www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19623085/site/newsweek
Race and the Race Americans appear prepared to elect either a black or a female president. But experience trumps both factors--and in a two-way race, Hillary Clinton leads Barack Obama by more than 20 points. Seventy percent of those polled say Hillary Clinton has sufficient experience to be president. Only 40 percent say Barack Obama is experienced enough for the job. Seventy percent of those polled say Hillary Clinton has sufficient experience to be president. Only 40 percent say Barack Obama is experienced enough for the job. Web exclusive By By Brian Braiker Newsweek July 6, 2007 - Could 2008 be the year that Americans put an end to an unbroken 218-year streak of electing white male presidents?
But those numbers drop significantly when respondents are asked whether the country is ready to accept a black or a woman in the White House. Although 92 percent of the NEWSWEEK Poll's respondents claim they would vote for a black candidate (up from 83 percent in 1991), only 59 percent believe the country is actually ready for an African-American president (an improvement over 37 percent in a 2000 CBS News poll). Similarly, 86 percent of voters say they would vote for a female commander in chief, but only 58 percent believe the country is ready for one (up from 40 percent in a 1996 CBS poll). Two thirds (66 percent) of voters said there was at least some chance they'd vote for Democratic Sen. Barack Obama (35 percent said there was a "good" chance, up from 20 percent last November). About as many (62 percent) said there was some chance they'd vote for Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton (43 percent said good chance, up from 33 percent). In a head-to-head race, though, Clinton dominates Obama 56 to 33 percent. Experience appears to outweigh both race and gender in voters' minds, however. More than two-thirds (70 percent) of the poll's respondents feel Clinton, a former First Lady now in her second term as senator from New York, has enough experience in government to be a good president. For Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, the number drops to 40 percent (as many as 34 percent say he does not have enough experience). Both candidates are considered more qualified for office by nonwhites than by whites. Fifty-four percent of minorities say Obama is qualified; Eight in 10 (79 percent) minorities consider Clinton to be qualified enough, versus 67 percent of whites. More than half (55 percent) say former senator and vice presidential candidate John Edwards has enough experience to be president, while 25 percent say he does not.
NEWSWEEK Poll President George W Bush's approval rating remains stuck at its lowest point. Just 26 percent of the poll's respondents approve of his job performance--lower than Jimmy Carter's nadir in 1979 (at 28 percent in the Gallup poll). Of all the presidents since FDR, only Richard Nixon and Harry Truman have been less popular while still in office. More than half (54 percent) of the poll's respondents say they have a favorable opinion of Obama, up from 31 percent last May (19 percent have an unfavorable one, while 27 percent say they've never heard of him or don't have an opinion, down from 60 percent). Clinton enjoys a favorability rating of 57 percent (36 percent have an unfavorable view of her, a slight improvement over her 53 to 42 percent favorable/unfavorable rating last May). Although 81 percent of voters say they would cast their ballot for a Hispanic candidate if nominated by their party, only 39 percent of Americans feel the country is ready to elect one--a finding that comes as bad news for Democratic New Mexico Gov. Just over a third of voters think the country is ready to elect a Mormon; Respondents were split over the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision rejecting the use of race as a factor in voluntary integration efforts. About 32 percent approve of the decision, 36 percent disapprove and 32 percent said they don't know. But the idea of race more broadly being a factor in education or business is a solidly unpopular one. Eight in 10 (82 percent) of adults say race should not be allowed as a factor in making a decision about employment or education; This opposition stretches across racial lines: 86 percent of white adults and 75 percent of minority adults oppose the use of race as a factor in deciding on employment or education. The NEWSWEEK Poll was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International on July 2-3. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1,002 adults, age 18 and older; the overall margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. The margin of error for questions asked only of Democrats and Democratic leaners is plus or minus 6 percentage points;
|
http://csua.com/feed/