The original documents are located in Box 37, folder “Polls” of the Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Ron Nessen donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Digitized from Box 37 of The Ron Nessen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library • Harris Survey the throat of the ·auto industry. And . / President given bad J that's my job, brother." "Ford's making a mistake by raising 1 .the price of home heating fuel," said a marks by 60% of public I retired businessman in TampaJ Fla. "People. will be eold this winte~ when tha~ goes into effect." By Louis Harris Ford, who now has offered policies for attacking recession, inflation, and the "I DON'T think he's come up with PRESIDENT FORD has sli{)ped to a energy shortage, \vas measured by enough," said a truck driver: in Modes· new low in his overall public standing- votes of confidence his prograf!ls to, Cal. "It's gonna get wor(ie', and peo­ 60 per cent of the public now considers gained last month. ple are really hurting now. Just ask his performance as President in nega­ my wife." tive terms. Ford's handling of the economy was rated negatively by 86 per cent of those Althff Ford showed some slight im­ The latest Harris Survey finding is 10 surveyed in' December; the negative~ provement on specific issues, his rat­ points lower than that of a month ago. responses have now slipped' to 72 per .. : ings are still heavily negative, · The further decline in · his rating ap­ cent negative. On keeping down the The respondents were asked, "Let pears to be closely related to concern cost of living, Ford's standing has· im­ me ask you about some specific things about his proposed tax on oil imports, proved from 88 per cent to 81 per cent President Ford has done. On .[read list] 1hich is opposed by a greater· than two negative. · · would you rate him excellent, pretty w one margin. Members of 1,532 households in 200 good, only fair, or poor?" However, President Ford has benefit­ locations across the country were in­ Posi· Ne9a- Nql ed somewhat from taking clear-cut po­ tlve Hve sure terviewed in their homes between Jan. InSPiring conHden<e PtrsooaHY sitions on controversial issues. Personal Jan. '7S 39 51 J() •' 16 and 20 and asked, "How would you Dec '74 34 61 5 confidence in him has risen from a low doing~ Nov. 48 .45 7 rate the job President Ford is Sept, 75 14 11 of 34 per cent in December to 39 per excellent, pretty good, only fair, or Handfirnl energY •nortages Jan. '75 23 68 cent in this survey. poor?" Keeping economY healthy ' ' Jan. '75 22 12 6 PERHAPS as a St. ·Joseph; Mo., Posi• · ~a- No! • De<'. '74 ll/ 116 3 five five sure 1 r-.·ov. 37 61 7 school teacher said, the American peo· January, 1~75 • 36 60 4 StJ>I. 54 34 12 ~cember, 1974 46 52 2 K-ing down cost of li•illll ··' pie would rather hav~ a chief executive Nov. 48 47 5 81 5 ~ a • 6 ' ~.·~~ . 88 3 who pursues a clearly stated policy­ S.PL 67 :lO 13 Nov. 76 5 itkny of those surveyed believe Ford .w 19 however ~pular-to one who lets IQee~~t.inflation under control things drift, :as Ford did until recently. has set the wrong priorities or is just Jan. '75 14 81 5 Nov. '74 18 75 7 · making the situation worse. Sept. 41 41 18 This rather grUdging admiration· for • aringing country oui of re<:ession A laid·off auto worker in Racine, Jan. '7S 13 79 a Wis., said, "After not doing anything It is interesting to note that the Pres­ about jobs and high prices, what Ford ident received his lowest marks on his finally came up with didn't make any 1 efforts at "bringing the country out of sense at alL Sure the tax cut is good/ the recession," the problem most but if you have no job, the tax cut ilJ .Americans consider the nation's most 1 pretty small potatoes. And by making pressing. gasoline 'Prices 'higher, 'be's just cutting .. ~ '!..' • -. \ . ,•. ' I ( . , ' t i e ..