-2007, 06:43 PM
As the Democratic-led Congress approaches the 100-day mark, pluralities of Americans approve of the way that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are handling their leadership roles. However, the public gives Democrats mixed reviews for delivering on their campaign promises and for their policies and proposals. Slightly more disapprove of the Democrats' policies than approve (42% disapprove vs. 37% approve).
While enthusiasm for the Democrats' victory has slipped, the party's image continues to improve relative to the GOP's. Nearly half (47%) say the Democratic Party can better manage the federal government, compared with 31% who choose the Republican Party. A year ago, the Democrats' edge on management was just four points. In addition, slightly more Americans now say the Democratic Party, rather than the Republican Party, has stronger leaders, wiping out the GOP's substantial advantage on this leadership trait.
While the war in Iraq is the dominant issue in Washington, it is having surprisingly little impact on the presidential nomination contests in the two major parties. For instance, despite McCain's strong public stance in favor of Bush's troop surge plan, he is not demonstrating particular strength among Republicans who say more troops are needed in Iraq.
About the same proportions of Republican and Republican-leaning voters who support Giuliani, and who support McCain, believe more troops are needed in Iraq. Similarly, among Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters, comparable percentages of Hillary Clinton supporters and Barack Obama supporters favor withdrawing U.S. troops from as Iraq as soon as possible.
Democrats Fail to Impress in First 100 Days (http://pewresearch.org/pubs/440/democrats-fail-to-impress-in-first-100-days)
While enthusiasm for the Democrats' victory has slipped, the party's image continues to improve relative to the GOP's. Nearly half (47%) say the Democratic Party can better manage the federal government, compared with 31% who choose the Republican Party. A year ago, the Democrats' edge on management was just four points. In addition, slightly more Americans now say the Democratic Party, rather than the Republican Party, has stronger leaders, wiping out the GOP's substantial advantage on this leadership trait.
While the war in Iraq is the dominant issue in Washington, it is having surprisingly little impact on the presidential nomination contests in the two major parties. For instance, despite McCain's strong public stance in favor of Bush's troop surge plan, he is not demonstrating particular strength among Republicans who say more troops are needed in Iraq.
About the same proportions of Republican and Republican-leaning voters who support Giuliani, and who support McCain, believe more troops are needed in Iraq. Similarly, among Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters, comparable percentages of Hillary Clinton supporters and Barack Obama supporters favor withdrawing U.S. troops from as Iraq as soon as possible.
Democrats Fail to Impress in First 100 Days (http://pewresearch.org/pubs/440/democrats-fail-to-impress-in-first-100-days)