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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Featured Galleries: June 27, 2007 Senators, Bush earn low marks PORTLAND — Oregon voters dislike the job being done by President Bush and Congress, and are starting to lose some of their enthusiasm for U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith, a new statewide poll has found. The numbers for Bush were particularly weak, with one out of every two voters giving him the lowest possible ranking — "very unfavorable," according to the poll conducted for The Oregonian newspaper and KGW-TV. "These are some of the worst numbers we've ever seen," said pollster Adam Davis, of the Portland firm Davis, Hibbitts and Midghall, which did the survey. Thirty-four percent of voters gave favorable ratings for Congress, compared with 45 percent who rated it unfavorably. The poll sampled 400 registered voters statewide, and was conducted June 15-20. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. As for Wyden and Smith, they had favorable ratings of 54 percent and 46 percent, respectively. In early 2005, favorability ratings for Wyden and Smith stood about 10 percentage points higher, Davis said. Davis said it appears that "everyone is being pulled down" by the increasing unhappiness with the Bush administration. Gov. Ted Kulongoski had a favorable rating of 47 percent. The Legislature, meanwhile, had a 36 percent favorable rating and a 30 percent unfavorable rating. "Obviously, we've got a lot of work to do" to win over the public, Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, told The Oregonian. Courtney said he hopes voter attitudes will improve when this session ends, but thinks that will depend on how it's portrayed in the news media. "We'll try to spin it (positively), but nobody will believe us," he said. If you include the 25 percent who said they are "neutral" in their feelings toward the Legislature, that's a large chunk of people who don't actively dislike it, Courtney said. "I'll take 'neutral' any day," he said. Current Comments: I mostly agree with the poll. I feel Bush is the worst president in my lifetime. I think the both senators are doing a fairly good job...but the rest of the Republicans in Congress are causing gridlock. I respect Gordon's Smith stand on Iraq. ken johnson - St. Helens Oregon - June 27th, 1:33 PM I'm sorry,I just can't take a poll conducted in Oregon seriously, unless it's about clod kickn'or some logging event. Then I'd say Oregon has something to offer. You can't make a silk purse, etc,etc.when it comes to Oregon. No libraries, thanks to the logging and timber industry, no state tax which would be most equiptable, leaving clod kicking, sending their kids to a community college and still coming in behind Mississippi. I-5 is actually an escape route for all the recent emigres Thomas - ashland - June 27th, 3:16 PM Thomas- Your critique of the Oregonian falls flat given the fact that you can't write a simple sentence. Incoherence is not an argument. Do a spell check on your entry and you'll see why folks won't take you too seriously. Rather than 'writing while drunk'- try debating the issues as raised in the poll. And look up 'equiptable'... Lazlo - Ashram - June 27th, 9:17 PM Ah, c'mon Lazlo, don't go nucular on the poor guy! He's just making up words like so many of our fine examples in public life. Last time I checked Gordon Smith's website, he wanted to know if I had an opinion on terrorism, but not on our foreign or military policy. "Framing the issue" is the equivalent of telling you your opinion doesn't matter anyway. Clair - Baker City - June 28th, 10:42 AM Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising: Debt Help Inkjet Printers Payday Loans Free Ringtones Debt Consolidation Security Systems Debt Relief New Hampshire Primary Advertisement: Copyright © 2007 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved. Del.icio.us