Questions and Answers About Vice President Dick Cheney
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
by Joseph Carroll
1. Do Americans Have a Favorable View of Dick Cheney?
The American public's opinion of Cheney is slightly more positive than negative, according to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, and his current favorable rating marks the lowest of his term. The Feb. 16-17 poll finds 45% of Americans say they have a favorable opinion of Cheney, while 42% have an unfavorable opinion and the rest have no opinion. The same poll found President George W. Bush's favorable ratings significantly higher than Cheney's, at 56%.
Cheney's favorable ratings have been higher than they are now for much of his term. Cheney's favorable ratings averaged 63% in both 2001 and 2002, but fell to 56% for 2003. Cheney's highest favorability rating was measured in January 2002, at a time when the president and other government officials were receiving high marks because of the general rally effect that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Republicans, not surprisingly, have a much more positive view of Cheney than Democrats or independents do. Roughly three in four Republicans in the February poll have a favorable opinion of Cheney, compared with just about a quarter of Democrats and fewer than 4 in 10 independents.
2. How Does the Public Rate Cheney's Performance as Vice President?
Fifty-six percent of Americans approve of the way Cheney is handling his job as vice president, according to a mid-January Gallup Poll. Cheney's approval ratings were higher in the early days of the Bush administration (an average of 62% in the first four months) and in the months following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks (68% in January 2002).
Compared with other vice presidents, Cheney's term average is quite similar to Al Gore's (62% for Cheney and 63% for Gore), but is much higher than Dan Quayle's, who averaged only 47% during George H.W. Bush's administration. Gore's highest measure was 71% in August 2000, and his lowest was 59% in March 1997. Quayle's highest approval rating was 50% in May 1991, and his lowest was 43% in November 1989. Cheney's highest job approval rating so far was 68% in January 2002. His lowest was the current 56% rating.
3. Should President Bush Keep Cheney as His Running Mate?
Last fall, Gallup asked Americans whether Bush should keep Cheney as his vice-presidential running mate in the 2004 presidential election or whether Bush should get someone new. A slight majority of Americans, 51%, said Bush should keep Cheney, while 42% said he should get someone new. This question is particularly important for Republicans, among whom 69% said that Cheney should be retained, while 28% said he should be removed. Gallup has asked this question twice about Cheney, and the percentage of Republicans who want Cheney replaced has averaged 26%.
Gallup asked the same question about Quayle several times before the 1992 election, at a time when there was significant speculation about the possibility of George H.W. Bush replacing his running mate. In all but one instance, more Americans said Bush should get rid of Quayle and put someone new on the ballot than said Bush should keep Quayle. An average of 52% of Republicans told Gallup that Bush should keep Quayle as his running mate during the 1992 presidential race.