It's the War, Healthcare and the Economy, Stupid

[BridgeTheGap]

Gallup
Just What Types of Change Do Americans Want?
Fixing problems is major focus

PRINCETON, NJ -- One of the most frequently heard mantras on the presidential campaign trail this year has been the call for "change." Several of the leading presidential candidates have adopted "change" as a campaign theme and have rushed to claim that they themselves are the candidates for change. Barack Obama has made change the central motif of his campaign from the beginning, saying he is for "real change in Washington." Former President Bill Clinton responded to Obama's claim to own the "change" theme by saying Obama is the "establishment" candidate and would engender only the "feeling of change." Republican Mitt Romney put out a press release entitled, "Governor Mitt Romney Calls for Change." A recent news story about John McCain carried the title: "McCain Also Calls Himself 'Agent of Change,'" quoting McCain as saying, "I've made the greatest change."

Given Americans' low levels of satisfaction with the way things are going in the United States, their very low ratings of government, Congress, and the president, and their low satisfaction level with the way the government system works, the desire for change is not surprising.

It's abundantly clear that Americans want a change from the presidency of George W. Bush, at a time when Bush's job approval rating has been stuck in the 30% to 35% range for many months. A question included in the Jan. 10-13 USA Today/Gallup poll found that almost 8 out of 10 Americans express the desire for the next president to change direction from Bush's policies.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/103783/Just-What-Types-Change-Americans-Want.aspx