Nation-Building >> Economy tops U.S. concerns for 1st time since 9-11, poll shows | return to front page

I know this is not entirely a "Dean related" article, but I think it's very important for Democratic primary voters to understand this. If they are hungry for a candidate who can actually beat George W. Bush, Gov. Howard Dean has the credentials that it seems America will be looking for. The Republican mindset is stuck in 1984. They think if they just keep throwing the term liberal around enough, that's all it takes. But when Dr. Dean stands up next to W at the debates and says he has balanced the budget and he can fix the economy, Americans will define what a "liberal" is for themselves.

WASHINGTON -- For the first time since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the American people are more concerned about the nation's economic woes than about terrorism, war or Iraq, a new poll found.

Fully 41 percent of those polled cited the economy, unemployment or the federal budget deficit as the nation's biggest problem, while 29 percent pointed to issues related to war and terrorism, according to the poll released Friday by the Pew Research Center.

President Bush's overall job-approval rating remains high -- 72 percent -- but that apparently has not translated into solid political support. Nineteen months before the 2004 presidential election, 48 percent of registered voters polled said they would support his re-election, while 34 percent said they would prefer a Democratic candidate.

Bush's job-approval rating is up significantly from a prewar rating of 55 percent, but it is still well below the 89 percent approval mark his father, President George H.W. Bush, reached after the 1991 Persian Gulf War.