~ i --·t Out in Ford's Country : ~r 15 r 1 _; consideration'1n last week's elections By James Reston were rejected. But it is risky to gen­ eralize about this negative voter <:;LEVELAND, Ohio, Nov. 11- response. Some were rejected, as in Presjdent Ford has been betting for New Jersey, without much reference a long time that there is a conserv­ to New York's orisis, but simply be­ atiye tide running in the country cause the people thought they were agaiJ1St excessive Government spend­ poor or even deceptive proposals. ing and bloated Governnent payrolls, So maybe sometlhing is' happening and· at least ·, thiR part of tJhe at the beginning of the 1976 election cotintry the P\ u.lence is on his side. campaign, 8Jild in the midst of the Here in Ohio, 84 percent of the New York City fpnandal muddle that state's 2.7 million voters rejected a is poLiticaJ.ly si;gni.Aeant, and the Presi­ $1.75 billion transportation bond dential candidates ue criSs-crossing iss!le in last week's· elections, and the country trying to fi8Ufe out what 82 Rercent turned down a $2.75 bil­ it is. lion issue for capital improvements Sena>tor Lloyd Bentsen was out here in communities all over the state. in the Middle West the other day pro­ . After the elections, George Gallup claiming that "·if we Democrats would took a nationwide poll which, he said, quit debating how to ron our party reflected "the public's belt-tigh!tening instead of talking about how to gov­ 11iood and gave early indication that ern the· country, then we'll be able to Fe4eral spending and big Government elect the next President." nia.Y be a dominant issue in next But aJl the Democratic candidates, y~r:s Presidential campaign." except maybe Mo Udall, Jimmy Carter 'J1he Gallup survey indicated that 57 and Fred Hams, are not leading the percent of those polled said they debate but watoh.ing the tr"ends. All ' wpu:ld vote for, rallher than against, the rest of them ani c<Wering more any candidate who promised to try to country than American Airlines, but · cp.i .the number of Federal employees are . saying very little and saying it by 5 percent each year for the next very tentatively. four. years. President Ford, however, seems to Gallup also found that President have made up his mind, and also Ford's offer to cut $28 bi.1lion in taxes seems so sure that . the conservative if. Congress would reduce the Federad tide is running that be lets Ne1son go to b?-dget by a similar amount, was Rockefeller and is even willing epJ>8ifetlltiy gatlhering wide support. let New York go over the side. He bas Th~ this deal was roundly read ~e bond issue returns from Ohio, denounced by the Democrats allld allld lS clearly more worried about ma:riy prominent newspapets as a fending oft the conserv:ative cllal­ pd).itical trick-since he suggested giv­ lenge of Ronald Reagan than Iosl.tng i:n.g the tax cut early in the new yea;r the liberal support of Nelson Rocke­ and ·cutting the budget after the elec­ feHer. tion-67 percent of those polled said But even the conservative supporters tney felt he had a good idea and oo:ly of Ford and Reagan here in Ohio have 19 percent said it was a bum ide~ their doubts about this massive opposi­ The trend, of course, is .hot new. tion to spending. What if this indicates Even such liberal candidll!tes as George not merly a prudent caution about big McGovern, Birch Bayh and Gary Hart spending and big Government payrolls of ~Colorado got to illhe Senate in the but also a lack of confidence in both 19~4' election by dlipping their· own Republicans and Democrats alike? A left ,wings, but the. New York fiscal tendency to hunker down. save, and orisis has obviously extended the con.­ puU back from investment? se)'V*tive trend and soared ·even the If tlhis should happen, then the last of the big spenders. present recovery from the worst ·~or example, it was a Repub'lican economic slump sirtce the thirties Governor here, Jim Rhodes, Wiho could be stopped or even reversed in backed the big bond issues as a 1976. This is what is concerning the "blueprint for Ohio,'' but it was a Presidential candidates of both parties yqung Democratic Lieutenant Gov­ as they tour the country-all that is, ern'Or, Dick Celeste, who called them except the President. a: ••blueprint for bankruptcy," and He says "there Is a fair degree of llhey didn't get a majority of votes unanimity" between him and Governor in a single one of Ohio's 88 counties Reagan.