UPI Poll: G.W. Bush to blame for economy

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. voters largely blame former President George W. Bush for wrecking the economy but are split over who can better repair it, the UPI Poll showed Thursday.

Among likely voters, 50 percent put the onus on Bush for the ongoing sluggish economic, 25 percent blamed President Obama and 4 percent blamed former President Bill Clinton in the poll conducted by CVOTER International. Among confirmed voters, 44 percent blamed Bush, 36 percent Obama and 8 percent Clinton.

Asked who could better handle the economy 33 percent of likely voters said Obama and 19 percent said Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, with 28 percent saying neither man is equipped for the job. Among confirmed voters, 35 percent said Obama, 42 percent went with Romney and 13 percent rejected both men.

"The voter sentiment behind the disparate figures is not difficult to comprehend. Likely voters that may not turn up at the voting booth are more Democratic-leaning than Republican given their demographic -- largely low-income, ethnic minorities," the pollsters said.

Nearly half of confirmed voters (49 percent) said Obama has had enough time to fix things, while 46 percent said he needs more time. Likely voters were more lenient, with 31 percent saying things should have been fixed by now and 52 percent saying it will take more time.

The economy is the biggest concern among all voters with 91 percent of likely voters and 88 percent of confirmed voters saying it's the most important issue of the campaign.

The poll queried 3,000 registered voters Sept. 3-9 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.