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has now been one year since George W. Bush was elected president
— and about eleven months since he was actually declared the
president-elect. Questions about Bush's legitimacy, which had faded
well before September 11, have virtually disappeared since the start
of the war on terrorism.
But a new poll
shows that a significant number of Americans still view Bush's election
as questionable. In the first days of this month, the Gallup organization
asked respondents this question: "Which comes closest to your
view of the way George W. Bush won the 2000 presidential election:
a) He won it fair and square, b) He won, but only on a technicality,
or c) He stole the election."
Of the total
survey of 1,012 respondents, just half — exactly 50 percent
— say Bush won the election fair and square. Thirty-two percent
say he won on a technicality, while 15 percent say he stole the
election — making a total of 47 percent who believe that Bush
did not win fair and square (the remaining three percent
say they don't know).
A large majority
of Republicans — 85 percent — say Bush won fair and square.
But the president's numbers with independents are not nearly as
good. Less than half of them — 43 percent — say he won
fair and square. Thirty-six percent say he won a technicality, and
16 percent say he stole the election — making a total of 52
percent who believe that Bush did not win fair and square. Among
Democrats, just 18 percent say he won fair and square, while 51
percent say he won a technicality, and 28 percent say he stole the
election — for a total of 79 percent who say Bush did not win
fair and square.
Breaking down
the numbers by sex, the survey shows that less than half of the
nation's women — 45 percent — believe that Bush won the
election fair and square. Thirty-seven percent of women believe
Bush won a technicality, while 14 percent say he stole the election.
A majority of men — 56 percent — say that Bush won fair
and square, while 27 percent say he won on a technicality and 15
percent say he stole the election. (It's not possible to examine
the numbers in any greater detail — to see, for example, if
black opposition to Bush's election remains as high as it was a
year ago — because Gallup declined to release breakdowns by
any categories other than political party and sex.)
Coming a year
after the disputed election, the new poll suggests that a significant
number of Americans will never accept Bush's election as completely
legitimate. On the other hand, in light of other polls on Bush's
job approval, the new numbers suggest that opinions about the election
are not a factor in Bush's standing today. Recent Gallup polls have
shown Bush with an 89 percent positive job approval rating, with
just an eight percent disapproval rating — which means that
while 47 percent of those surveyed believe Bush either won on a
technicality or stole the election in 2000, 89 percent approve of
him now.
While that
seems to suggest the election controversy has slid into irrelevance,
it's always possible it could make a comeback if Bush's approval
ratings were to fall significantly. Even when Bush is riding high,
nearly half of Americans don't believe he won the election fair
and square.
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