New polls show war, Foley scandal hurting GOP

New polls by Time and Newsweek magazines contain bad news for Republicans one month before the midterm election.

The Newsweek poll says President Bush's approval rating reached a new low of 33%, a three-point drop from August. According to Time's poll, Bush's overall approval rating stands at 36%, down two points from August.

The Newsweek poll shows 53% of registered voters want Democrats to win control of Congress, while 35% want the GOP to retain power.

The Time poll had similar results: 54% of registered voters said they were more likely to vote for the Democratic candidate for Congress, compared with 39% who favored the Republican.

"Let's face it, the Republicans are in a free fall four weeks before a midterm election," says Democratic strategist David Goodfriend. "I think what's going on here is that Americans are connecting the dots."

When asked which party is more trusted to win the war on terror, for the first time since 2001, Democrats come out on top, 44% to 37%, according to Newsweek.

Perhaps most surprising, for the first time in the Newsweek poll, voters say Democrats lead Republicans as the party of morals. When asked which party do you trust on moral values, 42% said Democrats and 36% said Republicans. The scandal over Congressman Mark Foley is not helping in that department. According to Time, almost 80% of respondents were aware of the scandal, and only 16% approve of the Republicans' handling of it.

The Foley scandal dominated Sunday-morning talk shows.

"What it has done for Republicans is it made it difficult for them to get any traction or to get oxygen for their message," says Rep. Tom Davis, (R) Virginia. "You've got to remember that unemployment is the lowest in the US, in the world, at this point."

According to Time, 65% of voters says the Foley scandal won't make much difference in how they vote next month. But Republicans are concerned about what impact it will have on their usually loyal base.

"It may be the straw that breaks the back of Republican voters who maybe now will say, I don't want to think about voting... I'm too embarrassed," says political analyst Stuart Rothenberg.

Some GOP lawmakers are questioning the timing of the Foley scandal, wondering if Democrats knew about it and leaked it close to the election.

While the Foley investigation is getting a lot of attention, polls show the most important issue is Iraq. According to Time, nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the administration's handling of the war. Both polls find a majority of Americans think the administration misled the public in building its case for the war.

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