Tuesday Night at Democratic Convention Blends Past, Future

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- During Day Two of the Democratic National Convention, the Democrats will talk about the future while taking a nostalgic look at the past. The theme of Tuesday's convention is "New Heights: You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," and will outline the possibilities for the nation if voters give Gore and other Democratic leaders the opportunity to pursue their agenda. Many of the speakers, though, will hearken back to the 1960 convention, also held in Los Angeles, at which Democrats nominated John F. Kennedy for president.

Speakers Include Mix of New and Old Democratic Leaders
The Democrats will offer a mix of long-time party stalwarts and some relatively new faces as convention speakers on Tuesday night. The keynote speaker is Congressman Harold E. Ford, Jr., of Tennessee, currently serving his second term in the U.S. House. Earlier in the day, Charles Rangel of New York, a member of the House since 1970, takes his turn on stage. Several past contestants for the Democratic presidential nomination will also speak on Tuesday, including former Senator Bill Bradley, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Senator Ted Kennedy.

Bradley, who challenged Gore for the 2000 Democratic nomination, may attract the most attention of this group of speakers, similar to the way in which John McCain -- George W. Bush's chief rival for the Republican nomination -- did in the early stages of the GOP convention last month. When Gallup measured Bradley in February 1999, only 47% of Americans knew enough about him to rate him. Over time, Bradley became much better known, and by March of this year, when he suspended his campaign for president, 50% of Americans had a favorable opinion of him and 31% viewed him unfavorably, with only 19% not having an opinion.

From a historical perspective, the other Tuesday speakers do not fare quite as well as Bradley does. Gallup last assessed opinion on Jesse Jackson, who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for president in 1984 and 1988, in March 1999. At that time, Americans had mixed opinions of the charismatic black leader, with 47% holding favorable opinions of him and 42% unfavorable.

Americans' opinions of Ted Kennedy were last obtained in October 1996. At that time, a plurality of likely voters viewed Kennedy unfavorably, with 47% saying they had an unfavorable opinion of him and 41% indicating they had a favorable opinion of him. Kennedy challenged incumbent President Jimmy Carter for the Democratic nomination in 1980.

Looking Back to 1960 and the Kennedy Years
The inclusion of Senator Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg on Tuesday's program is designed to remind voters of the late John F. Kennedy, who was nominated for president in Los Angeles in 1960 and went on to defeat Richard Nixon in November of that year. Kennedy epitomized the "New Heights" theme Democrats are emphasizing, with his youthful enthusiasm and bold policy initiatives, including the launch of the space program. Gallup poll data suggest that the Democrats have made a shrewd decision to highlight JFK. He was, and remains, one of the most popular political figures in recent American history.

Many Americans remember Kennedy fondly, but may feel his popularity is more retrospective, based on the emotions of his tragic assassination in 1963. In fact, JFK registered a higher average approval rating while he was in office than did any president in the last half-century, with an average rating of 70% during his brief term from January 1961 to November 1963. Dwight Eisenhower and George Bush come closest with averages of 65% and 61%, respectively, during their terms in the White House.

Americans continue to give Kennedy high marks today, particularly when Gallup asks Americans to rate this country's presidents. In a February 2000 poll, Kennedy -- with 22% of all responses -- ranked ahead of all other presidents, including Abraham Lincoln (18%) and Franklin Roosevelt (12%). Kennedy is easily seen as the greatest president since World War II, according to 32% of Americans, which is far ahead of second-place Ronald Reagan.

Kennedy not only ranks among the greatest presidents in the minds of the public, but also as one of the most admired people in history. A Gallup poll conducted in December 1999 asked people to indicate how much they admired a list of important historical figures from the 20th century. Kennedy finished third among the most admired, behind Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with randomly selected national samples of approximately 1,000 adults, 18 years and older. For results based on these samples, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

Next, we'd like to get your overall opinion of some people in the news. As I read each name, please say if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of this person -- or if you have never heard of him. First, ... . How about ... ? (RANDOM ORDER)

