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The Presidency

Regardless of which presidential candidate you preferred, do you think the Obama administration will or will not be able to do each of the following? How about -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

A. Substantially reduce the federal budget deficit

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	42	56	2

*George W. Bush*
(Reduce the federal budget deficit)
2005 Jan 14-16 ^	26	70	4

(Keep the federal budget balanced)
2001 Jan 15-16	50	46	4

*Bill Clinton*
(Reduce the federal budget deficit)
1993 Feb 16-17	50	45	5
1993 Feb 12-14	46	48	6
1992 Nov 10-11	38	54	8

*George H.W. Bush*
(Reduce the federal budget deficit)
1989 Jan 24-25	39	46	15
1988 Nov 14-Dec 4	33	52	15

*Ronald Reagan*
(Balance the budget)
1980 Nov 21-24	30	55	15

^ Asked of a half sample

B. Create a strong economic recovery

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	64	34	2

*George W. Bush*
(Keep America prosperous)
2005 Jan 14-16 ^	62	35	3
2001 Jan 15-16	63	33	4

*Bill Clinton*
(Improve the economy)
1992 Nov 10-11	59	35	6

*George H.W. Bush*
(Keep America prosperous)
1989 Jan 24-25	74	15	10
1988 Nov 14-Dec 4	65	23	12

C. Increase respect for the United States abroad

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	76	22	1

*George W. Bush*
2005 Jan 14-16 ^ †	50	48	2
2001 Jan 15-16 †	58	38	4

*Bill Clinton*
1992 Nov 10-11	50	40	10

*George H.W. Bush*
1989 Jan 24-25	74	15	11
1988 Nov 14-Dec 4	64	24	12

*Ronald Reagan*
1980 Nov 21-24	62	24	14

^ Asked of a half sample
† WORDING: Improve respect for the United States abroad

D. Improve education

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	71	27	1

*George W. Bush*
2005 Jan 14-16 ^	58	40	2
2001 Jan 15-16	66	32	2

*Bill Clinton*
1992 Nov 10-11	69	25	6

*George H.W. Bush*
1988 Nov 14-Dec 4	61	30	9

^ Asked of a half sample

E. Improve the quality of the environment

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	70	28	2

*George W. Bush*
2005 Jan 14-16 ^	39	57	4
2001 Jan 15-16	42	52	6

*Bill Clinton*
1992 Nov 10-11	64	29	7

*George H.W. Bush*
1989 Jan 24-25	62	26	12
1988 Nov 14-Dec 4	50	36	14

^ Asked of a half sample

F. Improve conditions for minorities and the poor

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	80	19	1

*George W. Bush*
2001 Jan 15-16 ^	44	51	5

*Bill Clinton*
1992 Nov 10-11	68	27	5

*George H.W. Bush*
1988 Nov 14-Dec 4	39	48	13

^ WORDING: Improve conditions for the disadvantaged and the poor

G. Avoid raising your taxes

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	36	61	2

*George W. Bush*
(Improve the federal tax system)
2005 Jan 14-16 ^	49	47	4
(Cut your taxes)
2001 Jan 15-16	49	46	5

