8 in 10 Republican primary voters say its too early to tell who theyll vote for
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas The president whose disapproval rating sits at 46 faces mixed signals about his latest job-creation proposal. And a strong sense of pessimism is evidenced in response to question after question in the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
With Election Day 2012 just over a year away the survey indicates a deepening sense of economic anxiety and doubts hanging heavily over the nations future.
Nearly all Americans agree that the nations economic outlook is dark with 49 saying the economy is at a standstill and 36 saying it is getting worse. And nearly three-quarters of the public lack confidence Congress will be able to reach agreement on a plan to help create jobs.
While approximately half of those polled favor reducing or repealing regulations on businesses in the United States only about a quarter believe repealing the entire national health care law was a good idea which critics of the plan refer to as ObamaCare".
In February a CBS News poll found that 27 of the public said the views of the Tea Party movement reflected the sentiment of most Americans. Eight months later the current survey indicates 46 of the public said the same of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
They do reflect the discontent of most Americans" said Sheila Shriver 69 a retired special education teacher and independent voter from Columbus Ohio.
People are unhappy with the way the country seems to be moving especially when it comes to lack of jobs. Washington hasnt even been concerned about that" Shriver said.
The nationwide telephone poll conducted last Wednesday through Monday with 1650 adults surveyed included 1475 respondents who say of which were registered to vote. The margin of sampling error was /- 3 percentage points and finds Congressional approval at a historically new low 9.
Probably the government in Washington could be trusted at one time but now it seems like its all a game of who wins rather than whats best for the people" said Paulette Delgadillo 52 a self-employed interior decorator from Tempe Ariz.
The combustible climate helps explain the volatility of the presidential race and has provided an opening for protest movements to highlight grievances about banks income inequality and a sense that the poor and middle class have been disenfranchised. Almost half of the public thinks
the sentiment at the root of the Occupy movement generally reflects the views of most Americans.
With nearly all Americans remaining fearful that the economy is stagnating or deteriorating further two-thirds of the public said that wealth should be distributed more evenly in the country.
Two-thirds object to tax cuts for corporations and a similar number prefer increasing income taxes on millionaires.
Republican voters remain unenthused about their options to challenge President Obama next year as the competition intensifies among Mitt Romney Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and other contenders. The uncertainty has provided an opening for Herman Cain who was viewed more enthusiastically by Republican primary voters than were other Republican candidates.
The approval rating for Mr. Obama 46 appears to be elevated by positions he has taken on foreign affairs. Sixty percent of those questioned said they approve of his handling of Iraq a question added to the poll after his announcement last Friday that American troops would come home by the end of the year.
But the president faces mixed signals from the public over his latest job-creation proposals. While the poll found substantial support for the plans individual components more than half of the public say he lacks a clear plan for creating jobs despite his extensive travels around the country over the last six weeks selling his proposals with Americans distrust of government at its highest level ever according to the survey
With the nations unemployment rate at 9.1 income inequality remains a palpable issue for Americans. Nearly 9 in 10 Democrats two-thirds of independents and just over one-third of all Republicans say that the distribution of wealth in the country should be more equitable.
The poll showed the depth of malaise even as the president intensifies his re-election campaign and Republican candidates implore voters to give them a look.
With the nations first Republican nominating contests just two months away a large majority of primary voters have yet to make up their minds about the candidate they hope becomes their nominee. About 8 in 10 Republican primary voters said it was still too early to tell whom they will support and just 4 in 10 said they had been paying a lot of attention to the race.
Mr. Cain the former chief executive of Godfathers Pizza is riding the latest wave of support among Republican primary voters that has placed him in a statistical dead heat with Mr. Romney the former governor ofMassachusetts. Support for Mr. Perry has weakened to 6 placing him among the 2nd-tier candidates with the former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Representative Ron Paul of Texas.
On Tuesday the Congressional Budget Office released a new study concluding that income distribution had become much more uneven in the last three decades a report that could figure prominently in the battle over how to revive the economy and rein in the federal debt.
The polls overall findings underscore a dissatisfaction and restlessness heading into the election season that has been highlighted through competing voices from the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements a broad anti-Washington sentiment and the cross-currents inside both parties
about the best way forward.
Not only do 89 of Americans say they distrust government to do the right thing but 74 say the country is on the wrong track and 84 disapprove of Congress warnings for Democrats and Republicans alike.
Congressional Republicans are viewed even worse than the president with 71 of the public saying the party does not have a clear plan for creating jobs. And support for several other Republican proposals is more tepid than for Mr. Obamas initiatives to lift the economy.
Only about a quarter of the public said that lowering taxes on large corporations or repealing the entire national health care law was a good idea. But half of the public favors reducing or repealing regulations on businesses in the United States.
