Public Tepid on Drug Question

Poll Finds Most Say Bush Can Avoid Answering
Should George W. Bush answer questions about whether he used drugs in the past? A majority of Americans - 53  percent - say no.     

     (ABCNews.com)



By Gary Langer
ABC News Polling Director
ABCNEWS.COM

Aug. 23 Vast majorities of Americans say it wouldnt affect their vote if George W. Bush did use cocaine or even if he just wont say. And most would be content never to know.

In an ABCNEWS poll, 53 percent say Bush should not answer the question; 41 percent say he should. Nearly eight in 10, moreover, say it wouldnt effect their vote if the Republican presidential candidate refused to answer; and even more say it wouldnt matter to them if he used the drug.

The Texas governor thus looks to be clearing this hurdle comfortably. Just 9 percent would be much less likely to support Bush if he doesnt answer, and 6 percent much less likely if he did take the drug. These tend to be people who dont support him anyway.

Responsibility

Still, there is at least some potential hazard in Bushs admission of a young and irresponsible phase in his life. It would cost him a few points in support if those much less likely voters did turn away from him not much given his current big lead, but potentially significant in a tight race.

Moreover, an irresponsible phase is not necessarily in the common experience: Nearly nine in 10 Americans over age 30 say they personally were mature and responsible in their late 20s, not young and irresponsible. And cocaine use, of course, is outside the practice of the vast majority. Eight percent in this poll say theyve used cocaine, about the same as in ABCNEWS polls in the mid-80s.

Reaction

The publics ho-hum reaction isnt surprising; perceived bad behavior tends to hurt a candidate when its contemporaneous, not a thing of the past. Thats why Gary Harts dalliance with Donna Rice so damaged him in 1987, while Bill Clintons personal past did not in 1992. Still, what bears watching, in the post-Lewinsky era, is the broader question of any concern about Bushs character.

Questions about whether Bush ever used cocaine came to a head last week, although there is no evidence he used the drug. Bush responded by saying he had not taken any illegal drugs since at least 1974, when he was 28. Beyond that, he said, he wont say.

Front-Runner

Cocaine brouhaha aside, Bush remains the front-runner. In a matchup against Democrat Al Gore, Bush has 49 percent support, Gore 37 percent. Thats down a few points for Bush from June, but not by a significant margin.

In the Republican primary contest, Bush is steady with 56 percent support, far above his closest rival, Elizabeth Dole with 14 percent. These numbers show no real change since the ballyhooed Iowa straw poll.

Methodology

This ABCNEWS poll was conducted by telephone Aug. 19-22 among a random national sample of 1,031 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Field work was done by ICR-International Communications Research of Media, Pa.

  Gary Langer is the head of ABCNEWS polling unit.