*Bill Clinton*
1993 Feb 12-14 ^	15	82	3
1992 Nov 10-11 ^	20	74	6

*George H.W. Bush*
1989 Jan 24-25 ^	29	64	8
1988 Nov 14-Dec 4 ^	24	68	8

^ Asked of a half sample

H. Improve the healthcare system

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	64	34	1

*George W. Bush*
2005 Jan 14-16 ^	44	53	3
2001 Jan 15-16	46	49	5

*Bill Clinton*
1992 Nov 10-11	64	30	6

^ Asked of a half sample

I. Reduce unemployment

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	67	32	1

*Bill Clinton*
1993 Feb 12-13	56	38	6
1992 Nov 10-11	58	37	5

*Ronald Reagan*
1980 Nov 21-24	47	37	16

J. Control federal spending

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	52	46	2

*Bill Clinton*
1993 Feb 12-13	52	43	5
1992 Nov 10-11	40	54	6

K. Control illegal immigration

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	35	62	3

L. Reduce U.S. dependence on oil

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	57	41	2

M. Keep the U.S. safe from terrorism

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	62	36	2

*George W. Bush*
2005 Jan 14-16 ^	68	30	2

^ Asked of a half sample

N. Bring U.S. troops home from Iraq in a way that is not harmful to the U.S.

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	66	33	2

O. Bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan in a way that is not harmful to the U.S.

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	58	40	2

P. Heal political divisions in this country

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	54	44	2

*George W. Bush*
2005 Jan 14-16 ^	33	64	3
2001 Jan 15-16	41	53	6

^ Asked of a half sample

Now I'd like you to think about Barack Obama's ability to handle a number of things over the next four years. Please tell me whether you are very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not at all confident that Barack Obama can -- [RANDOM ORDER]?

A. Handle an international crisis

	Very confident	Some- what confident	Not too confident	Not at all confident	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	36	31	18	14	*

*George W. Bush*
2005 Jan 14-16	36	28	17	18	1
2001 Jan 15-16	32	39	19	9	1

*Bill Clinton*
1997 Jan 10-13	27	45	16	11	1
1993 Jan 8-11	20	50	19	9	2
* Less than 0.5%

B. Use military force wisely

	Very confident	Some- what confident	Not too confident	Not at all confident	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	37	32	17	14	*

*George W. Bush*
2005 Jan 14-16	34	22	19	24	1
2001 Jan 15-16	41	37	14	7	1
* Less than 0.5%

C. Defend U.S. interests abroad as president

	Very confident	Some- what confident	Not too confident	Not at all confident	No opin- ion
	%	%	%	%	%
*Barack Obama*
2008 Nov 7-9	37	34	18	10	1

*Bill Clinton*
1992 Nov 10-11	23	42	23	9	2

In dealing with the problems facing the country, do you think Barack Obama will or will not make a sincere effort to work with the Republicans in Congress to find solutions that are acceptable to both parties?

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Nov 7-9	80	19	1

Do you think the Republicans in Congress will or will not make a sincere effort to work with Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress to find solutions that are acceptable to both parties?

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Nov 7-9	62	37	2

Do you think the Democrats in Congress will or will not make a sincere effort to work with the Republicans in Congress to find solutions that are acceptable to both parties?

	Yes, will	No, will not	No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Nov 7-9	59	40	1

Just your best guess, do you think the policies that Barack Obama will pursue as president will be mostly liberal, mostly moderate, or mostly conservative?

(If "liberal" or "conservative", probe :) Do you think they will be very [liberal/conservative] or only somewhat [liberal/conservative]?

	Very liberal	Liberal	Moderate	Conserva- tive	Very conserva- tive	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Nov 7-9	24	19	45	5	4	3

Do you think it is better for the country -- [ROTATED: to have a president who comes from the same political party that controls Congress, (or do you think it is better) to have a president from one political party and Congress controlled by another]?

	Same party	Different parties	No difference (vol.)/No opinion
	%	%	%
2008 Sep 8-11 ^	40	41	19
2006 Sep 7-10 ^	37	48	15
2005 Sep 12-15 ^	44	43	13
2004 Sep 13-15 ^	43	35	22
2003 Sep 8-10 ^	46	45	9
2002 Sep 5-8 ^	44	41	15
2002 Apr 5-7	43	42	15
2001 Sep 7-10	43	45	12
2000 Oct 6-9	48	40	12

*Extended trend*: Do you think it is better for the country to have a president who comes from the same political party that controls Congress, or do you think it is better to have a president from one political party and Congress controlled by another?

