Sunday, October 30, 2005

::.Angus Reid Consultants.:: Santorum Rated 3rd Worst Senator in Nation by Pa. Voters

::.Angus Reid Consultants.::: "October 30, 2005
Maine Hast Best-Rated Senators in U.S.

(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Maine Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins are the highest-rated members of the United States Senate, according to a poll by SurveyUSA. 79 per cent of respondents in the Pine Tree State approve of the performance of both Snowe and Collins.

The poll gauged public opinion on the senators who represent each of the country’s 50 states. North Dakota Democrat Kent Conrad, South Dakota Democrat Tim Johnson, Illinois Democrat Barack Obama, North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan, and Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy are the only other senators with a ranking of 70 per cent or higher.

In the U.S., senators are elected to six-year terms in dual-seat constituencies. A third of the country’s upper house is renewed every two years. The Republican Party currently has a majority in the Senate, with 55 members in the 100-seat upper house.

Minnesota Democrat Mark Dayton and Colorado Republican Wayne Allard are the lowest-rated senators with 44 per cent. Ohio Republican Mike DeWine, New Jersey democrat Frank Lautenberg and Pennsylvania Republican Rick Santorum have a ranking of 45 per cent.

Arizona Republican John McCain and New York Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton have been mentioned as possible presidential nominees in 2006. 63 per cent of respondents in Arizona approve of McCain’s performance, while 63 per cent of respondents in New York are satisfied with Rodham Clinton.

The average approval rating for the Senate as a whole is 54 per cent. American voters will renew the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate in November 2006.

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of the performance of your state’s U.S. senators?

