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CNN Live At Daybreak

America's Voice: Gallup Poll

Aired January 14, 2003 - 06:42   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get your perspective now on several topics: Iraq, the nation's economy and President Bush's economic plan.
Gallup Poll Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport joins us live.

Good morning -- Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Good morning -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting poll numbers you have for us.

NEWPORT: Well they're interesting, I'm not sure how fascinated they are at the White House this morning.

Let me show you George W. Bush's job approval rating. This is the first time since 9/11 that it's fallen below 60 percent. Now I've put the last five gradings up here, notice that he was at 61 percent in December, so the 58 percent that we just got over the weekend just three points lower. So not a huge drop, but I think that's symbolic. First time below the 60 percent level since 9/11 and I think that'll be perceived as a drop. Actually, it's a five-point drop since the last time we did our poll on January 325 (ph).

Let me show you a couple of the specific approval ratings. Defense, Bush still does all right. That's his strength, of course, Republican strength. Sixty-three percent approve of how he's handling national defense, but everything having to do with economics is lower. You can see taxes, the economy, the federal budget, all of those at or below the 50 percent level and that's probably where he's having some difficulty at this point -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, I was just interested in knowing if you had any more numbers about President Bush's economic stimulus plan?

NEWPORT: Well, indeed we do. The interesting thing, Carol, of course is that that plan gives things to most Americans, it's not taking away. Everything about that plan is cuts in taxes, cuts in this and so you would think there would be a groundswell of approval for it. Well there's not. These are very tepid numbers. You can see just 42 percent of Americans approve of the Bush plan, from what they know, 37 percent disapprove. You've got one out of five Americans who don't know enough about it, they tell us, yet to have an opinion either way, but these are really strong numbers.

One reason is, I can show you, we said will this plan, from what you know about it, really help you and your family financially? And again, just 12 percent say that it's going to make a big difference in them personally. Those corporate dividend tax cuts, for example, may not affect a lot of people. Look on the right hand side, Carol, those last two columns add up to half of Americans say it'll make a little or no difference for them personally.

COSTELLO: OK, let's talk about the 2004 presidential run, because, as you know, Joe Lieberman threw his hat into the ring yesterday. How is the race shaping up so far?

NEWPORT: Well, it's too close to call. Lieberman has a slight lead. He can be excited about that, but it's really nothing to look at in terms of any major lead. Nineteen percent of Democrats now say they'd vote for Lieberman. But look at that, Senator Kerry at 17 percent, Gephardt and Edwards at 12 percent, really not much difference here. It's just a horserace at this point so all of these gentlemen vying for that nomination are going to really have to fight it out and we'll see what happens over the months to come.

COSTELLO: Yes, it's interesting that the name recognition factor doesn't seem to matter.

NEWPORT: That's right, he was the VP nominee, you know, in 2000.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

NEWPORT: Lieberman probably should be up there higher than he is I would think (ph).

COSTELLO: Exactly. Thank you very much, Frank Newport, for those interesting numbers. We sure appreciate it.

NEWPORT: You bet.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 14, 2003 - 06:42   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get your perspective now on several topics: Iraq, the nation's economy and President Bush's economic plan.
Gallup Poll Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport joins us live.

Good morning -- Frank.

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Good morning -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Interesting poll numbers you have for us.

NEWPORT: Well they're interesting, I'm not sure how fascinated they are at the White House this morning.

Let me show you George W. Bush's job approval rating. This is the first time since 9/11 that it's fallen below 60 percent. Now I've put the last five gradings up here, notice that he was at 61 percent in December, so the 58 percent that we just got over the weekend just three points lower. So not a huge drop, but I think that's symbolic. First time below the 60 percent level since 9/11 and I think that'll be perceived as a drop. Actually, it's a five-point drop since the last time we did our poll on January 325 (ph).

Let me show you a couple of the specific approval ratings. Defense, Bush still does all right. That's his strength, of course, Republican strength. Sixty-three percent approve of how he's handling national defense, but everything having to do with economics is lower. You can see taxes, the economy, the federal budget, all of those at or below the 50 percent level and that's probably where he's having some difficulty at this point -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, I was just interested in knowing if you had any more numbers about President Bush's economic stimulus plan?

NEWPORT: Well, indeed we do. The interesting thing, Carol, of course is that that plan gives things to most Americans, it's not taking away. Everything about that plan is cuts in taxes, cuts in this and so you would think there would be a groundswell of approval for it. Well there's not. These are very tepid numbers. You can see just 42 percent of Americans approve of the Bush plan, from what they know, 37 percent disapprove. You've got one out of five Americans who don't know enough about it, they tell us, yet to have an opinion either way, but these are really strong numbers.

One reason is, I can show you, we said will this plan, from what you know about it, really help you and your family financially? And again, just 12 percent say that it's going to make a big difference in them personally. Those corporate dividend tax cuts, for example, may not affect a lot of people. Look on the right hand side, Carol, those last two columns add up to half of Americans say it'll make a little or no difference for them personally.

COSTELLO: OK, let's talk about the 2004 presidential run, because, as you know, Joe Lieberman threw his hat into the ring yesterday. How is the race shaping up so far?

NEWPORT: Well, it's too close to call. Lieberman has a slight lead. He can be excited about that, but it's really nothing to look at in terms of any major lead. Nineteen percent of Democrats now say they'd vote for Lieberman. But look at that, Senator Kerry at 17 percent, Gephardt and Edwards at 12 percent, really not much difference here. It's just a horserace at this point so all of these gentlemen vying for that nomination are going to really have to fight it out and we'll see what happens over the months to come.

COSTELLO: Yes, it's interesting that the name recognition factor doesn't seem to matter.

NEWPORT: That's right, he was the VP nominee, you know, in 2000.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

NEWPORT: Lieberman probably should be up there higher than he is I would think (ph).

COSTELLO: Exactly. Thank you very much, Frank Newport, for those interesting numbers. We sure appreciate it.

NEWPORT: You bet.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com