CNN analysts and Bush's media friends will tell you that the public isn't ready to assign blame (to President Bush) for the Katrina failures. But this poll says differently. (So does this one, for that matter)
VERONA, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 7, 2005--Americans asked to rate the job done by 7 key figures in the Hurricane Katrina story give highest marks to U.S. Army General Russell Honore, the so-called "John Wayne Dude," and give lowest marks to Director of FEMA Michael Brown, according to a just completed SurveyUSA poll of 1,200 Americans nationwide. SurveyUSA, on behalf of its media clients, asked Americans to rate the central Katrina newsmakers on a 1-to-10 scale, "where 10 means the person has done the best possible job any human in this position could have done, and 1 means the person has done the worst possible job that any human in this position could have done."
Here are the rankings, from highest ranked to lowest:
U.S. Army General Russell Honore ---------------- 6.8
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour -------------- 6.4
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ------------------- 5.7
Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco -------------- 5.2
President of the United States George W. Bush ---- 4.7
Director of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff --- 4.4
Director of FEMA Michael Brown ------------------ 4.3
Bush gets a 6.7 from Republicans, a 2.9 from Democrats and 4.5 from Independents. 54% of Democrats give President Bush a score of "1," indicating he has done the worst possible job that any human in his position could have done. 16% of Republicans and 35% of Independents give the president a "1." By contrast, 26% of Republicans give the president a "10," indicating he has done the best possible job any human in his position could have done. 5% of Democrats and 8% of Independents give the President a "10."
"Americans do not feel that the 'buck' stops in Baton Rouge," says Jay H. Leve, Editor of SurveyUSA.
|
