Spending
Pains
Poll:
Broad Majority Continues to Oppose Spending Additional $87
Billion in
Iraq
Analysis By Gary Langer
Oct.
2 Three weeks of White House lobbying for its
Iraq
package has failed to sway public opinion: A broad majority of
Americans continue to oppose spending an additional $87 billion
on the war and rebuilding effort there.
Sixty-two
percent in this ABCNEWS/Nightline poll do not want to spend that
kind of additional money, almost precisely the level of
opposition that initially greeted the president's proposal.
Thirty-six percent support the package.
President
Bush's rating for handling the situation in
Iraq
is also flat, and near its career low. The public divides, with
50 percent approving and 47 percent disapproving. That's about
where it's been all month, but down from 67 percent approval in
June and a peak of 75 percent at the end of April, just before
Bush declared the major fighting over.
|
Support/
Oppose
Iraq
Package
|
|
TIME
|
SUPPORT
|
OPPOSE
|
|
Now
|
36%
|
62%
|
|
9/13/2003
|
38%
|
61%
|
|
|
If
Congress does approve the $87 billion request, Americans
fracture over how to pay for it. The leading option selected
by 35 percent is to eliminate Bush's recent tax cut.
Twenty-nine percent would cut spending on other programs to
cover the cost, while 17 percent favor increasing the federal
budget deficit.
GROUPS
These views are strongly partisan. Eighty-two percent of
Republicans approve of Bush's work on
Iraq
; that dives to 49 percent of independents and 27 percent of
Democrats. And 62 percent of Republicans support spending the
$87 billion; that plummets to 33 percent of independents and 23
percent of Democrats.
As
far as paying for the package, Republicans by a 14-point margin
prefer to cut spending, while Democrats and independents are
more likely to favor eliminating the tax cut.
|
Approve
of Bush's Handling of
Iraq
|
|
All
|
Democrats
|
Independents
|
Republicans
|
|
50%
|
27%
|
49%
|
82%
|
|
|
|
Disapprove
of Bush's Handling of
Iraq
|
|
All
|
Democrats
|
Independents
|
Republicans
|
|
47%
|
72%
|
47%
|
17%
|
|
|
|
Support
$87 Billion Package
|
|
All
|
Democrats
|
Independents
|
Republicans
|
|
36%
|
23%
|
33%
|
62%
|
|
|
|
Oppose
$87 Billion Package
|
|
All
|
Democrats
|
Independents
|
Republicans
|
|
62%
|
77%
|
64%
|
36%
|
|
|
|
Eliminate
Tax Cut
|
|
All
|
Democrats
|
Independents
|
Republicans
|
|
35%
|
44%
|
39%
|
23%
|
|
|
|
Cut
Spending
|
|
All
|
Democrats
|
Independents
|
Republicans
|
|
29%
|
22%
|
27%
|
37%
|
|
|
|
Add
to Deficit
|
|
All
|
Democrats
|
Independents
|
Republicans
|
|
17%
|
17%
|
19%
|
18%
|
|
|
Methodology
This
ABCNEWS/Nightline poll was conducted by telephone Sept. 26-29
among a random national sample of 942 adults. The results have a
3.5-point error margin. Fieldwork was conducted by ICR
(International Communications Research of Media),
Pa.
|
