Calling it a “can’t win” dynamic, SurveyUSA has completed a three-day poll that show his already-falling approval numbers declining in the wake of his announcement of the “Gulf Opportunity Zone.” 56% of Americans disapprove of his response to Katrina, with some of that increase actually coming from Americans who say Bush is doing *too much* for Katrina victims; he’s “antagonizing his core supporters,” says SurveyUSA, by throwing cash at the problem. In fact, 41% say that the Gulf should be rebuilt with private money, while 27% say it should be rebuilt with public money.
One of the biggest disparities in the poll, according to the company, is the difference between black and white respondants’ perceptions of the goverment response:
The number of Blacks who today say the Government is “not doing enough” is 51 percentage points higher than the number of Blacks who say the Government is doing the “right amount” (70% “not enough”; 19% “right amount.”) That’s a 53-point disagreement between Whites and Blacks on this question.
The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.