Posted By Bobby Eberle On March 20, 2006 at 6:49 am

Beginning Sunday, GOPUSA initiated a comprehensive survey of grassroots conservatives to better quantify their mood, concerns, and outlook as we enter the 2006 election season. A set of 25 questions were presented to GOPUSA’s Grassroots Survey Team. The responses, along with full demographic information of survey participants, allow GOPUSA to not only present raw survey results, but also easily analyze the response against many demographic characteristics.

Although completed surveys are still pouring in, over 1,700 have been received so far, and the results paint a clear picture of the pulse of the Republican base. There are signs of hope, but there are also significant causes for concern. Spending and immigration dominate the concerns of the respondents, and although President Bush fared well, Congress did not.


The survey started off by asking the question, “How satisfied are you with the job President Bush is doing?” With a level of 79%, respondents said they were either very satisfied (32%) or somewhat satisfied (47%) with President Bush’s job performance. Only 6% indicated they were very unsatisfied, and 15% said they were somewhat unsatisfied.

Congress, especially the Senate, fared much worse than President Bush. When asked “How satisfied are you with the job the Senate is doing?”, an overwhelming 74% said they were either somewhat unsatisfied (37%) or very unsatisfied (37%) with the Senate. Only 1% of respondents said they were very satisfied with the job the Senate is doing. On the House side, 60% of respondents said they were either somewhat unsatisfied (37%) or very unsatisfied (23%) with the job the House of Representatives is doing.

When asked to rate their own Republican senator and congressman, the legislators faired much better. A majority (63%) of respondents with at least one Republican senator said that they were either very satisfied (24%) or somewhat satisfied (39%) with the job their senator is doing. On the House side, a majority of respondents (71%) said they were either very satisfied (29%) or somewhat satisfied (42%) with their hometown Republican congressman.

On the topic of Iraq, 82% of the respondents strongly believe that the Iraqi people are better off now than they were before the ouster of Saddam Hussein. 81% either strongly believe (30%) or somewhat believe (51%) that Iraq will eventually have a stable, democratic government.

Regarding presidential picks for 2008, Sec. Condoleezza Rice led among respondents with 21% followed by Sen. George Allen at 16%. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich ranked third with 14%, followed by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani with 10%.

Respondents were asked to select the most important issue facing America today. Border Security/Immigration led among respondents with 34%, followed by the war on terror with 23%. Other issues of note are moral decline (9%), government spending (7%), and abortion, Iran’s nukes, and corruption of elected officials, each at 4%.

Respondents felt that Iran at 57% posed the biggest security threat to America. China ranked second with 27%. China was the overwhelming pick of respondents (81%) when asked which country posed the biggest economic threat to America.

Turning to illegal immigration, 89% of respondents say that illegal immigration is a “very serious” problem facing America. 86% do not believe that children born to illegal immigrants in the United States should automatically be granted U.S. citizenship. 96% of respondents say that illegal immigrants should not be allowed to obtain a drivers license.

On the topic of corruption, when asked whether recent reports of lobbyists bribing members of Congress represent isolated or common incidents of corruption, 15% of respondents felt the incidents were isolated. 79% felt that recent incidents represent common behavior in Congress. 62% of respondents feel that corruption in Congress is no different now than in the past, while 32% feel it is more common now.

On the political front, respondents are split on their feelings about Republican prospects for success in the 2006 elections. 51% are either somewhat worried (37%) or very worried (14%) about the Republican outcome in the 2006 elections. Only 12% were very confident about 2006 electoral success for Republicans. By 88% to 8%, respondents do not feel that Republican leaders have been strong enough in pushing for conservative legislation and policies. 68% of respondents feel that legislators who are Republicans In Name Only or RINOs represent a “very big problem” to the advancement of the conservative agenda. Another 25% feel that RINOs represent “somewhat of a problem.”

Respondents were asked to rank the biggest successes and failures of Republican-led Washington. On the success side, respondents chose Supreme Court justices (57%) as the biggest success. In second place was the war on terror (18%) followed by tax cuts (17%). On the failure side, government spending was picked by 50% of the respondents as the biggest failure of Republican-led Washington. In second place was immigration reform (34%) followed by energy policy (7%).

The survey paints a rather clear picture of the frustration felt by grassroots conservatives across the country. Despite control of the White House, Senate, and House of Representatives, lack of progress on conservative issues has left the Republican base nervous about the future. With a majority of respondents worried about 2006 electoral prospects, Republican leaders should take note and realize that electoral success depends on turnout, and turnout depends on an energized base. If the base remains frustrated, many voters will simply choose to stay home on Election Day.

The importance of government spending and immigration to grassroots conservatives cannot be overstated. In written comments following completion of the survey, respondents were near unanimous in blasting Republicans for their propensity to “spend like Democrats.” In addition, it is clear from the survey that border security and immigration are not just regional issues. When respondents from border states such as Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California were removed from the survey results, Border Security/Immigration still led as the most important issue facing America today at 31%.
Republicans want accountability; they want “Republicans to act like Republicans.” It seems like a simple concept, but getting Republicans to push conservative legislation, reduce spending, and implement strong border security measures is a different story. Grassroots conservatives want results, not rhetoric. There is still time to turn things around and get moving on the right track. It starts with Republican leaders paying attention to surveys such as this one and remembering that their loyalty belongs with the grassroots of Main Street and not the lobbyists on K Street.

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