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Study: Bush Raises the Terrorism Fear Factor...And His Poll Numbers Jump Too

A new study by political scientists at Columbia University finds that three things follow from presidential pronouncements on terrorism: the media repeat the president's remarks; public fear of terrorism increases; and the president's poll numbers rise.

The study found that since 9/11 increases in terror alerts always made the top of the news on the three major networks while decreases got far less play. Reports the San Francisco Chronicle:

The official with the greatest ability to shift opinion on terrorism, the researchers found, is Bush, whose statements in the media about terrorism correlated highly with increases in the public's perception of terrorism as a major national problem -- and with increases in his approval ratings.

At the beginning of July 2002, for example, approval of the president's handling of terrorism was around 79 percent. After television coverage of one statement by Bush and seven public statements by administration officials about the terrorist threat, the president's rating rose to 83 percent.

In June 2004, approval for the president's handling of terrorism had fallen to 50 percent. One month later, after an increase in television coverage of Bush's comments on terrorism, that number had risen to 57 percent.

As I mentioned earlier, our handy interactive timeline can be a great tool for putting the day's news in context. So, for example, if you click on the "Terror Alert" link you get a list of all the times between 9/11 and March, 2003 when the government scared the bejesus out of us with dark warnings of impending attacks.

Now, of course...

The Columbia study does not conclude the White House intentionally used terror alerts to influence the president's popularity.

But, ahem, ...

...[I]t is unlikely the White House is ignorant of the effect, said Nacos, who added that former Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge has complained publicly that he was sometimes pushed to raise the threat level on the basis of flimsy intelligence.

Posted by Julian Brookes on 09/06/06 at 5:02 PM | E-mail | Print



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Comments

Finally someone puts together what we all knew, in a comprehensive/scientific way.
Why is noone, not even you MOJO, reporting on British intel's assertion that the GOP forced the terroriet arrests in the UK with marginal evidence to get Ted Lamont off the front page?
This was reported in the Seattle Times (??) and went nowhere, and now I can't take toothpaste in my carry-on because Leiberman lost his primary.

Posted by: cboas on 09/07/06 at 7:32 AM

Bush became the enabler of the Neoconservatives in 2000, who are neither conservative or liberal, but mostly republican, and their PNAC agenda to take control of the mid east and any other country where we have interests, who might give us trouble.They're the closest thing to facsism in our government. Fear mongering tactics is all they have to retain power. They take it out every 2 years and go on tour. Bush hasn't done a damned thing for this country, or the people in it, except run it in the ground while catering to Corporate America. Those that support this guy are either unstable, fanatical, blinded by faith, or just ignorant to his doings. They strongly support Israel, I'm not sure why, must be for money, because that's what they live for. These are dangerous people to have this much power, as you know by the wars we're involved in. If he don't get kicked out before 2008, we'll probably be fighting in Iran. Pakistan prez gave bin laden some form of amnisty as long as he behaves himself. So. if Bush is true to the war on terrorism, he has to attack Pakistan for supporting terrorists.
Social Security will probably pop up again soon. There's probably not alot of it left. He's been selling national security bonds like crazy to get the money he needs to fulfil his agenda, well, the neocon's agenda's. The bonds are long term, interest bearing, supported by the SS funds. Legally, the government can't spend this money out right, because it's a trust fund that belongs to Americans who've paid into it. But they can invest it, hence the bonds. It's a back door drainage of SS and once it's gone - it's GONE! That's why he's so adament to get a new system in place before anyone finds out what he's done. Like everything else he's ever done, he's run this country into a deep, deep hole. I feel sorry for the next guy! He may have taken us to a point of no return. We're dispized world wide because he has no diplomatic skills! Clinton was a diplomat!
I see a rude awakening coming for this country when he leaves office. All his and Uncle Dick's secrets will start to be revealed, but it may be years until we know alot. We're sure to not know everything, though. I just hope we can survive it til then.

Posted by: jc on 09/09/06 at 12:08 AM

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