At 9th Anniversary of 9/11, Sense of Safety Declines

Just 48 Percent Call the Country Safer

A child and a man look out at Ground Zero, Sept. 8, 2010 in New York City. Just 48 percent of Americans in an ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2010 say the country is safer now than it was before Sept. 11, 2001. (Photo credit: Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

Analysis by Gary Langer

September 9, 2010

Americans approach the 9/11 anniversary with a lower-than-usual sense that the country is safer today than it was before the terrorist attacks, with the drop-off sharply partisan in nature.

Just 48 percent of Americans in this ABC News/Washington Post poll say the country is safer now than it was before Sept. 11, 2001, down from 62 percent two years ago to the lowest (albeit by a single point) level in polling since 2003. Views that the country is safer have fallen by a huge 34 points among Republicans, but also by 17 points among political independents, while holding essentially steady among Democrats.

Similarly, only 44 percent overall express confidence in the government’s ability to prevent terrorist attacks, the fewest since 2005. Politics again play a role: Compared to the question’s last asking in 2007, when a GOP administration was in power, confidence is down by 32 points among Republicans and a scant 5 points among independents, but up by 18 among Democrats.

Sharp and largely partisan changes in views of the nation’s security are not unprecedented. From 2003 to 2005, amid growing disenchantment with the war in Iraq, the sense that the country was safer than before 9/11 fell by 25 points among Democrats and by 22 points among independents, while steady among Republicans. …

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Charts and Questionnaire (PDF)

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: One Year Ago — September 10, 2009

Pawlenty Compared to Bachmann

Bachmann stumps for Pawlenty

One year ago today, I reported that the Dump Bachmann blog, citing the Minnesota Independent’s coverage of  Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s visit to Virginia to support Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell, reported that “Michele Bachmann’s political poison continues to taint other Republican politicians.”

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: Two Years Ago — September 10, 2008

After the Primary Election: Day 1

“Good Try! 14%” — Nine-year-old Elizabeth presents me with a cake on behalf of my family to welcome me home from the campaign trail.

Two years ago today, on the first day after the Sept. 9, 2008 Minnesota State Primary Election in which I challenged U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, I reported and analyzed the election results.

2008 MN-06 Primary Election Results for U.S. Representative

Number of Registered Voters: 425,609
Precincts Reporting: 100.00% (318 of 318)

Republican
Michele Bachmann 19,127 (85.9%) [47.15%]
Aubrey Immelman 3,134 (14.1%) [7.73%]

Democratic-Farmer-Labor
El Tinklenberg 17,474 (100%) [43.08%]

Independence
Bob Anderson 828 (100%) [2.04%]

Note: Numbers in square brackets signify candidates’ percentage of the 40,563 vote total.

In summary, out of 40,563 votes cast, Rep. Bachmann received a plurality (47.2%), but not a majority, of the vote, with 19,127 votes for and 21,436 against. Thus, the Sixth District appears to remain competitive for Democrats. However, it should also be noted that the 22,261 combined vote total of the two Republican candidates comprised 54.9% of the vote. Ultimately, I would caution against drawing strong conclusions from an unrepresentative primary election sample, in which 385,046 voters (90.5%) chose not to vote.