Polarization and Politics

Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake over at The Fix posted an interesting analysis of Gallup data showing that opinions of Barack Obama are the most polarized by political party of any President at this point in his term in recent history.  George W. Bush was second at this point in his presidency and also had [...]

 

What’s wrong in Appalachia (And what do we do about it?)

The early November statewide elections in Kentucky and West Virginia were something of a yawn compared to the excitement of 2009 where big Republican wins in Virginia and New Jersey presaged the 2010 wave that swept Republicans into a dominant position in the House and in states nationwide. In Kentucky, Republican nominee David Williams was [...]

 

Another Broken Fiscal Promise

First we were promised that the stimulus bill would save or create 3.5 million jobs and keep unemployment under 8%.  As it turned out, we lost 1.5 million jobs and saw the unemployment rate exceed 10%. After spending $821 billion on the stimulus, President Obama promised that his next big ticket piece of legislation, ObamaCare, [...]

 

Now that the Debt Ceiling is Raised, What Next?

Like many in Washington, we’ve been focused on the debt ceiling debate for the past several weeks.  The evolution of public awareness and opinion on that issue was fascinating to watch and the public opinion and electoral repercussions will continue to evolve over the coming weeks and months. But, the debt ceiling issue has been [...]

 

A Look at the Numbers

As the Republican Presidential Primary field continues to develop, announced and prospective candidates have largely been scrutinized based on how they might fare in the general election against President Obama. Obama’s re-election prospects are more likely to be dependent on the public’s perception of the state of the economy than on his opponent, and, given [...]

 

POLL RESULTS: Specialty Physicians Strongly Oppose Government Run Health Care

Memorandum To:            Alfred Bonati, M.D.                 American Society of Medical Doctors From:        Chris Perkins, Vice President Subject:    Survey Results Date:        August 19, 2009   Key Findings   §  An overwhelming number of specialty physicians oppose President Obama’s and the Democratic Congress’ health care plan. o   We asked specialty physicians the following question As you may have heard, President Obama and [...]

 

Poll Check: GOP holding steady in NJ – increasing lead in VA

Republican candidates for Governor in Virginia and New Jersey are reaping rewards for the national Democrats problems on the health care front.  As you can see below, despite current Governor Jon Corzine’s spending spree, he continues to be stuck in the high 30′s, while Republican candidate Chris Christie has inched up from the mid-40′s to [...]

 

More Troubling Numbers for Democrats on Healthcare

Key numbers from new Quinnipiac Survey:   In the Quinnipiac survey, 55% (including 54% of the key independent voter bloc) said they were more concerned that the overhaul would increase the deficit than that Congress would not pass some kind of overhaul. That same 57% (and 59% of independents) disagreed with the following statement: “Overhauling [...]

 

Does The US Really Want Democracy In The Middle East?

The United States talks a lot about spreading democracy throughout the world and the importance of freedom of speech and equality for all.  But does the rest of the world agree that those are the principles we stand up for and defend? After the elections in Iran were certified, Secretary of State Clinton was asked [...]

 

Unemployment Forecast for 2010 Election: approximately 10%

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal reveals that very few economists favor another round of stimulus funding and believe that the unemployment rate will be similar to today’s level by the November 2010 election: Just eight of 51 economists in The Wall Street Journal’s latest forecasting survey said more stimulus is necessary, suggesting [...]

 

60th Senator Begins Term with High Unfav’s

On a week where Senate Democrats should be celebrating their filibuster proof majority, a recent survey indicates their 60th vote, now-Senator Al Franken (D-MN), will have no honeymoon period with voters.  44% of those surveyed indicate an unfavorable opinion of the junior Senator from Minnesota, compared to just 34% who view him favorably.  While it’s important [...]

 

Wilson Speaks to National Religious Broadcasters about Issues and Challenges

CEO Chris Wilson speaks to the National Religious Broadcasters Research Symposium today about the public opinion of Christians on several key issues, and the demographic challenges facing radio ministries. Exploring Public Opinion of Three Key Issues for Radio Ministries: Fairness Doctrine, Hate Crimes Legislation, and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act While there are a number of [...]

 

Laid Off Workers Could Change Political Landscape

A new survey indicates that laid off workers are spending more time engaging in their communities by volunteering (8%) and becoming more involved in their local church (6%).  This newly minted free time could significantly change political environments now that 9% of the US is unemployed. As the unemployed search for jobs, they are also [...]

 

Republicans and Democrats view Economy Differently

A new survey out demonstrates how different voters from both parties view our current economic crisis.  Republicans are returning to their roots, as they worry about the growing deficit, income taxes and budget problems.  Democrats are more concerned with rising unemployment, and healthcare. Campaigns are stuggling to find the middle-ground economic issues that are important [...]

 

House Leadership Takes Suicidal Stand Against Its African-American Base

David A. Ridenour (National Center for Public Policy Research) Townhall.com Friday, June 26, 2009 Overly influenced by certain big-name green groups, misled by their own ideology and perhaps also a bit dazzled by the unlikely stardom of failed-politician-turned-climate-hero Al Gore, Democrats on Capitol Hill seem bent on self-destruction when it comes to climate change. At [...]

 

Democrats: Pay for healthcare through deficit spending

There are a number of aspects that Republicans and Democrats differ on healthcare.  An example is how each view government spending for health care in a recently released survey: Statement A: Reforming health care is so important that the government should invest new resources to make sure it is done right. Statement B: Reforming health [...]

 

NCPPR: African-Americans Favor Delay on Climate Change Legislation

WPA is proud to serve as pollster for the National Center for Public Policy Research on this project… For Release: June 24, 2009 Contact: David Almasi at (202) 543-4110×11 or dalmasi@nationalcenter.org African-Americans Favor Delay on Climate Change Legislation38% Believe Resulting Job Losses Would Fall Heaviest on Blacks; 56% Say Congress Fails to Adequately Take Into [...]

 

Beware: “public” pollsters with an agenda

There are a few pollsters out there that claim to be publically distributing information, yet have a hidden agenda.  Let’s take the Public Policy Polling firm as a prime example.  This polling firm has consistently released polling number’s that show North Carolina’s senior Sen. Richard Burr’s approval ratings in the mid-30′s.  Normally, this is dangerous [...]

 

Smoking in America; Big Government versus Big Business

Recently President Obama signed into law a tough anti-smoking bill aimed at curbing smoking throughout America.  The bill was specifically aimed at trying to stop teens from smoking.  But how do Americans feel about the bill?  Recent polling numbers show an interesting debate on the topic. 52% of Americans disapprove of the bill that President [...]

 

Voters Face Increase in State Taxes

While federal stimulus money has allowed some states to make up some shortfalls, voters in 36 states are facing new or proposed taxes as states face significant budget gaps.  Unlike the federal government, states have to balance their budgets.  This forces legislatures to pass new taxes instead of making significant spending cuts.  These new taxes will likely make the [...]

 

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