NEW POLL RELEASED
Rhode Islanders Oppose John Bolton
Senator Chafee should do the same

Washington DC - Over 80 percent of Rhode Islanders oppose the nomination of John Bolton for U.S. Ambassador to UN, according to a recent survey taken by Zogby. The survey shows the growing disconnect between Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), who continues to express support for the Bolton nomination, and his constituents, the majority of whom are opposed to the appointment. In addition, 55.6 percent of those polled said that should Senator Chafee vote for John Bolton’s nomination, they would be less likely to support his reelection bid.

Citizens for Global Solutions Executive Vice-President Don Kraus said, “A bipartisan majority of Rhode Islanders oppose the Bolton nomination and are willing to take their opposition to the polling booths next year. Senator Chafee now has an important decision to make; he must decide between partisan politics or the opinions of the people of Rhode Island.”

In addition, the poll showed that:

• 85 percent of those who said they would vote for Senator Chafee if the election were held today, said the Senator should vote against the Bolton nomination

• 79 percent of those who are not sure how they will vote in 2006, said the Senator should vote against the Bolton nomination

• 42.8 percent of those who voted for Senator Chafee in 2000 said they would be less likely to vote for him in 2006 should he vote in favor of the Bolton nomination.

The poll, which was conducted over a three day period, comes on the eve of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote on Bolton’s nomination. During Congressional hearings, Senators heard statements made by Mr. Bolton opposing the UN, claiming “there is no such thing as the United Nations” and declaring that if “the [UN] Secretariat building in New York… lost 10 stories today, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.” Further evidence called into question Bolton’s credibility, revealing that he promoted faulty intelligence on Iraqi weapons, jeopardized nuclear weapons negotiations with North Korea, and intimidated and requested the removal of multiple U.S. intelligence officers who disagreed with his policy conclusions.

When presented with Bolton’s statements and actions, Rhode Islanders were overwhelmingly opposed to his confirmation as U.S. Ambassador to the UN. After hearing Bolton’s statements, those who supported the nomination dropped from 17 percent to 11 percent, while those who said they were unsure about Bolton’s candidacy dropped from 51 percent to just 8 percent.

Senator Chafee has said he is inclined to support the nomination because he is unwilling to intervene in Presidential appointments. However, 62.3 percent of Rhode Island Democrats and 71.9 percent of Rhode Island Republicans believe that Senator Chafee should not vote for a nominee who is unpopular in Rhode Island, even if the Bush administration asks him to do so.

Don Kraus noted, “Rhode Islanders value the United States role in the world more so than reforming social security, end of life issues and tax reform. They want a credible ambassador who believes in the UN and has the ability to bring countries together to solve problems. Rhode Islanders do not believe John Bolton is the right man for this job.

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Click here to view the Zogby Poll in PDF format

Updated on April 18, 2005
 

Contact:

Sam Stein
Communications Associate
202 546 3950 ext 123

Don Kraus
Executive Vice President
202 546 3950 ext 103