	Same party	Different parties	No difference (vol.)/No opinion
	%	%	%
2002 Apr 5-7 ^	41	43	16
2001 Sep 7-10 ^	42	46	12
2000 Oct 6-9 ^	45	42	13
1998 Apr 17-19	40	42	18
1997 Sep 25-28	31	45	24
1997 Aug 22-25	42	41	17
1994 Oct 7-9	45	37	18
1994 Jan 15-17	46	36	18
1993 Aug 8-10	48	37	15

*CBS/New York Times poll trend:*
1992 Sep	47	31	22
1989 Sep	35	45	20
^ Asked of a half sample
(vol.) = Volunteered response

Do you think it is better for the country -- [ROTATED: to have a president who comes from the same political party that controls Congress, does it make no difference either way, or do you think it is better to have a president from one political party and Congress controlled by another]?

	Same party	No difference	Different parties	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2008 Sep 8-11 ^	34	34	25	7
2007 Sep 14-16	26	38	29	6
2006 Sep 7-10 ^	28	36	32	3
2006 Jun 23-25	26	38	31	5
2005 Sep 12-15 ^	29	33	36	2
2004 Sep 13-15 ^	33	37	26	4
2003 Sep 8-10 ^	35	37	26	2
2002 Sep 5-8 ^	34	33	30	3
^ Asked of a half sample

How do you think each of the following presidents will go down in history -- as an outstanding president, above average, average, below average, or poor? [RANDOM ORDER]

A. The current president, George W. Bush

	Out- standing	Above average	Average	Below average	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2006 Dec 8-10	4	15	27	25	29	*

2004 Jun 3-6	6	25	30	23	15	1
* Less than 0.5%

B. Bill Clinton

	Out- standing	Above average	Average	Below average	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2008 Aug 21-23	13	36	29	10	11	1
2006 Dec 8-10	12	33	29	15	10	*
2004 Jun 3-6	9	29	31	18	13	*
2002 Jan 11-14	12	27	32	11	17	1
2001 Jan 5-7	15	32	30	11	11	1
2000 Jul 14-16	6	27	39	13	14	1
2000 Feb 14-15	8	29	34	12	16	1
1999 Feb 8-9	11	29	27	13	18	2
1998 Jan 24-25	8	23	37	16	14	2
1998 Jan 23-24	7	23	41	14	14	1
1997 Jan 31-Feb 2	6	30	47	8	8	1
* Less than 0.5%

C. The former president, George Bush, the father of the current president

	Out- standing	Above average	Average	Below average	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2006 Dec 8-10	5	27	50	10	8	*
2004 Jun 3-6	3	23	55	12	6	1
1999 Aug 3-4 ^	7	34	46	8	4	1
1993 Jan 8-11 ^	6	30	51	8	4	1

* Less than 0.5%
^ WORDING: George Bush

D. Ronald Reagan

	Out- standing	Above average	Average	Below average	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2006 Dec 8-10	24	40	26	6	4	1
2004 Jun 3-6 ^	15	43	31	6	4	1
1999 Aug 3-4	12	42	34	7	6	*
1993 Jan 8-11	8	30	37	15	9	1
1988 Dec 27-29	17	42	25	9	5	2
1988 Sep 9-11	12	40	24	11	9	4
1987 Jul 10-13	9	28	35	16	10	3
1986 Mar 7-10	16	46	23	8	5	2
1985 Jan 25-28	15	40	27	9	5	4

* Less than 0.5%
^ Reagan passed away on June 5. Interviewing from June 3-4 showed 12% giving him an outstanding rating, 41% above average, 33% average, 8% below average, and 5% poor.

