ABCDE Thunderstorms. 86/75 • Tomorrow: Showers, storms. 93/75 • details, B8
6 in 10 Americans lack faith in Obama Congress still held in
lower esteem, but poll shows gap narrowing
by Dan Balz and Jon Cohen
Public confidence in President Obama has hit a new low, accord- ing to the latest Washington Post- ABC News poll. Four months be- fore midterm elections that will define the second half of his term, nearly six in 10 voters say they lack faith in the president to make the right decisions for the coun- try, and a clear majority once again disapproves of how he is dealing with the economy.
Q:
Regard for Obama is still high- er than it is for members of Con- gress, but the gap has narrowed. About seven in 10 registered vot- ers say they lack confidence in Democratic lawmakers and a sim- ilar proportion say so of Repub- lican lawmakers. Overall, more than a third of voters polled — 36 percent — say they have no confidence or only some confidence in the president, congressional Democrats and congressional Republicans. Among independents, this dis- illusionment is higher still. About two-thirds of all voters say they are dissatisfied with or angry about the way the federal govern- ment is working. Such broad negative senti- ments have spurred a potent anti-
TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2010
How much confidence do you have in . . . to make the right decisions for the country’s future? (percent of voters saying “just some” or “none”)
President Obama
58% SOURCE: Washington Post-ABC News poll poll
incumbent mood. Just 26 percent of registered voters say they are inclined to support their repre- sentative in the House this fall; 62 percent are inclined to look for someone new. Democrats nationally remain on the defensive as they seek to retain both houses of Congress this fall. Registered voters are closely divided on the question of whether they will back Repub- licans or Democrats in House rac- es. Among those who say they are sure to cast ballots in November, 49 percent side with the GOP and
It’s all downhill from here
45 percent with Democrats. Overall, a slim majority of all voters say they would prefer Re- publican control of Congress so that the legislative branch would act as a check on the president’s policies. Those most likely to vote in the midterms prefer the GOP over continued Democratic rule by a sizable margin of 56 percent to 41 percent.
Economic worries continue to
frame the congressional cam- paigns. Almost all Americans rate
poll continued on A6 by Joel Achenbach
and Mary Pat Flaherty The fate of the gushing Gulf of
Mexico oil well, and of deep- water oil drilling in general, re- mained very much unresolved Monday, even as BP engineers fi- nally installed a massive new sealing cap that could potentially enable them to shut down the well permanently. The drama in the depths off the coast of Louisiana unfolded as, in Washington, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a new morato- rium on offshore drilling, trying a new tack to get around an in- junction issued recently by a New Orleans federal judge. Instead of banning offshore drilling based
Democrats in Congress
68%
Republicans in Congress
72%
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Interior Dept. issues ban on offshore drilling
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Sealing cap installed on gulf oil well
The BP disaster More about the Gulf of Mexico
oil spill can be found in a special edition of the Health & Science section. Section E
on water depth, he barred dril- ling by the types of rigs and equipment used in deep water. An Interior Department spokes- man said that none of the 33 rigs whose work was interrupted in May would be able to resume their activity.
“I am basing my decision on
evidence that grows every day of the industry’s inability in the deep water to contain a cata- strophic blowout, respond to an oil spill and to operate safely,” Sa- lazar said.
BP and its oil-industry allies hope that in the days ahead they will gain the upper hand on the Macondo well, drilled by the Deepwater Horizon rig and spew- ing oil since the fatal blowout April 20. If all goes perfectly, the well could stop polluting the gulf
spill continued on A6
Attacks could signal a shift for al-Qaeda Uganda blasts suggest
greater ambitions for regional affiliates
by Sudarsan Raghavan MICHAEL TEMCHINE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST Dallas Childers, 42, skateboards down the ramp of a Towson garage well after business hours. N
ot everyone gives up the passions of their youth. A group of skateboard enthusiasts, some in their 30s and 40s, gather at empty parking garages in Towson, Md., to spin their wheels. They use the more stable longboard to reduce the risk of injury. One says he “wanted to get back into it in a way that wasn’t as dangerous.” Style, C1
In hiding, in debt and on tape Recordings reveal Blagojevich’s disdain for job, thoughts about a ‘Senator Oprah’
on
washingtonpost.com by Peter Slevin
chicago — Former Illinois gov- ernor Rod Blagojevich may or may not have broken the law, but he sure did hate his job. He re- viled his political enemies, mocked many of the candidates for a vacant U.S. Senate seat and disparaged the voters who failed to appreciate his talents. “Only 13 percent of you all out there think I’m doing a good job. So [expletive] all of you,” the salty- tongued Blagojevich (D), refer- ring to poll numbers, said in a se- cretly taped conversation played at his federal corruption trial. By the time Democrat Barack Obama had won the White House in 2008, the two-term governor was deeply in debt and obsessed with finding a new job that paid
Blagojevich discusses putting Oprah in the open Senate seat; images from his career and federal corruption trial.
