Poll: Bush blamed for poor economy

LOS ANGELES, June 26 (UPI) -- A wide majority of Americans blame President George Bush's policies for the nation's struggling economy, a poll reveals.

The Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll issued Wednesday indicates three out of four people surveyed believe the economy has gotten worse since the Republican president, who is nearing the end of his second term, took office.

Just 9 percent of those polled said they think the U.S. economy is better than before Bush took office. Seventy-five percent said conditions are worse, the Times reported.

And it's not just Democrats who feel that way. Forty-two percent of those polled who identify themselves as Republicans say the country is worse off now. Twenty-six say it's about the same and 22 percent think things are better under Bush.

"There has been a lack of leadership and a lack of timeliness of leadership, of not being conscious of the magnitude of the problems," said Phillip Thies, a Republican businessman from Cedar, Mich. "He's always a day late and a dollar short."

The Times/Bloomberg poll, conducted June 19-23, interviewed 1,233 U.S. adults. The poll's margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.