Although
President George W. Bush has been traveling the country touting a new
plan to overhaul the Social Security system, campaigning in 15 states
over six weeks, the majority of Americans remain unswayed, according to
the latest NEWSWEEK poll. Only one-third of all Americans (33 percent)
approve of his proposal to create investment accounts under Social
Security, the poll found, while 59 percent disapprove. More Americans
(44 percent) trust Congressional Democrats with managing the
70-year-old program. The poll also found that, with the exception of
his handling of terrorism and homeland security, his approval numbers
are down across the board. The week he won re-election in
November, President Bush declared: "I earned capital in the campaign,
political capital, and now I intend to spend it." And spend it is what
he appears to have done: the president’s overall approval rating has
slipped below the 50 percent mark, his lowest score since being sworn
in again in January. Forty-five percent of all Americans approve of the
way he is doing his job, a five-point dip from early February; 48
percent disapprove, up six points. Bush's approval numbers have fallen
the most among the demographic at whom his Social Security overhaul is
targeted at: just 43 percent of 18-29 year olds approve of his
performance (down from 56 percent a month ago). [more]
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