Some of you may be wondering what's motivating the 29% or so of the population that still approves of this President's performance. Here are some quotes from supporters in one of the reddest of red states.
As President's Poll Numbers Fall, Many in Utah Stand by the Man http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/washington/04believers.html?th&emc=th
As President's Poll Numbers Fall, Many in Utah Stand by the Man http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/washington/04believers.html?th&emc=th
PROVO, Utah — Here in what may be the reddest city in the reddest of states, where Democrats sometimes gather like lost souls at the one Starbucks, most people are standing by President Bush.
… "When I watch him, I see a man with his heart in the right place," said Delia Randall, a 22-year-old mother from Provo, the hub of a county that gave Senator John Kerry just 11 percent of the presidential vote in 2004. "I like George Bush because he is God fearing, and that's how a lot of people in this area feel."
… "I'm against the war in Iraq — and what happened with Hurricane Katrina, well, it was a failure by everybody," said Ron Craft, a sales manager in Provo who said he was a devout Mormon and a strong conservative who considered himself independent politically. "I tend to judge a person by their character. And President Bush reminds me of President Reagan. He's a man of principle."
. . . Mr. Craft said he was distrustful of news media portrayals of Mr. Bush because "they concentrate too much on the negative and certain small things."
. . . "He's strong, and he doesn't waver," said Jaren Olsen, 18, a freshman at Brigham Young, the nation's largest religiously affiliated private university, who is from Albany. "I like that he is for the family, that marriage should only be between a man and woman. And the war, we need to finish what we started."
. . . "I'm not sure of anything he's done, but I like that he's religious — that's really important," Ms. Pulsipher said.
. . . "This is a community committed to faith, family and freedom, and that translates to consistent popularity for George Bush," said Mayor Lewis K. Billings of Provo.
. . . "People here like so much of what George Bush has done," Mr. Billings said. "I think he's got support on almost everything — except immigration."
. . . "I like his honesty," said Allison Wilkey, a mother of three.
. . . "There is this puritanical strain when it comes to thrift here, and one of the dominant themes is to get out of debt," said Joseph A. Cannon, the chairman of the State Republican Party. "So people wonder why we, the Republicans, control every branch of government and yet we can't stay out of debt."
. . . "We don't talk politics because everyone is so one-sided," said Sarah Rueckert, a mother of three and a Mormon who just moved back to Utah after 10 years of living in places like Chicago, Portland and San Francisco. "They're all pro-Bush."