Former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley

	Favorable	Unfavorable	Never heard of	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2000 Mar 10-12	50	31	6	13
2000 Feb 25-27	54	20	8	18
2000 Feb 20-21	48	24	10	18
2000 Feb 4-6	63	18	7	12
2000 Jan 17-19	56	18	5	21
1999 Dec 20-21	61	13	9	17
1999 Dec 9-12	59	16	7	18
1999 Oct 21-24	52	16	12	20
1999 Oct 8-10	53	20	9	18
1999 Sep 23-26	44	14	21	21
1999 Aug 16-18	48	11	18	23
1999 Apr 13-14	46	10	20	24
1999 Feb 19-21	38	9	33	20

 

The Rev. Jesse Jackson

	Favorable	Unfavorable	Never heard of	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
1999 Mar 8-10	47	42	1	10
1999 Feb 19-21	59	31	2	8
1999 Jul 20-23	47	40	1	12
1995 Apr 17-19	38	55	1	6
1992 May 7-10	46	42	11	1

Ted Kennedy

	Favorable	Unfavorable	Never heard of	No opinion
(LV) 1996 Oct 26-29	41%	47	1	11

(LV) Likely Voters

Do you approve or disapprove of the way … is handling his job as president?

 

President	Average Approval Rating, Gallup Polls (% Approve)
Truman	45
Eisenhower	65
Kennedy	70
Johnson	55
Nixon	49
Ford	47
Carter	45
Reagan	53
Bush	61
Clinton (to date)	55

Who do you regard as the greatest United States president?

BASED ON -- 509 -- FORM A RESPONDENTS; + 5 PCT. PTS.

 

	Feb 2000	Feb 1999
John Kennedy	22%	12%
Abraham Lincoln	18	18
Franklin Roosevelt	12	9
Ronald Reagan	11	12
George Washington	5	12
Bill Clinton	5	12
George Bush	3	5
Harry Truman	3	4
Theodore Roosevelt	3	3
Jimmy Carter	3	3
Thomas Jefferson	3	2
Dwight Eisenhower	3	2
Other	3	1
Richard Nixon	2	2
None	*	1
No opinion	4	2

Thinking about the U.S. presidents we have had since World War II -- Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton -- which one would you consider the greatest president?

BASED ON -- 541 -- FORM B RESPONDENTS; + 5 PCT. PTS.

 

	Feb 2000	Feb 1999	Apr 1986^
Greatest Since WWII
Kennedy	32%	27%	32%
Reagan	19	20	21
Roosevelt	--	--	17
Truman	12	12	12
Eisenhower	9	8	5
Clinton	9	12	--
Carter	4	6	2
Bush	4	6	--
Nixon	3	3	3
Johnson	1	2	*
Ford	1	1	1
NONE (vol.)	*	1	--
No opinion	6	2	7

^ Question wording: "Thinking about our last nine U.S. presidents, that is, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan, which one would you consider the best president?"

Now I'm going to read you a list of people who have lived this century. For each one, please tell me if you consider that person to be one of the people you admire MOST from this century, a person you admire, but not the MOST, a person you somewhat admire, or someone you do not admire at all. First, ... . How about ... ? (RANDOM ORDER)

BASED ON -- 511 -- FORM A RESPONDENTS; + 5 PCT. PTS.

Dec 20-21, 1999	Most admire	Admire, but not the most	Somewhat admire	Do not admire	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%
Mother Teresa	49	32	14	3	2
Martin Luther King, Jr.	34	33	22	10	1
John F. Kennedy	32	34	23	10	1
Albert Einstein	31	39	21	4	5
Helen Keller	30	33	19	8	10
Franklin Delano Roosevelt	26	34	29	7	4
Billy Graham	26	26	18	25	5
Pope John Paul II	25	34	23	13	5
Eleanor Roosevelt	22	34	28	10	6
Winston Churchill	20	36	27	10	7
Dwight D. Eisenhower	18	35	32	9	6
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis	18	31	31	17	3
Mahatma Gandhi	18	25	22	14	21
Nelson Mandela	17	26	27	18	12
Ronald Reagan	17	33	32	17	1
Henry Ford	15	33	36	11	5
Bill Clinton	10	18	25	46	1
Margaret Thatcher	9	30	37	13	11

* Less than 0.5%
(vol.) Volunteered response