Voters Confused, Statements Harsh

Only 44 percent of the public agrees with the US President’s policies. This is a dangerous statistic for a presidential candidate running for a second term at the White House, wrote the NYT. People who do not support Bush politics, the war in Iraq, or his economy policies still constitute the majority. However, although most American voters believe that Kerry would do a better job to end the war in Iraq, recover social security, and create employment, they also regard Kerry as an unreliable politician.

The NYT-CBS poll found that Kerry and Bush share the votes at 46 percent. Among probable voters, the split is only slightly different at 47-45 with a small lead for Bush. Despite that, 52 percent share that they have Democrat views while 47 percent say they are Republicans.

Meanwhile, as the election nears, the statements and conduct of the candidates gets more intense. Bush accused Kerry of taking a "protest and defeat" stance in Iraq and used the term "flip-flop" to describe him. According to Kerry, Bush is "arrogant".

Florida, one of the battleground states, has begun early elections, but there are complaints about technical problems with the machines. This year, 30 states have the opportunity to hold elections before November 2nd in order to stimulate voting.