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CNN Live At Daybreak

Can Bush Approval Help Republicans in Elections?

Aired January 16, 2002 - 05:40   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: You know, boy, by the war successes, President Bush's popularity remains quite high. But can congressional Republicans ride Mr. Bush's coattails to victory in November? CNN's Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider looks behind the latest poll numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush's job approval is holding up quite nicely, thank you. Oh, it may have slipped a bit from the high of 90 percent back in late September, but at 83 percent four months later, it's still in the stratosphere.

Congressional Republicans are a little nervous, however. President Bush is not up for reelection this year; they are. What do Bush's high job ratings mean for us, inquiring Republicans want to know. The answer is plenty. Go back to September 10; that was a different world, a different political world. Most Americans had a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, but not of the GOP. And now the Republican Party is seeing a surge in popularity. That's what a popular president can do for you; and, a successful war. More than three-quarters of Americans describe themselves as optimistic about the war on terrorism.

That optimism is spilling over to the economy. Over 70 percent of Americans say they're optimistic about the economy, too. A majority of Americans believes President Bush is doing enough to combat the recession. Over 40 percent say congressional Republicans are too; but Democrats, not so much. Oh, Democrats are complaining about the economy; and particularly about the deficit, which some of them call...

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MAJORITY LEADER: It was the most dramatic fiscal deterioration in our nation's history.

SCHNEIDER: But is that criticism getting through? Look at it this way: the Republicans have opened up a huge lead over the Democrats as the better party for handling defense. And by analogy, the Republicans have also opened up a lead as the party that will handle the deficit better.

Well, there's always the Enron controversy. Is that having any impact? Forty-two percent believe Enron executives did something illegal. Only 10 percent believe administration officials did something illegal. So far, Enron looks more like a financial scandal than a political scandal.

(on camera): In March 1991, at the end of the Gulf War, President Bush's father had a job rating in the 80s too. But only a third of Americans thought he was doing enough to combat the recession. This President Bush is not making the same mistake.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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