Race Tightens Again, Kerry's Image Improves(PEW tied at 45/45 RV, 47/47 LV

[papau]

We seem to be back to 2000 numbers, as Pew finds Bush equals Kerry on "favorable" at 56%, with swing votes going "positive" for Bush at 60%, and for Kerry at 57%, with white Catholic voters coming home to Kerry 50%-43%, and with the gender gap at about the 2000 exit polling level- Kerry by 10 with the ladies, (51%-41%), Bush with the men (50%-39%). Older Women (50+) are moving to Kerry 53%-36%. A separate - not today's - Pew poll has Bush's job approval at 44%, with disapproval of Iraq (56%), and economy (55%), and with the Bush hole card -terrorism - only giving Bush 49% approval, and with the Bush lock on ability to defend us against future terrorist attacks remaining at 53%-35%, and even keeping "better to handle Iraq" 47%-41%, with, of course, Kerry leading on economy and health care.


Race Tightens Again, Kerry's Image Improves
Democrats, Blacks Less Confident in Accurate Vote Count
http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=229
Released: October 20, 2004

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Summary of Findings
About the Surveys
Questionnaire
Detailed Demographic Tables

Summary of Findings

As the campaign heads into its final stages, the presidential race is again extremely close. The latest Pew Research Center survey of 1,307 registered voters, conducted Oct. 15-19, finds President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry tied at 45%-45% among registered voters, and 47%-47% among likely voters.(1) These findings represent a gain in support for the Democratic challenger since early October, when he trailed the president among both likely and registered voters.

Kerry's gains in the horse race are tied more to an improving personal image than to growing strength on the issues. In particular, the Democratic challenger has virtually erased Bush's advantage for honesty and having good judgment in a crisis. Kerry is again seen as the more empathetic candidate, an advantage he held earlier in the campaign but lost after the Republican convention. Bush continues to lead by significant but narrowing margins as the stronger leader and as the candidate more willing to take an unpopular stand on the issues. <snip>


The survey finds that voter opinion is solidifying even as the race tightens. A decreasing number of supporters of each candidate ­ 8% of Kerry voters and 9% of Bush voters ­ say they could still change their vote before Nov. 2. Moreover, 80% of all voters say the candidates take different positions from one another on the issues, far higher than the percentage who expressed that view in June, and at any point in the 2000 campaign.

Voters are broadly aware of most of the character and policy criticisms being traded by the candidates, such as the charge that Kerry "changes his mind too much" and that Bush "misled the public about the war in Iraq." Among swing voters, in particular, the criticism that Kerry changes his mind too much is more damaging than the charges that he supports a return to big government or is "too liberal for the country." By contrast, two major charges against Bush ­ that he misled the public on Iraq and that he "cares more about the rich" ­ are about equally troubling to swing voters. <snip>

[sandnsea]

1. Catholics coming home to Kerry

That, folks, is the ball game. Kerry in a landslide.

[lancdem]

3. What does this mean?

with swing votes going "positive" for Bush at 60%

[papau]

4. You can feel positive about someone and not vote for him, but it is

unlikely that you will vote for someone you feel negative toward.

[pattycake]

5. YES, THE CATHOLIC WOMEN ARE GOING TO VOTE KERRY

BISHOPS & OTHERS TALKING ABOUT KERRY BEING EXCOMMUNICATED THROWS VOTES KERRY'S WAY. WE DON'T WANT CLERICS TELLING HOW TO VOTE!!!!

[jamesinca]

7. Life does not begin at birth

Here is why the Catholics are coming home to Kerry.

"A Catholic moral framework does not easily fit into the ideologies of "right" or "left", nor the platforms of any party.... Our responsibility is to measure all candidates, policies, parties, and platforms by how they protect or undermine the life, dignity, and rights of the human person, whether they protect the poor and vulnerable and advance the common good."

"Faithful Citizenship" as issued by the United States Catholic Bishops 2004
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It is a common misconception of politicians seeking office that the Catholic vote can be courted by addressing a narrow range of issues. In reality, the great majority of Catholics in the U.S., in agreement with the U.S. catholic Bishops, will vote for the candidates based "on the full range of issues, as well as on < the candidate's> personal integrity, philosophy, and performance"

Faithful Citizenship, U.S. Catholic Bishops, 2004
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Members of the media- and indeed a few of our own religious leaders- do a great disservice to our church and nation when they attempt to use one or another issue as a benchmark for Catholic identity.

"The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine. A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church's social doctrine does not exhaust one's responsibility toward the common good"
(Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, November 24, 2002, and approved by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II)
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The Catholic Church teaches that all life is sacred. A candidate for office must understand that the Church stands against any policy or course of action that diminishes life, dignity or the rights of the human person: abortion, capital punishment, war, scandalous poverty, denial of health care, mistreatment of immigrants and racism, to name but a few.

There are 60 million Catholics in the U.S. We take the responsibility of voting seriously. Each of us will evaluate candidates based on what our conscience- formed by reading the signs of the times in light of the example of Jesus in the Scriptures and the teachings of our Church throughout the ages- demands. We will examine the broad range of issues, measuring "all candidates, policies, parties, and platforms by how they protect or undermine the life, dignity, and rights of the human person, whether they protect the poor and vulnerable and advance the common good."

"Faithful Citizenship" U.S. Catholic Bishops 2004.
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There is why the Catholics are coming home to John Kerry. It is footnoted, referenced and quoted that the Pope and any responsible Catholic thinks Bush needs to lose.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. Women and Catholics will vote for Kerry.

That means we can get a respectable Victory.

maybe:
Kerry 51.4%
Bush 46.6%
Others 2.0%

[David__77]

6. The message of the polls is--we better work our asses off to haul people..

...to the real polls on election day. It must be a holy struggle (in the secular sense if you wish). We have a solemn responsibility to repudiate American's fascist with a "compassionate" face.

[llmart]

8. Today I saw a crawl on MSRNC.....

that said Bush's approval rating was climbing. I swear to God, I had to look twice. I just saw an article a couple of days ago that said his approval ratings were in the low 40's. How is that climbing? Our media is ignorant.

[BamaLefty]

9. Ballgame

This election is over... Kerry will be the next President.

:kick:

[rocktivity]

10. BUSH VIRTUAL REALITY ALERT!

Please ignore this poll, as it is a product of the Bush empire's Faith-Based Reality Manufacturing Program. Details here.

:headbang:
rocknation