A new Quinnipiac poll is out this morning, offering a pretty thorough take on how Americans perceive the president’s warrantless-search program, among other things. At this point, the clear majority of Americans are right where the Democrats are.
By a 76 – 19 percent margin, American voters say the government should continue monitoring phone calls or e-mail between suspected terrorists in other countries and people in the U.S., according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. But voters say 55 – 42 percent that the government should get court orders for this surveillance.
Voters in “purple states,” 12 states in which there was a popular vote margin of 5 percentage points or less in the 2004 Presidential election, plus Missouri, considered the most accurate barometer of Presidential voting, want wiretap warrants 57 – 39 percent.A total of 57 percent of voters are “extremely” or “quite” worried that phone and email taps without warrants could be misused to violate people’s privacy.
Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said, “Don’t turn off the wiretaps, most Americans say, but the White House ought to tell a judge first. Even red state voters, who backed President Bush in 2004, want to see a court okay for wiretaps.” Coincidentally, this is the same line Dems have been arguing since December. (Maybe the Dems’ message machine is more effective than we give them credit for. That, or common sense is just winning out.)
In fact, the Quinnipiac poll is chock full of interesting numbers — all of which should give Karl Rove heartburn.
* Approval rating — Only 36% of voters approve of the job President Bush is doing. That’s the lowest of his presidency in a Quinnipiac poll. In the competitive “purple” states, Bush is down to just 31% support.
* The war on terrorism — By a 10-point margin, 52% to 42%, Americans disapprove of the way Bush is handling terrorism. This, too, is the lowest of his presidency in a Quinnipiac poll. In the competitive “purple” states, the disapproval is even stronger, 57% to 39%.
* Partisan control of Congress — By a 49%-37% margin, voters want the Democrats to win control of Congress in this year’s House and Senate elections. It’s the biggest gap in a Quinnipiac poll since Bush took office. In the competitive “purple” states, the gap leans even more in the Dems’ direction, 53% to 33%.
Now, if only the election was on March 7, instead of November 7, I’d feel a lot more confident.