I don't understand the American people

The New York Times and CBS News poll has been released, and the results (as one would expect) aren't pretty for the President:

Nearly two-thirds said a second Bush term would leave the country with a larger deficit, while 47 percent said that a second Bush term would divide Americans. A majority of those surveyed said that they did not expect any improvement in health care, education, or in reducing the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly by January 2009.

Just under 80 percent, including a majority of those who said they voted for Mr. Bush in November, said it would not be possible to overhaul Social Security, cut taxes, and finance the war in Iraq without increasing the budget deficit, despite Mr. Bush's promises to the contrary.

(snip)

The poll also found that concern about the war in Iraq is rising: 75 percent said Mr. Bush had no clear plan for getting out of Iraq, a sharp jump up from 58 percent last fall, and a majority said that he routinely exaggerated conditions there.

And 75 percent said they believe a significant number of American troops will still be stationed in Iraq when Mr. Bush leaves the presidency.

The poll also found that 53 percent of Americans think the war in Iraq will not have been worth the loss of American life if unconventional weapons are never found.

Alright, so let me get this straight. A majority says they expect no improvement in health care, education, and prescription medication. Almost 80 percent basically call the President a liar on one of his campaign issues. Almost half the country thinks the guy is a divider, not a uniter. 53% of the country thinks Bush started a war that wasn't worth it. 3/4 of the country thinks that Bush has no exit plan for Iraq and most Americans fell the President routinely lies to them about conditions over there. Yet 51% of the nation voted for him anyway?

All I can do is shake my head.

Now for the good news - well, not good for the President, but for those of us who actually like Social Security:

But 50 percent said it was a "bad idea" to permit workers to divert part of their payroll taxes into the stock market, as Mr. Bush is expected to propose. That number leaps to 70 percent when the question includes the possibility that future guaranteed benefits would be reduced by as much as one-third.

Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they were not likely to put their own Social Security money into the stock market, and a majority said that in pushing for a Social Security overhaul, Mr. Bush was more interested in helping Wall Street than protecting the average American.

"I think it's a bad idea," said Tina DeSantis, 46, of Pennsylvania, who identified herself as a Republican. "People that I've encountered don't necessarily have the tools necessary to make proper decisions with them and end up losing money."

And Ilene Bernards, 46, a Republican from Clinton, Utah, said she feared that permitting people to invest in private accounts would end up destabilizing the system.

"We would be farther in the hole than we already are with Social Security, because at some point if people use their money and lose it and they're old, then somebody is still going to have to take care of them," Ms. Bernards said.

The bad news? 70% seem to think that the Bush change of Social Security s inevitable. That needs to change. And half the country is buying into the falsehood that there is a crisis in Social Security. And we all know that's wrong, don't we?