Voters split on Bush’s, Obama’s handling of federal government: poll

A plurality of voters say former President George W. Bush was more effective at handling the basic functions of the federal government than President Obama.

Thirty-eight percent chose Mr. Bush and 35 percent opted for Mr. Obama in a new Politico poll. Twenty-six percent said they were about the same.

Nearly two-thirds said they felt things in the U.S. are “out of control” right now, compared to 36 percent who were confident the country can meet its economic and national security challenges.

Still, six in 10 have “a lot” or “some” confidence that the U.S. government is doing everything possible to contain the spread of Ebola.

Eighty-four percent say the Islamic State terrorist group is either a “very serious” or “serious” threat to the homeland. About six in 10 are more concerned about the threat of a terrorist attack on the U.S., compared to four in 10 who are more concerned about the possibility of another drawn-out war in Iraq.

Fifty-eight percent say U.S. military actions should be limited to direct threats to the country’s national security, while 27 percent said the U.S. has a responsibility to use its military to protect democracy around the globe.

The survey of 840 likely voters in competitive U.S. House and Senate races was taken from Oct. 3-11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.