What They Told Us: Reviewing Key Polls the week of June 14 - 20.
Much of the action was overseas this past week, with Americans assessing their place in the world amidst global events beyond their control.
Protests over a disputed presidential election flared up in Iran, and a plurality of U.S. voters (43%) say President Obama has wisely kept the United States out of the spat so far. But 35% agree with Senator John McCain that the president has not been aggressive enough in supporting Iranian reformers.
Voters are more concerned about North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and its long-range missile capabilities. Now North Korea has passed Iran to become the country voters view as the biggest threat to U.S. national security.
Even though U.S. troops are actually on the ground fighting in Afghanistan, voters for now rule out the idea of negotiating directly with the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban to bring the war to a close. Voters also feel more strongly than ever that the president will have to send more U.S. troops there.
Despite Obama’s well-received outreach speech to Muslims in Egypt recently, voters are even more conflicted about America’s relationship with the Muslim world. Thirty-two percent (32%) say America’s relationship with the Muslim world will get better in the next year, while 28% say it will get worse.
They’re just as conflicted over America’s future place in the world. Only 31% of voters believe that the United States will be the most powerful nation in the world at the end of the 21st century. Thirty-five percent (35%) disagree and 34% are not sure.
Clearly, much of this sentiment is fed by ongoing economic difficulties on the home front. Twenty-eight percent (28%) of Americans say it’s at least somewhat likely that they will be personally impacted by the closing of General Motors and Chrysler dealerships across the country as part of the ongoing bankruptcies of those two companies. The federal government has a major say in both automakers because of those bankruptcy plans and many members of Congress are complaining about the dealership closings, but 72% of Americans say the companies and not the government should decide which dealers to close.
Most Americans continue to think that the government will do a worse job running a business than private investors.
Registering the same opposition they’ve had to the auto bailouts for months, 80% of voters want the government to sell its stake in GM and Chrysler as soon as possible. Most adults in Michigan (69%) share that belief.
Like the auto bailouts, health care reform as mandated by the policymakers in Washington, D.C. is coming full speed ahead, whether most voters like it or not.
The president is now aggressively campaigning to build support for the creation of a government-run health insurance company to compete with private insurers. Forty-one percent (41%) of Americans think a public insurance option is a good idea, but just as many (41%) disagree.
Obama agreed with the American Medical Association on Monday that tort reform needs to be part of any health care reform effort to keep costs down. Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters say it is too easy to sue a doctor for medical malpractice in the United States today. Forty-four percent (44%) favor a cap on jury awards in such cases. Maybe that’s because most voters think lawyers get more of the money than defendants do from malpractice lawsuits.
Americans are evenly divided on the urgency for moving ahead with health care reform right now, given the state of the U.S. economy. Forty-four percent say the Obama administration should wait on health care reform until the economy improves, but 43% say health care reform should move ahead right now.
Still, Americans' pessimism about their financial security is slowing, according to the latest COUNTRY Financial Security Index(R) for June.
However, the Rasmussen Consumer and Investor Indexes, which measure daily confidence, continue to seesaw as they have in recent months, with no clear trend evident at this time.
Obama’s ratings slipped slightly at week’s end in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll, but the president continues to remain more popular than many of his policies.
The key political news of the week came from Pennsylvania, with the release of early numbers on what is surely to be one of next year’s most closely watched Senate races. Longtime Republican Senator Arlen Specter, who recently switched parties to improve his chances of reelection, leads Congressman Joe Sestak by 19 percentage points in an early look at the 2010 Democratic Senatorial Primary in the Keystone State. Likely Republican nominee Pat Toomey trails both Specter and Sestak in potential match-ups for next year’s Senate showdown in Pennsylvania.
In other polls last week:
-- Perceptions of Judge Sonia Sotomayor and her prospects for confirmation as the nation’s next Supreme Court justice have changed little over the past couple of weeks.
-- The federal Food and Drug Administration will soon have unprecedented ability to regulate the making and marketing of tobacco products. Fifty-one percent (51%) of Americans say more government regulation of tobacco is at least somewhat likely to reduce the number of smokers in this country.
-- Forty-two percent (42%) of voters now believe human activity is the cause of global warming, while 40% say it is caused by long-term planetary trends.
-- Thirty-eight percent (38%) of voters now say the United States is heading in the right direction. But most voters (58%) say the nation is heading down the wrong track.
-- Democratic and Republican candidates are tied for the second straight week in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot. Thirty-nine percent (39%) would vote for their district’s Democratic congressional candidate while 39% would choose the Republican.
-- The vast majority of Americans drive to work, but even the threat of higher gas prices doesn’t seem to be encouraging them much to carpool, take public transportation or buy an energy-efficient hybrid car.
-- Only 16% of Americans say they are more likely to get a flu shot this year because of the outbreak of swine flu.
-- The feud between late-night talk show host David Letterman and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is no laughing matter. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (64%) say it’s inappropriate for comedians like Letterman to joke about the children of public figures.
