WP: Likely Voters Narrowly Prefer Bush to Pick (SC) Justices

[sonicx]

Likely voters narrowly prefer President Bush over Democratic nominee John F. Kerry to make appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court, according to the latest Washington Post tracking poll.

The survey found that 49 percent of all likely voters surveyed said they had more confidence in the president to choose future Supreme Court justices while 42 percent favor Kerry -- preferences that were sharply shaped by party identification. Three in four Democrats -- 76 percent -- believe Kerry would do a better job filling future vacancies while 89 percent of Republicans chose Bush. Political independents split equally between the two candidates.

Because high court justices serve for life, appointments to the Supreme Court bench are one of the most effective ways that presidents can attempt to shape national policy after they leave office. Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, 80, has been hospitalized for treatment of thyroid cancer. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is 74 and John Paul Stevens is 84. Court watchers predict that at least one of the three will retire during the next four years, particularly if Bush wins reelection.

The gender gap on Supreme Court appointments is smaller for women but larger for men than it is on the overall vote, the survey suggests. Women are two percentage points more likely -- 47 percent to 45 percent -- to have more confidence in Kerry to fill court vacancies. Men trust Bush more than Kerry, 54 percent to 37 percent, a 17-point gap.

Overall, women currently are 6 points more likely to support Kerry while men are 5 points more likely to be voting for Bush.

(snip) link = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2670-2004Oct27.html

:puke::puke::puke::puke:

[cali]

1. WTF?

My first response to this is that the American public is hopeless. Utterly and completely ignorant.

[sonicx]

5. i know. what's sad is..

most of the country doesn't want abortion to be illegal and don't know that Bush wants to do that.

:(

[MallRat]

2. Are you telling me that ONE OUT OF FOUR DEMOCRATS...

...thinks that BUSH appointees to the Supreme Court would be better than Kerry's?

WTF?!?!?!

-MR

[Zynx]

3. Southern Democrats

Think Zell.

[QC]

13. Got any evidence for that?

Oops--I forgot--evidence is not necessary when slamming Southern Democrats! We are, in the words of one poster here, the rats that need to be burned out of the barn.

Carry on.

[sonicx]

15. i think the better way to put it would be...

conservative democrats.

[mitchtv]

16. I disagree ,so called christians are to blame

tho they tend to live in the southern portion of the country,sadly, not exclusively. I prefer the term heretical christians for these traitors.

[Sinnerman]

8. UN FREAKIN BE-LEEVE-ABLE

[Old and In the Way]

4. "Likely Voters"

What a silly concept. Do polling firms have a crystal ball?

Know why likely voter numbers are BS? Because Clinton/Gore did such a magnificint job of running things in the 90s and because the Bush radcal RW agenda was unknown, many people didn't bother to vote....they figured things woud continue as is and the normally apolitical middle had more important things to do.

Using the 'likely voter' figures based on the 2000 results with what will happen next week is a totally disingenuous tool to distort the true nature of the electorate's outrage.

[Chico Man]

6. I agree with you wholeheartedly

I'm not sure anyone could have fathomed where Bush was going to take this country in 4 years (except for my father, of course, who began warning me from the minute Bush decided to run and started creeping up the polls on Gore).

Checks and balances "seemed" to be in place, and voting did not seem to have great effect in general. The electorate was not energized by any means.

Now, the tides have certainly turned, and the greatest check and balance of them all - an energized electorate - will show up to the plate next tuesday. As long as the votes are counted, US democracy will have saved itself once again.

[demokatgurrl]

7. That just makes me ill, and sad, and angry.

WTF is wrong with people?
Whoever said we get the government we deserve was right, at least for half of the country.

[American Tragedy]

9. Men trust Bush more than Kerry, 54 percent to 37 percent, a 17-point gap.

Gee, I wonder why.

[UpInArms]

10. utter bullshit

where did they do this poll, at Bob Jones University?

:puke:

No one asked me and let me tell you, I am not that far from mainstream conservative - anyone who doesn't agree is a freakin' radical rightwinger.

This is garbage and I won't buy it.

[teryang]

11. Popular public ignorance is exact problem the Courts

...were created by founding fathers to check. The legislature can make any assinine, stupid, or unconstitutional law. It is up to the courts to check popular excesses.

[depakid]

12. Another lying media poll

Don't believe this for a second. I wish people would grow up and stop posting obvious propanganda like this.

[BRLIB]

14. The issue is no longer Iraq, 1100+ dead, record deficits, Hoover

unemployment, but what the FKin so-called 'libral' media say is the issue!

These Bush the crime family killer accomplices will conduct tons of polls to manipulate the discourse and therefore define the issues which then the sheeple believe are now the 'most importan'. There was an earlier thread on DU today about this poll BS, with a video link.

[AlCzervik]

17. people is stoopid