As debate continues to rage over government response to Hurricane Katrina, the public clearly thinks New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin – not President Bush – is the one to blame, according to a new online poll by America Online.
With more than 589,000 responses in today's unscientific survey, 65 percent of participants rate Nagin's handling of the Katrina disaster as "poor."
Only 10 percent of AOL users said Nagin's response was "excellent," 13 percent called it "good," and 12 percent termed it "fair."
When asked who has done a better job during the crisis, 67 percent named President Bush, and only 33 percent chose Nagin.
AOL calls Nagin "a compelling figure at the center of the storm – literally and figuratively," and says it decided to do its poll now because "there seemed to be critical mass: he reversed his controversial decision to reopen parts of his city; he's offering yet more criticism of federal officials; and he's bracing for another possible strike from a hurricane."
A WorldNetDaily poll from Sept. 12 asked, "What's your opinion of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin?"
With close to 6,000 responses, over 40 percent said he was "obviously not qualified or competent to hold such an important position;" 22 percent called him "the quintessence of a public hazard responsible for many hurricane-related deaths;" and 14 percent said "he's everything New Orleans deserves, since citizens voted him in." |