Poll, Dems, GOP can guard US from terror

Americans say they think the Democratic and Republican parties can equally protect the country from international and military threats, Gallup said Thursday. Forty-five percent of Americans said they thought the parties could equally address terrorism threats, results indicated. The latest Gallup survey was conducted after the Republican National Convention and during and after the Democratic National Convention, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said. The survey also indicated Americans thought the Democratic Party could do a better job than the GOP in keeping the country prosperous, 51 percent to 42 percent. Gallup said the finding was a switch from 2010 and 2011 when the Republican Party was narrowly favored. More broadly, respondents said they thought Democrats would be better at handling whatever national problem participants think is most important, 49 percent to 39 percent. Gallup said the question was a follow-up to an open-ended question about what respondents thought the nation\'s top problems are. For months, respondents listed as their top concerns unemployment and the economy, followed by dissatisfaction with government, the federal budget deficit, and healthcare, Gallup said. Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews conducted Sept. 6-9 with 1,017 adults. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.