E. Jimmy Carter

	Out- standing	Above average	Average	Below average	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2006 Dec 8-10	11	27	38	13	9	3
2004 Jun 3-6	5	22	48	17	7	1
1999 Aug 3-4	6	24	50	13	5	2
1993 Jan 8-11	3	13	40	27	14	3
1981 Jan 30-Feb 2	5	19	37	26	11	2
1980 Dec 5-8	3	11	37	31	15	3

F. Gerald Ford

	Out- standing	Above average	Average	Below average	Poor	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2006 Dec 8-10	6	17	60	9	3	5
2004 Jun 3-6	2	12	66	13	4	3
1976 Dec 10-13	5	20	50	15	7	4

Between now and the 2008 political conventions, there will be discussion about the qualifications of presidential candidates -- their education, age, religion, race, and so on. If your party nominated a generally well-qualified person for president who happened to be [ITEM A-J READ IN ORDER], would you vote for that person?

A. Jewish

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
2007 Dec 6-9	91	6	3
2007 Mar 2-4	93	5	2
2007 Feb 9-11	92	7	2
2003 May 30-Jun 1	89	8	3
1999 Feb 19-21	92	6	2
1987 Jul 10-13	89	6	5
1983 Apr 29-May 2	88	7	5
1978 Jul 21-24	82	12	6
1969 Mar 12-17	86	8	6
1967 Apr 19-24	82	13	5
1965 Jul 16-21	80	15	5
1963 Aug 15-20	77	17	6
1961 Aug 24-29	68	23	9
1959 Dec 10-15	72	22	6
1958 Sep 10-15	63	29	8
1958 Jul 30-Aug 4	62	28	10
1937 Feb 10-15	46	47	8

B. An atheist

	Yes	No	No opinion
2007 Dec 6-9	46	48	6
2007 Mar 2-4	48	48	4
2007 Feb 9-11	45	53	3
1999 Feb 19-21	49	48	3
1987 Aug 10-13	44	48	8
1983 Apr 29-May 2	42	51	7
1978 Jul 21-24	40	53	7
1959 Dec 10-15	22	74	5
1958 Sep 10-15	18	77	5
1958 Jul 30-Aug 4	18	75	7

C. Black

	Yes	No	No opinion
2007 Dec 6-9	93	5	2
2007 Mar 2-4	93	5	2
2007 Feb 9-11	94	5	1
2003 May 30-Jun 1	92	6	2
1999 Feb 19-21	95	4	1
1997 Jan 4-Feb 28	93	4	3
1987 Jul 10-13	79	13	8
1984 Jul 27-30	77	16	7
1983 Apr 29-May 2	77	16	7
1978 Jul 21-24	77	18	5
1971 Oct 8-11	69	23	7
1969 Mar 12-17	66	24	10
1967 Apr 19-24	53	41	6
1965 Jul 16-21	59	34	7
1963 Aug 15-20	48	45	7
1961 Aug 24-29	50	41	9
1959 Dec 10-15	49	46	5
1958 Sep 10-15	38	54	8
1958 Jul 30-Aug 4	37	53	10

D. Catholic

	Yes	No	No opinion
2007 Dec 6-9	93	4	3
2007 Mar 2-4	95	4	1
2007 Feb 9-11	95	4	1
2003 May 30-Jun 1	93	5	2
1999 Feb 19-21	94	4	2
1983 Apr 29-May 2	92	5	3
1978 Jul 21-24	91	4	5
1969 Mar 12-17	87	7	5
1967 Apr 19-24	90	8	2
1965 Jul 16-21	87	10	3
1963 Aug 15-20	84	13	3
1961 Aug 24-29	82	13	5
1960 May 26-31	71	21	8
1959 Dec 10-15	70	25	5
1959 Apr 2-7	70	21	9
1958 Sep 10-15	67	27	6
1958 Jul 30-Aug 4	69	24	7
1958 Jul 10-15	72	24	4
1958 May 7-12	72	21	7
1958 Apr 16-21	70	22	8
1956 May 31-Jun 5	72	22	5
1955 Jan 20-25	69	23	8
1940 Mar 27-Apr 2	61	33	7
1937 Feb 3-8	60	30	10

E. A homosexual

	Yes	No	No opinion
2007 Dec 6-9	56	41	3
2007 Mar 2-4	55	42	4
2007 Feb 9-11	55