Take note of myth #3
I had heard rumors of this right after the election but didn't want
to say anything until I was sure. Unlike those on this forum that
kneel at the throne of the main stream press...
Also the evangelical turnout in 2004 was statistically the same as
2000. I suppose the Theocracy ruled by King George will not be able
to impose mandatory wendsday night bible study and sunday morning
church attendance as law. This should give some comfort to our
liberal friends.
What Really Happened?:
Survey Results Debunk the Myths of 2004 Election
JIM MCLAUGHLIN JOHN MCLAUGHLIN
TIMES-DISPATCH GUEST COLUMNIST
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Washington. The theories from liberals and the old media as to why
John Kerry lost the presidential election reconfirm that they just
don't understand the values and priorities of middle-class America.
While they seem to believe that most Americans who voted for
President Bush are idiots, religious zealots, or both, the results
from our post-election survey show the American people gave President
Bush a clear victory for practical and common-sense reasons. They
voted for George W. Bush because they trusted his character and were
more in agreement with him on the two most important issues of the
day: fighting the war on terror and improving the economy.
In spite of what liberals and the media may say, the voters made an
educated and rational decision in giving President Bush a clear
victory on Election Day.
Myth #1: The American people don't like George W. Bush or his
policies.
Fact: A clear majority of voters (54 percent) approves of the job
Bush has done as President.
Ironically, President Bush's favorable rating was lower than his job
approval rating. This means people voted for Bush because they
believed he was doing a good job and agreed with him on the most
important issues of the day, which were keeping America safe from
terror and improving the economy.
Myth #2: American voters didn't vote for Bush; they were voting
against Kerry, and didn't want to change horses during a time of war.
Fact: 83 percent of Bush voters said they were voting for George W.
Bush; while only 11 percent said they were voting against John Kerry.
The leading responses as to why Americans voted for Bush were because
they felt he was doing a good job and they agreed with him on the
issues.
In contrast, only 52 percent of Kerry voters were voting for John
Kerry and 42 percent said they were voting against Bush.
Myth #3: George W. Bush won only because of gay marriage.
Fact: Less than 2 percent said gay marriage was the most important
issue in deciding their vote for President. Terrorism/war in Iraq (38
percent) and economic issues (26 percent) were the most important
issues to voters. Nearly two-thirds of the voters said either
terrorism/war or economic issues were the most important in deciding
their vote. In fact, gay marriage was the least important issue among
voters in deciding their vote for President. Overall, 12 percent
mentioned a moral issue as being the most important in deciding their
vote.
Myth #4: John Kerry beat George W. Bush in the debates.
Fact: By a 50-percent-to-47-percent margin, voters were more likely
to agree with President Bush on the issues in the debates.
While the liberal media and the national Democrats seemed to be
scoring the debates on style points (and on a scale biased against
the President in the first place), the American people were more
concerned about the issues and substance, and said they were more
likely to agree with Bush on those issues.
Myth #5: George W. Bush lost moderate Republicans because he was too
extreme.
Fact: Bush beat John Kerry among Republicans 92 percent to 8 percent.
There was virtually no such thing as a Kerry Republican in this
election. Bush received 85 percent of the moderate Republican vote.
Myth #6: Okay, George W. Bush was too extreme for women.
Fact: Bush tied John Kerry among women, and he won decisively among
men. There remains a marriage gap, as Bush does significantly better
among married voters. In addition, Bush had a clear advantage among
married women over Kerry.
Myth #7: Conservative ideology hurts George W. Bush and Republicans.
Fact: The conservative-issue philosophy is the biggest strength of
the Republican Party.
Self-described conservatives (40 percent) outnumbered liberals (22
percent) by nearly a 2-1 margin, and those conservatives voted
overwhelmingly for George W. Bush. Moderates accounted for 34 percent
of the electorate. Bush's advantage among conservatives clearly
helped propel him to victory.
Myth #8: All the undecided voters will go for John Kerry.
Fact: George W. Bush received a large share of the undecided voters.
Bush received the majority of the vote from early deciders, and
shattered the hypothesis that undecided voters would overwhelmingly
break against an incumbent President by garnering a large share of
late deciders.
Myth #9: The American people know the Bush tax cuts hurt the economy.
Fact: According to CNN's exit polls, by a 40-percent-to-33-percent
margin, voters believe the Bush tax cuts were good for the economy
over those who said they were bad for the economy.
Myth #10: Americans like John Kerry's economic policies better than
George W. Bush's.
Fact: Kerry's class-warfare strategy backfired, and voters agreed
more with George W. Bush when it came to the economy.
While Kerry won with households earning less than $20,000 a year, he
lost decisively among middle-class households earning over $20,000 a
year. Whenever a politician such as Kerry talks about raising taxes,
even when he says it will affect only the wealthy, middle-class
Americans hold onto their wallets.
Myth #11: Americans oppose the war in Iraq, and they don't believe
the war in Iraq has made them safer.
Fact: Americans believe the war in Iraq is making them safer here at
home. In CNN's exit poll, by 50 percent to 46 percent, voters
approved of the President's decision to go to war in Iraq, and 54
percent believed the war in Iraq is keeping us safer here at home.
Myth #12: George W. Bush's pro-life position hurts him politically.
Fact: Among single-issue abortion voters, those who said abortion was
the most important issue in deciding their vote for President, Bush
won overwhelmingly 85 percent to 15 percent.
Myth #13: George W. Bush can't compete with John Kerry and the
Democrats when it comes to the Latino vote.
Fact: Bush received 42 percent of the Latino vote according to the
CNN exit poll.
Myth #14: Self-proclaimed Catholic John Kerry will overwhelmingly win
the Catholic vote over George W. Bush.
Fact: Bush won among Catholics, 51 percent to 49 percent.
Jim and John McLaughlin are founders of McLaughlin & Associates, a
public opinion and survey research company based in New York and
Washington.