-- With Father's Day this weekend, the overwhelming majority of Americans remain quite clear that being a dad is serious business. Three-out-of-four (75%) American adults say being a father is the most important role a man can fill in today’s world.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week's (May 31 - June 6) Key Polls
Rasmussen Reports
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Most voters continue to approve of the job President Obama is doing, but, as is often the case, the devil is in the details.
Sixty-two percent (62%) of U.S. voters agree with the president that the nation’s ongoing economic problems are due to the recession that began under the Bush administration and don’t blame the actions Obama’s taken since assuming office.
Fifty-one percent (51%) of voters still say the president is a good or excellent leader, although this number is at the lowest level of his presidency to date. Obama also hit his lowest reading ever in the Rasmusen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll at the end of the week, although it remains to be seen whether this is a temporary reaction to recent news or something more substantive.
When it comes to recent actions by the president, the disagreement grows.
Only 21% of voters nationwide support the government plan to bail out General Motors that kicked in last Monday with the troubled auto giant’s bankruptcy. In survey after survey in recent months, Rasmussen Reports has found that Americans are not in a bailout mood, for GM or anybody.
After the auto giant’s bankruptcy filing, 26% of American adults believed it was a good idea for the federal government to take ownership of General Motors, but nearly as many (17%) Americans should protest the bailout by boycotting GM and refusing to buy its cars.
Just 16% say it’s very likely GM will be successful in the next few years.
The number of voters who believe the economic stimulus plan pushed by the president as his one of his first major actions will help the economy is down to 31% - from 34% in late February and 38% who held that view when it first passed earlier that month.
In fact, for the second month in a row, most voters worry that the federal government will do too much in reacting to the country’s current economic problems.
Voters remain closely divided on the urgency for health care reform, another of the president’s top initiatives, given the troubled state of the economy. Forty-six percent (46%) believe the Obama administration should move ahead with health care reform, while 45% say it should wait until the economy improves.
Support for health care reform has slipped slightly as more voters think the president should work harder on his promise to cut the federal deficit in half in the next four years. However, nearly two-thirds of voters think cutting the deficit that much is the priority Obama is least like to achieve.
While the economy remains the most important issue to voters, health care as an issue has dropped to its lowest level of importance in nearly two years of tracking.
The influential Washington newspaper, The Politico, this week reported the broad outlines of a consensus health care reform plan that has emerged among Senate Democrats, and voters have problems with much of it, according to extensive Rasmussen Reports surveying.
There are parallels to the president’s situation in the ongoing saga of his first nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. She’s generally regarded favorably and seen thus far as a shoo-in for confirmation, but things become a bit more problematic for her when you get down to specifics.
Over the week since she was introduced to the nation, public support for Judge Sonia Sotomayor has softened a bit, but 88% still say it’s likely that she will be confirmed as the next Supreme Court justice. Sotomayor is also well ahead of the game at this early stage of the confirmation process when compared to President George W. Bush’s high court nominees.
But critics have seized on her comment that a “wise Latina woman” sitting as a judge could reach a different and better decision than a white male judge. Sixty-six percent (66%) of voters nationwide believe that well-qualified male and female judges would reach the same conclusion most of the time. By a virtually identical number (67%), voters believe the same is true of well-qualified white and Hispanic judges.
Sotomayor’s opponents also think her comments suggest that she will be governed not just the law as written but by her sense of social justice in making her judicial decisions. Eighty-three percent (83%) of voters say America’s legal system should apply the law equally to all Americans rather than using the law to help those who have less power and influence.
The president ended the week overseas on a trip that included a highly-publicized outreach speech in Cairo, Egypt to Muslims worldwide. But just 28% of U.S. voters think America’s relationship with the Muslim world will be better a year from today.
Working in Obama’s favor are continuing signs of growing economic confidence. The Rasmussen Employment Index was up in May for the third straight month and at its highest level since last December. It still has a long way to go, though, with worker confidence down 18 points from a year ago.
The Discover Consumer Spending Monitor also rose for the third month in a row in May to its highest reading since last September. Economic confidence among consumers is at its highest level since September 2007.
In the short term, however, both the Rasmussen Consumer and Investor Indexes fell at week’s end.
One test of how voters feel about the president and his party will come in November in the gubernatorial races in two key states, New Jersey and Virginia. New Jersey Republicans in a state primary last Tuesday picked former federal prosecutor Chris Christie to be their candidate against embattled Democratic incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine.
Our first poll on the Garden State showdown shows Christie with 51% of the vote while Corzine is supported by 38%. Also in New Jersey, we’re pleased to note that Rasmussen Reports was the most accurate of all polling firms for New Jersey’s Republican Primary. Our final poll showed Christie up by 11 percentage points and he won by 13.
On Tuesday, Virginia Democrats pick their candidate for governor to run against Republican Bob McDonnell. Look for our first numbers on that General Election campaign later in the week.
In other polls last week:
-- With two of the nation’s Big Three automakers in bankruptcy and the economy still a mess, Americans continue to view corporate chief executive officers as the lowest of the low.
-- The number of Democrats in the nation increased by more than half a percentage point to 39.4% in May. The number of Republicans remained unchanged from a month ago, while the number not affiliated with either major party fell.
-- Democratic and Republican congressional candidates have each lost support from voters this week, but Democrats came in just ahead in the latest edition of the Generic Ballot.