State
U.S. Senator
Party
SR/JR
Approve
Disapprove

ME
Collins, Susan
R
Jr
79%
18%

ME
Snowe, Olympia
R
Sr
79%
19%

ND
Conrad, Kent
D
Sr
73%
23%

SD
Johnson, Tim
D
Sr
73%
22%

IL
Obama, Barack
D
Jr
73%
21%

ND
Dorgan, Byron
D
Jr
72%
24%

VT
Leahy, Patrick
D
Sr
70%
23%

CT
Lieberman, Joseph
D
Jr
69%
27%

WV
Rockefeller, Jay
D
Jr
69%
26%

AK
Stevens, Ted
R
Sr
69%
25%

HI
Inouye, Daniel
D
Sr
68%
24%

IA
Grassley, Charles
R
Sr
67%
28%

RI
Reed, Jack
D
Sr
67%
26%

VT
Jeffords, James
I
Jr
66%
29%

WV
Byrd, Robert
D
Sr
65%
32%

UT
Hatch, Orrin
R
Sr
65%
29%

IN
Lugar, Richard
R
Sr
65%
25%

ID
Crapo, Michael
R
Jr
64%
26%

NM
Domenici, Pete
R
Sr
64%
32%

IN
Bayh, Evan
D
Jr
63%
31%

NM
Bingaman, Jeff
D
Jr
63%
29%

DE
Carper, Thomas
D
Jr
63%
28%

NY
Rodham Clinton, Hillary
D
Jr
63%
34%

AZ
McCain, John
R
Sr
63%
32%

NE
Nelson, Ben
D
Jr
63%
29%

MS
Lott, Trent
R
Jr
62%
32%

MD
Mikulski, Barbara
D
Jr
62%
31%

WY
Thomas, Craig
R
Sr
62%
29%

CT
Dodd, Christopher
D
Sr
61%
31%

AR
Pryor, Mark
D
Jr
61%
30%

OR
Wyden, Ron
D
Sr
61%
28%

MT
Baucus, Max
D
Sr
60%
35%

UT
Bennett, Robert
R
Jr
60%
28%

ID
Craig, Larry
R
Sr
60%
32%

WY
Enzi, Michael
R
Jr
60%
31%

MA
Kennedy, Edward
D
Sr
60%
34%

AL
Shelby, Richard
R
Sr
60%
32%

SD
Thune, John
R
Jr
60%
36%

MS
Cochran, Thad
R
Sr
59%
33%

NE
Hagel, Chuck
R
Sr
59%
34%

HI
Akaka, Daniel
D
Jr
58%
34%

NC
Dole, Elizabeth
R
Sr
58%
34%

SC
Graham, Lindsey
R
Sr
58%
32%

TX
Hutchison, Kay
R
Sr
58%
35%

NV
Reid, Harry
D
Sr
58%
37%

CO
Salazar, Ken
D
Jr
58%
34%

LA
Vitter, David
R
Jr
58%
34%

VA
Warner, John
R
Sr
58%
31%

DE
Biden, Joseph
D
Sr
57%
37%

WI
Kohl, Herb
D
Sr
57%
34%

AK
Murkowski, Lisa
R
Jr
57%
36%

NY
Schumer, Charles
D
Sr
57%
36%

AL
Sessions, Jeff
R
Jr
57%
34%

RI
Chafee, Lincoln
R
Jr
56%
37%

IA
Harkin, Tom
D
Jr
56%
38%

MO
Bond, Kit
R
Sr
55%
37%

WI
Feingold, Russell
D
Jr
55%
39%

NH
Gregg, Judd
R
Sr
55%
33%

AR
Lincoln, Blanche
D
Sr
55%
36%

KY
McConnell, Mitch
R
Sr
55%
36%

WA
Murray, Patty
D
Sr
55%
36%

OR
Smith, Gordon
R
Jr
55%
32%

CA
Boxer, Barbara
D
Jr
54%
36%

NV
Ensign, John
R
Jr
54%
34%

CA
Feinstein, Dianne
D
Sr
54%
35%

MD
Sarbanes, Paul
D
Sr
54%
34%

MI
Levin, Carl
D
Sr
53%
37%

MT
Burns, Conrad
R
Jr
52%
43%

WA
Cantwell, Maria
D
Jr
52%
37%

MA
Kerry, John
D
Jr
52%
42%

TN
Alexander, Lamar
R
Jr
51%
36%

MN
Coleman, Norm
R
Jr
51%
41%

GA
Isakson, Johnny
R
Jr
51%
35%

KS
Roberts, Pat
R
Jr
51%
39%

PA
Specter, Arlen
R
Sr
51%
43%

MO
Talent, Jim
R
Jr
51%
40%

KS
Brownback, Sam
R
Sr
50%
43%

IL
Durbin, Richard
D
Sr
50%
40%

MI
Stabenow, Debbie
D
Jr
50%
39%

OH
Voinovich, George
R
Jr
50%
42%

VA
Allen, George
R
Jr
49%
38%

KY
Bunning, Jim
R
Jr
49%
39%

NJ
Corzine, Jon
D
Sr
49%
44%

TN
Frist, Bill
R
Sr
49%
45%

OK
Inhofe, James
R
Sr
49%
39%

NH
Sununu, John
R
Jr
49%
39%

OK
Coburn, Tom
R
Jr
48%
42%

AZ
Kyl, Jon
R
Jr
48%
38%

LA
Landrieu, Mary
D
Sr
48%
46%

FL
Martinez, Mel
R
Jr
48%
41%

NC
Burr, Richard
R
Jr
47%
38%

GA
Chambliss, Saxby
R
Sr
47%
40%

SC
DeMint, Jim
R
Jr
47%
41%

TX
Cornyn, John
R
Jr
46%
41%

FL
Nelson, Bill
D
Sr
46%
38%

OH
DeWine, Mike
R
Sr
45%
43%

NJ
Lautenberg, Frank
D
Jr
45%
45%

PA
Santorum, Rick
R
Jr
45%
48%

CO
Allard, Wayne
R
Sr
44%
44%

MN
Dayton, Mark
D
Sr
44%
46%

U.S.
Average
--
--
54%
38%



Source: SurveyUSA
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 600 adult residents of each of the country’s 50 states, conducted from Oct. 14 to Oct. 16, 2005. Margins of error for each state range from 3.8 to 4.1 per cent."

Newsview: Bush to Santorum - Cut Medicaid and student loan subsidies

Newsview: Bush, GOP Try to Change Subject: ""In principle, we are all in this together," Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., wrote fellow GOP senators recently, referring to the White House and GOP majorities in the House and Senate. "We are the party in governance."

But, citing the latest survey by GOP pollster David Winston, Santorum wrote that Democrats hold a nine-point advantage over Republicans on government spending, "one of our historic advantages."

"I encourage Congress to push the envelope when it comes to cutting spending," Bush said as GOP leaders in Congress sought support for fresh restraints on programs such as Medicaid and student loan subsidies.

On another topic, Santorum said the public "believes overwhelmingly" that the recent large run-up in energy costs is the result of oil company price gouging, rather than rising demand and hurricane damage.

Concerned that the big oil companies were about to announce eye-catching profit increases, congressional Republican tried to blunt any political damage pre-emptively."

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster Lines Up For Possible Santorum Withdrawl - PittsburghLIVE.com

Groucho parrots the wrong song - PittsburghLIVE.com:

With Rick Santorum in a Tailspin Republican insiders are beginning to wonder if he can withstand the ever increasing bad new. If Santorum self-destructs before the primary Bill Shuster is positioning himself to pick up the pieces. One "inside the beltway" player told us that with the Libby Indictment we need a backup for Rick Santorum. Rick has been very close to Bush, the "Kill Social Security" effort and even figures in the burgeoning Plamegate scandal. Shuster can raise money has good name id and is far from the scandals. The only problem is, "Can he beat Casey?" J. Lanford Budd


"OUT OF THE SHADOWS? Anyone on the mailing list of U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster has to wonder whether the Republican has his sights set on a higher post.

Shuster, of Hollidaysburg, knows the power that comes from veteran status in the House. His father, retired lawmaker Bud Shuster, was a legislative dynamo who, during a 30-plus year career in the House, may have built more roads and bridges as chairman of the House Transportation Committee than any man, living or dead.

But Bill Shuster is putting out vibes that he just may be readying himself for bigger things.


Check out these headlines attached to press releases from Shuster's Washington office: "Shuster to be key player in National Security," "Shuster calls for strong standards for U.S. identification card," "Shuster wants incentive-based policy in Gulf Coast," "House bill focuses on personal responsibility," "Shuster calls for detainees to remain at Guantanamo Bay" and "Shuster ... wants debate on immigration."

Heady matters for constituents of his rural district, which spans from Cumberland County in the middle of the state to the outskirts of Uniontown in Fayette County.

But the congressman's spokesman, Salvatore Mazzola, said the releases "highlight" his boss's "rising star status in Congress" and no imminent promotions.

"He is very focused on his job getting things for the 9th District, Pennsylvania, and the nation - in that order," Mazzola said.

"Congressman Shuster is not seeking higher office, but never say never."

To which one might reply: Does Bill prefer the view from the Susquehanna (the governor's mansion) or the Potomac (the Senate)?"