Polling

Many news organizations such as television networks or wire services like to see what the American public thinks of the proposals articulated by presidents in their State of the Union Addresses. A handy way of gauging this response is to take a poll the night of the speech (which only until recently was technologically impossible).

The public responds well to a president when he goes before Congress according to such instant polls. Presidents see their approval ratings skyrocket as well as support for their policies and proposals, exemplifying what is often called the "bully pulpit." Both George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton achieved their highest ratings after State of the Union Addresses.

CBS’s Coverage of New Presidents CBS treated new presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush quite differently, revealing Clinton's approval ratings bump after his first address, but ignoring it in Bush's case. CBS mentioned a poll from unspecified competitors saying Bush's tax cut plan was not preferred by Americans but did not mention its own poll which indicated solid support for Bush's. People Support Clinton after First Address CBS'S DAVID CULHANE: Meet Herb Klein, the new representative from the 8th Congressional District of New Jersey. He's one of hundreds of legislators who went home this weekend to talk to their constituents about the Clinton economic package. He got an earful. Unidentified Man: I believe we should give him a chance. He's our president. He came up with a lot of good ideas. KLEIN: And if we can have more spending cuts and put them into effect more rapidly, I'm going to make sure that we do it. Unidentified Man: Boy, I hope so, 'cause I hate to see the tax rate go up, and then in three or four years we find out that the spending went up with it. CULHANE: Most of the reactions Congressman Klein heard reflected the polls that say a majority of the voters support the broad outlines of the administration plan. There's relief that real action seems imminent on jobs and the deficit. Unidentified Man: Something is happening finally. We're not just being told that we're just standing tall and everything will be all right. Unidentified Woman: I would tell him to go towards Clinton's package. I would tell him to vote yes. Unidentified Woman: Don't wheel and deal on it. Don't take anything out. --David Culhane on the CBS Evening News, February 20, 1993. Little Support for Bush after First Address ROBERTS: At the Stage Right Cafe in Omaha, where the sarcasm runs as strong as the coffee, they've heard all the talk about tax cuts. JAN THILL: Some people think it's too small, some people think it's too big and some people think it's just right. Isn't that what it was? ROBERTS: Well, what do you think? THILL: I think it could probably re--be reduced. ROBERTS: Jan Thill believes if Mr. Bush can hold the line on spending, his tax cut could work. But Sue Kilgarin fears the president is rolling the dice on eight years of success just for political gain. (Footage of Kilgarin rolling a die) SUE KILGARIN: I think a big tax cut is just a real feather in someone's cap. ROBERTS: House Republicans appear to have heard Mr. Bush's plea for swift passage of his tax cut, scheduling a vote for next week. Debate might be short, but it will be intense. Dan. --Dan Rather and John Roberts on the CBS Evening News, February 28, 2001. "New polls, however, show voters leaning slightly in favor of the Democratic plan. And with the Senate narrowly opposed to Mr. Bush, there's bound to be a compromise." --John Roberts on the CBS Evening News, March 1, 2001.

Since 1992 when "snapshot polling" became possible due to improvements in polling technology, CBS News has measured public opinion the night of the speech (usually a Tuesday) and then ran more detailed polls later in the week. It even took the step during several years in the 90s of having a special show, America on the Line, dedicated to analyzing public reaction the night of the speech. Taking polls is an expensive affair, so, barring a tremendous breaking-news story, media companies make sure to report polls they commission.

Once George W. Bush assumed the presidency in 2001, it seemed obvious that CBS News would continue in this tradition of nightly polling. And it did: As usual, CBS News commissioned an instant poll and as usual, the president's approval ratings rose. Unusually, though, CBS News decided not to release the results of the poll that night nor during any successive Evening News programs later that week. Dan Rather did not summarize the results nor did any of Rather's other colleagues, despite coming under criticism for failing to do so. Before the speech, no one at CBS News even hinted that new poll results would be released--breaking a nine-year precedent.

The neglected poll of 978 adults indicated that "88 percent of Americans who either watched or listened to the address say they approve of the proposals President Bush made in his speech." Sixty-seven percent said they approved of Bush's $1.6 trillion tax cut proposal.

Wondering if spiking this poll was another instance of the anchorman's liberal bias, RatherBiased.com looked at how Rather and his Evening News colleagues covered CBS's snapshot polls (always favorable to the current president) in previous years.

Read the poll ignored by Rather. See also Polls.

1992
"Now, having heard the Democrats' response, we've got a lot more ground to cover here. We want to hear your response. We want to hear what you think about the president's State of the Union address. We invite you to stay tuned right here on this station and tell us what you think about the issues, everything from the economy to education to taxes. Now to do that, we've come up with what we think is a unique experiment in television. This is something brand new. It allows hundreds of thousands of you to call us, toll-free, and register your opinions. What do you think? We call the program "America On the Line." Connie Chung, Charles Kuralt, and I will be back in just a minute or so to begin it in most of the country."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, January 28, 1992.

