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Kerry Returns to Valley -- and to Top of Newsweek Poll
Kerry Returns to Valley -- and to Top of Newsweek PollDemocratic presidential candidate's town hall meeting in Austintown comes as post-debate bounce puts him ahead of Bush.YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- John Kerry returns to the Mahoning Valley Sunday to talk about economic issues and for the first time since the end of August, the Democratic presidential candidate appears to be running ahead of President George W. Bush.A Newsweek Poll released Saturday night, and conducted after Thursday's presidential debate, puts Kerry ahead of Bush in a two-way matchup -- 49% to 46%. When third-party candidate Ralph Nader is factored into the numbers, Kerry still leads but by a margin of 47% to 45%.Kerry will arrive late Sunday morning at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport then depart for a town meeting at Austintown Fitch High School. The event, billed as a discussion about jobs and the economy, will not be carried live by any of the Mahoning Valley's television stations -- unlike in April when Kerry spoke in downtown Youngstown. Joked an employee of WKBN-TV, "We're carrying the Browns at the time he's speaking, and if we pre-empted the game, fans would burn the building down."The presidential candidate's visit will, however, be covered extensively on local TV newscasts and by newspaper reporters (The Daily Business Journal Online will post a comprehensive report Monday morning.).Kerry is scheduled to depart from the Youngstown-Warren airport around 4:20 Sunday afternoon and fly to Cleveland Hopkins Airport where he will be greeted by a contingent of veterans. The candidate will attend a fellowship meeting at the East Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland then fly to Portsmouth, N.H., where he will spend the night.The Kerry campaign announced Saturday that it has released two new television ads that focus on strengthening and expanding the middle class and criticize Bush for "giving billions to drug companies and tax breaks to CEOs who have shipped jobs overseas."Bush drew a huge and enthusiastic crowd Saturday in Cuyahoga Falls where he, too, focused on the middle class and programs his administration has created to help families. The president also touched on taxes -- vowing he wouldn't let Kerry raise taxes because he is going to be re-elected. Then he turned to what polls show voters believe are the two most important issues in this campaign: war in Iraq and homeland security."This election will determine how America responds to the continuing danger of terrorism," Bush said. "Since the terrible morning of September the 11th, 2001, we've fought the terrorists across the Earth -- not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are at stake. Our strategy is clear. We're defending the homeland. We're reforming and strengthening our intelligence services. We're strengthening our all-volunteer army -- which will remain an all-volunteer army. We are staying on the offensive. We are striking the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home."The Newsweek Poll shows the presidential debate, which centered on the war in Iraq, erased the lead Bush has held over Kerry since the Republican convention. Two weeks ago, the Newsweek Poll had Bush ahead by 11 points; one week ago, the president's lead was five points.According to the latest Newsweek Poll, 61% of Americans who watched the debate say Kerry won; 19% say Bush won and 16% say they tied. A 62 percent majority of debate viewers say Kerry seemed more confident and self assured (26% say so for Bush) and 51% say Kerry had better command of issues and facts (37% for Bush). Forty-seven percent say Kerry seemed more personally likeable (41% for Bush) and 49% say Kerry came closer to reflecting their own views on most foreign policy issues (43% for Bush). The two were nearly even on several other points, including who came across as a strong leader (47% Kerry, 44% Bush) and who had a better plan for dealing with the situation in Iraq (45% for both). Forty percent of viewers thought Kerry was too wordy and 57% thought Bush was too repetitive, the poll found.Fifty-seven percent of all respondents say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time. Bush's job approval rating dropped two points from the Sept. 9-10 Newsweek Poll to 46% -- a 6-point drop since the poll taken during and after the Republican convention. Forty-eight percent of registered voters polled say they would not like to see Bush re-elected but almost as many (46%) say they would.A 60-percent majority of registered voters say Bush administration policies and diplomatic efforts have led to more anti-Americanism around the world and 51% say the administration has not done enough to involve major allies and international organizations in trying to achieve its foreign policy goals, the poll shows.On Iraq, 50% of registered voters polled say the war in Iraq was not necessary; 46% say it was. And 55% of registered voters say going to war in Iraq has not made Americans safer from terrorism; 41% say it has. Fifty-one percent of registered voters say the Bush administration misinterpreted or misanalyzed the intelligence reports it said indicated Iraq had banned weapons; 41% say it didn't. And 45% say the administration purposely misled the public about evidence that Iraq had banned weapons in order to build support for the war; 50% say it did not.As for who will handle issues better overall, among registered voters Bush leads Kerry, 52% to 40% on terrorism and homeland security; the situation in Iraq (49% vs. 44%); the situation involving Israel and the Palestinians (46% vs. 39%) and controlling the spread of nuclear weapons (47% v. 43%). Kerry scores better on the economy (52% vs. 39%); health care, including Medicare (56% to 34%) and American jobs and foreign competition (54% vs. 36%), the poll shows.Overall, 62 percent say Bush has strong leadership qualities (compared to 56% who say so for Kerry). Sixty-six percent say Bush says what he believes, not just what people want to hear, compared to 48% for Kerry. Sixty-five percent say Bush is personally likeable (63% say so for Kerry). But more registered voters (57%) say Kerry is honest and ethical (vs. 55% for Bush); the same amount (51%) says they would trust Kerry to make the right decisions during an international crisis as would trust Bush (51%); and more (57%) say Kerry cares about people like them (vs. 49% for Bush). And 80% of registered voters say Kerry is intelligent and well informed, compared to 59% for Bush.For this Newsweek Poll, Princeton Survey Research Associates International interviewed 1,013 registered voters on Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 2. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points."