Democrats are fond of belittling President Bush as dumb and inartiuclate, but according to a recent survey by Rasmussen Reports 72% of Americans have a “clear idea of where he stands on the key issues facing the nation today. Just 14% do not.”
And what of the suave, sophisticated, intelligently articulate and nuanced John Kerry? “[J]ust 47% say they have a clear idea where he stands on key issues. Thirty-four percent do not.”
The same survey found that “38% of voters believe President Bush is more conservative than they are. A larger number, 51%, say that Senator Kerry is more liberal. Thirty-five percent (35%) say that Bush is generally close to their views while 27% say the same of Kerry.”
Well, that’s what a “If-you-hate-Bush-vote-for-me” campaign does to you, I suppose.
Trying to be fair: it =could= be that most people have had a lot more chances with regards with Bush, as they’ve had four years to figure out where he stands; Kerry, not known for being a great legislative leader, is only now being covered as heavily as the President.
Mind you, I don’t think extra coverage now is going to make people like Kerry better. Ignorance can be political bliss.
Kerry is not really likely to illuminate his positions much because his is too obtuse and inconsistent. GWB may be accused of being a little too comic book simple, but he is at least generally sticking with the same comic book.
I’m all for bashing Kerry’s “nuance” [sic], but these poll results strike me as revealing the issue of familiarity, not the question of clarity.