"But people we've polled as part of our regular "CBS News" poll. Are you confident Mr. Bush will improve the economy: yes, 56 percent; no, 44 percent. Good news for President Bush. Presidents usually are helped by, you know, personal addresses, particularly big speeches, and it indicates that's holding him tonight."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, January 28, 1992.

"Right after the State of the Union address last night, CBS News took a poll. Fifty-six percent of the Americans who responded said they believe President Bush can improve the economy."
--Bob Schieffer on the CBS Evening News, January 29, 1992.

1993
SCHIEFFER: In fact, reaction to the idea of new taxes was surprisingly mild in the congressional offices we surveyed today. Overnight polling reflected generally favorable reaction to the president's plan.
KATHLEEN FRANKOVIC (CBS News Director of Surveys): The American people are saying the plan is fair. They are saying that the--that they expect it to do its job in reducing the deficit and improve the economy.
SCHIEFFER: Of course, some of that enthusiasm may fade as people learn more of the specifics, and it will be months before Congress shapes the final package. But so far, Democrats feel pretty good about it. Bob Schieffer, CBS News, at the Capitol.
--Bob Schieffer on the CBS Evening News, February 18, 1993.

"Most of the national polling since the president's speech shows that Americans were generally favorable to the president's plan, but today most members of Congress went home for a more important poll: how it's playing in their home district. David Culhane was with one Democrat. Here's his report."
--Bob Schieffer on the CBS Evening News, February 20, 1993. (see sidebar for report)

1994
"We asked our 3,000 American group if they approved, disapproved or were unsure about President Clinton's speech, and here's what they said. Approve: 76 percent. They'll be popping champagne corks at the White House about that. Disapprove of what President Clinton proposed tonight: 11 percent. Unsure: 13 percent. Now this is based on 3,000 Americans being asked."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, January 25, 1994

"And a CBS News poll immediately after the speech shows that 76 percent of Americans approved of the president's proposals.
Unidentified Woman: I think he's on target with health care and I'm glad he's increasing crime prevention.
--Rita Braver on the CBS Evening News, January 26, 1994.

1995
RATHER: We have the first results from a CBS News poll taken tonight. Now we asked a sample of 2,000 Americans what they think of the proposals President Clinton made tonight in his State of the Union address. We put this sample together as scientifically as possible, and these are among the results.
What--'What do you think of the president's proposals tonight?' Approval: 85 percent; disapprove; 7 percent; unsure, 8 percent. We think that the plus or minus possible error on this poll is no more than about 3 percent, at most. So 85 percent of those polled said they approved of what the president said tonight.
'Compared to the Democrats, how are the Republicans doing running Congress?' Thirty-four percent, the Republicans are running it better; worse, 12 percent; about the same, 51 percent. That's a change from some of the things that we've had before this.
Now we have put other questions to this rapid poll tonight, as scientific a poll as we can make it, and we'll be back with that in just a moment, so stay here with us.
CHUNG: Let's go back now to see how you answered a couple of the other questions in our exclusive CBS News poll. Right after the president's speech this evening, we asked the people in our sample, 'Do you now have a clear idea of what Bill Clinton stands for?' Yes, 74 percent; no, 26 percent. Another question we asked: 'Who do you think better understands the major problems facing the country today, President Clinton or the Republicans in Congress?' President Clinton, 56 percent; Republicans in Congress, 42 percent. This is good news for President Clinton. Dan.
--Dan Rather and Connie Chung during a CBS News Special Report, January 24, 1995.

"Connie, I think we need to underscore, before we go off the air tonight, because we've moved so quickly, that in our poll of 2,000 respondents tonight, they approved of President Clinton's proposals overwhelmingly; nearly three-fourths now say they have a clear idea of what President Clinton stands for--that's a change from before the speech, and they believe that President Clinton understands their needs and the country's major problems better than the Republicans do. Those are the headlines out of our poll."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, January 24, 1995.

1996
"And welcome now to our special coverage of the State of the Union. You've heard from the president and from the Republicans. Now let's here from you. We're conducting a special nationwide CBS News poll right now. We'll have the results in just a bit, before we get off the air.
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, January 23, 1996.

"Some more results now from our best-we-can-make-it scientific CBS News poll done in the last hour. Pretty interesting stuff here. Among those who watched the president's speech tonight--check this out--69 percent--69 percent approved of the proposals in the president's speech; 11 percent disapproved of Mr. Clinton's proposals."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, January 23, 1996.