washingtonpost.com/politics
well. He spent as few as two hours a week in the office, sometimes hiding in the restroom to avoid his budget director. Aformer deputy governor testi-
fied that he once was so desperate to get work done, he tracked his boss to a bowling alley, forcing the elusive Blagojevich to focus on 20 important legislative meas- ures while finishing a meal with his wife and two young daugh- ters. Another aide said he cor- nered Blagojevich at his tailor’s. Prosecutors pressing a 24- count racketeering, extortion and
fraud case expect to rest their case in the next day or two, then wait to see whether the voluble Blagojevich makes good on his vow to testify in his own defense. Among other charges, prosecu- tors have accused the former gov- ernor of trying to shake down a racetrack operator and a road contractor. He is accused of seek- ing a $50,000 campaign contribu- tion from a Chicago children’s hospital executive in return for releasing $8 million in Medicaid payments owed to the hospital. Already six weeks into the trial,
prosecutors are now preparing for a cross-examination that could stretch weeks more. De- fense attorneys, meanwhile, worked Monday to suggest that Blagojevich was a dim bulb, stum-
blagojevich continued on A4
kampala, uganda — The bombings orchestrated by Soma- lia’s al-Shabab militia that killed at least 74 people watching the World Cup finals on television Sunday night are the latest sign of the growing ambitions of al-Qae- da’s regional affiliates outside the traditional theaters of Afghani- stan, Pakistan and Iraq.
Ellicott City teen is injured in bombings. A8
The attacks, intended to inflict maximum damage on civilian tar- gets, mark the first major interna- tional assault by Somali militants in a region where the United States and its allies are attempt- ing to stem the rise of Islamist militancy. At least one American was killed and several were wounded in Sunday’s strikes. The United States has provided millions of dollars in military and economic aid, training, equip- ment, logistical support and intel- ligence to regional counterterror- ism allies such as Uganda, Ethio- pia and Kenya. Uganda is a training ground for soldiers for Somalia’s transitional govern- ment, which al-Shabab is seeking to overthrow, in a program
uganda continued on A8 For longtime jobless, no more help in sight by Michael A. Fletcher
toms river, n.j. — Even be- fore his unemployment checks ended, Dwight Michael Frazee’s days were filled with the pursuit of any idea that could earn him a buck. But few are working out, and now his nights are filled with dread. In the coming weeks, the Sen-
ate is expected to resume its de- bate about whether to extend the emergency jobless benefits that were passed in response to the steep increase in unemployment caused by the recession. But peo- ple like Frazee, who have suf- fered the longest in the down- turn, will not be part of that con- versation. They are among the 1.4million workers who have
Financial overhaul wins key GOP votes. A9
INSIDE
THE WORLD 1 Castro emerges The ailing revolutionary leader, who hadn’t made a major appearance in Cuba in years, appears on TV in Havana and fires off a series of attacks against the United States. A7
BUSINESS NEWS..............A9 CLASSIFIEDS .....................F1 COMICS ..........................C7-8
EDITORIALS/LETTERS.A14-15 FED PAGE.........................A13 GOING OUT GUIDE............C6
LOTTERIES.........................B4 MOVIES..............................C4 OBITUARIES...................B6-7
SPORTS NCAA makes room for 68 A first look at how the expanded men’s basketball bracket will work, and John Feinstein’s take on the changes. D1, 4
POLITICS & THE NATION A cure for deadly infections Easily preventable blood infections continue at American hospitals, with more than 80,000 patients a year infected, because administrators are not paying enough attention to the problem, a survey finds. A3
STOCKS............................A12 TELEVISION.......................C5 WORLD NEWS...................A7
Printed using recycled fiber METRO ‘Hell’s Canyon’
How one member of the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington described a public bike path that club leaders approved next to the facility. A lawsuit will attempt to get the path changed. B1
STYLE 1 Freedom for Polanski The Swiss reject a U.S. extradition request. C2.
Editorial: A travesty in Switzerland. A14 Eugene Robinson: Polanski’s utter gall. A15
DAILY CODE Details, B2
2983 1
been unemployed for at least 99 weeks, according to the Labor Department, reaching the limit for the insurance. Their numbers have grown sixfold in the past three years. The 99ers are glaring exam- ples of the nation’s most serious bout of long-term joblessness since the Great Depression. Nearly 46 percent of the coun- try’s 14.6 million unemployed
Dwight Michael Frazee, who has been out of steady work for two years, and his daughter, Jenna, 5, go fishing near their home in Toms River, N.J.
MIKE MCLAUGHLIN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
people have been out of work for more than six months, and fore- casters project that the situation will not improve anytime soon. Currently, the Labor Department says there are nearly five unem- ployed people for every job open- ing. Frazee, 50, has applied for work at more places than he can
benefits continued on A10
The Washington Post Year 133, No. 220
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