1997
President Clinton's 1997 State of the Union address was bumped from the headlines in the media by a much "bigger" story: the jury's verdict in the O.J. Simpson civil suit. If the verdict had not been handed down during Clinton's speech, though, Rather would have given the results of CBS's snap poll:
"CBS News's live coverage of President Clinton's State of the Union address, the Republican response, a quickie poll and some analysis, begins at 9 tonight, Eastern time."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, February 4, 1997.

"At any rate, we'll be on the air tonight at 9:00 Eastern time, 6:00 in the West, with President Clinton's State of the Union address. We'll have a quick poll after that, some analysis, and the Republican response. It's going to be a big night for news."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, February 4, 1997.

"[I]f the verdict is not announced by that time, you will hear it instantly when it's announced on a crawl on the screen below the president and his appearance on Capitol Hill for his State of the Union address. Then we'll have the Republican response behind his address, some analysis and the results of a quick poll."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, February 4, 1997.

"And we're also going to have the results of a--a rather quick poll. We don't argue that it's the most scientific poll that can be taken, but we do argue that it's about the best poll that can be taken on the same night, which we'll report the results to you just after the president's State of the Union address and the Republican response."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, February 4, 1997.

The jury in the civil suit filed against O.J. Simpson rendered its verdict during President Clinton's speech:
"[W]e did have plans for a quick poll tonight on public opinion about President Clinton's State of the Union address. In a word, we've canned that."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, February 4, 1997.

1998
"I'll be back with CBS News's live coverage of the State of the Union address at 9 Eastern time, 8 Central, followed by a CBS News special, "White House Under Fire." That will include an interactive poll to get your opinion of the speech and the president."
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, January 27, 1998.

"We've run a quick poll tonight and here are some of the results. Now this is a quick and not as scientific as we'd like poll, but nonetheless, State of the Union proposals: 86 percent approve and only 8 percent disapprove. Now before and after, can he achieve his goals? Before tonight's speech, 49 percent thought the president could achieve his goals, now 64 percent. This is the usual post-State of the Usion--Union speech bump."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, January 27, 1998.

"The State of the Union message could not have come at a better time to give Mr. Clinton a boost. A CBS News polls taken last night mirrored what the White House's own surveys showed. Even though only half those asked think that Mr. Clinton has told the truth about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, immediately following the speech, nearly three-quarters approved of the way he's handling his job."
--Bill Plante on the CBS Evening News, January 28, 1998.

"President Clinton comes back with the people. He wins his highest approval rating ever in a CBS News poll, while the special prosecutor's investigation stalls on the issue of immunity for Monica Lewinsky.
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, January 29, 1998.

RATHER: What a comeback for President Clinton. Right after the Monica Lewinsky story broke, there was widespread talk of possible resignation or impeachment. But look at this
(Graphic on screen)
RATHER: a CBS News poll out tonight indicates the president with his highest job approval rating ever: 73 percent. That's up 16 points since the State of the Union address.
(Graphic on screen)
RATHER: And, for the first time, a majority of Republicans give the president a thumbs up.
--Dan Rather on the CBS Evening News, January 29, 1998.

"Also, a new CBS News poll just out tonight, the president holds onto his post-State of the Union bounce, an approval rating of 73 percent. That's his all-time high. Now White House correspondent Scott Pelley with the details.
--Dan Rather on 48 Hours, January 29, 1998.

1999
"CBS News conducted a quick poll tonight to gauge your reactions to the president's address.
(Graphic on screen)
Opinion of President's State of the Union Proposals:
Approve 82% Disapprove 13%
Margin of error: 3 pts.
Opinion of president's State of the Union proposals: approve 82 percent, disapprove 13.
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, January 19, 1999.

"It seemed, though, that most Americans liked what they heard last night. There were new programs for nearly everyone and no tax increase, except for cigarettes. According to senior aides, Mr. Clinton believed it was his best policy address ever. A new CBS News poll shows a 72 percent job approval rating."
--Scott Pelley on the CBS Evening News, January 20, 1999.

2000
"And also we'll have for you the results of a first of its kind Internet-based national poll to find out what you and your neighbors think of the president's speech. Results of that poll will be coming up right away."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, January 27, 2000.

"Tonight, CBS is using the Internet to measure public reaction to the president's address. We put questions to a random sample of Americans who have now responded online.
Now these are the questions, and these were the responses. Can President Clinton and Congress work together? Yes, 43 percent; no, 57 percent.
Has President Clinton made the U.S. better, 57 percent; worse, 11 percent; no change, 32 percent. This is the CBS exclusive interline--online response from you, the viewers.
The next president should: continue President Clinton's policies, 71 percent; change President Clinton's policies, 27 percent."
--Dan Rather during a CBS News Special Report, January 27, 2000.

2001
Nothing.

2002
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