-- Seventy-four percent (74%) of voters say it is unlikely there will be lasting peace between the Palestinians and Israel within the next decade.
-- For the second straight week, 37% of likely voters say the United States is heading in the right direction.
-- The Department of Justice on Tuesday said the state of Georgia cannot check driver’s license information and Social Security numbers to prove that prospective voters are U.S. citizens. Rasmussen Reports polling shows that Georgia’s voters have an entirely different perspective.
-- Conan O'Brien officially replaced Jay Leno as host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" last Monday, but Johnny Carson is still the king of late-night comedy as far as Americans are concerned.
Rasmussen Reports
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Most voters continue to approve of the job President Obama is doing, but, as is often the case, the devil is in the details.
Sixty-two percent (62%) of U.S. voters agree with the president that the nation’s ongoing economic problems are due to the recession that began under the Bush administration and don’t blame the actions Obama’s taken since assuming office.
Fifty-one percent (51%) of voters still say the president is a good or excellent leader, although this number is at the lowest level of his presidency to date. Obama also hit his lowest reading ever in the Rasmusen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll at the end of the week, although it remains to be seen whether this is a temporary reaction to recent news or something more substantive.
When it comes to recent actions by the president, the disagreement grows.
Only 21% of voters nationwide support the government plan to bail out General Motors that kicked in last Monday with the troubled auto giant’s bankruptcy. In survey after survey in recent months, Rasmussen Reports has found that Americans are not in a bailout mood, for GM or anybody.
After the auto giant’s bankruptcy filing, 26% of American adults believed it was a good idea for the federal government to take ownership of General Motors, but nearly as many (17%) Americans should protest the bailout by boycotting GM and refusing to buy its cars.
Just 16% say it’s very likely GM will be successful in the next few years.
The number of voters who believe the economic stimulus plan pushed by the president as his one of his first major actions will help the economy is down to 31% - from 34% in late February and 38% who held that view when it first passed earlier that month.
In fact, for the second month in a row, most voters worry that the federal government will do too much in reacting to the country’s current economic problems.
Voters remain closely divided on the urgency for health care reform, another of the president’s top initiatives, given the troubled state of the economy. Forty-six percent (46%) believe the Obama administration should move ahead with health care reform, while 45% say it should wait until the economy improves.
Support for health care reform has slipped slightly as more voters think the president should work harder on his promise to cut the federal deficit in half in the next four years. However, nearly two-thirds of voters think cutting the deficit that much is the priority Obama is least like to achieve.
While the economy remains the most important issue to voters, health care as an issue has dropped to its lowest level of importance in nearly two years of tracking.
The influential Washington newspaper, The Politico, this week reported the broad outlines of a consensus health care reform plan that has emerged among Senate Democrats, and voters have problems with much of it, according to extensive Rasmussen Reports surveying.
There are parallels to the president’s situation in the ongoing saga of his first nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. She’s generally regarded favorably and seen thus far as a shoo-in for confirmation, but things become a bit more problematic for her when you get down to specifics.
Over the week since she was introduced to the nation, public support for Judge Sonia Sotomayor has softened a bit, but 88% still say it’s likely that she will be confirmed as the next Supreme Court justice. Sotomayor is also well ahead of the game at this early stage of the confirmation process when compared to President George W. Bush’s high court nominees.
But critics have seized on her comment that a “wise Latina woman” sitting as a judge could reach a different and better decision than a white male judge. Sixty-six percent (66%) of voters nationwide believe that well-qualified male and female judges would reach the same conclusion most of the time. By a virtually identical number (67%), voters believe the same is true of well-qualified white and Hispanic judges.
Sotomayor’s opponents also think her comments suggest that she will be governed not just the law as written but by her sense of social justice in making her judicial decisions. Eighty-three percent (83%) of voters say America’s legal system should apply the law equally to all Americans rather than using the law to help those who have less power and influence.
The president ended the week overseas on a trip that included a highly-publicized outreach speech in Cairo, Egypt to Muslims worldwide. But just 28% of U.S. voters think America’s relationship with the Muslim world will be better a year from today.
Working in Obama’s favor are continuing signs of growing economic confidence. The Rasmussen Employment Index was up in May for the third straight month and at its highest level since last December. It still has a long way to go, though, with worker confidence down 18 points from a year ago.
The Discover Consumer Spending Monitor also rose for the third month in a row in May to its highest reading since last September. Economic confidence among consumers is at its highest level since September 2007.
In the short term, however, both the Rasmussen Consumer and Investor Indexes fell at week’s end.
One test of how voters feel about the president and his party will come in November in the gubernatorial races in two key states, New Jersey and Virginia. New Jersey Republicans in a state primary last Tuesday picked former federal prosecutor Chris Christie to be their candidate against embattled Democratic incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine.
Our first poll on the Garden State showdown shows Christie with 51% of the vote while Corzine is supported by 38%. Also in New Jersey, we’re pleased to note that Rasmussen Reports was the most accurate of all polling firms for New Jersey’s Republican Primary. Our final poll showed Christie up by 11 percentage points and he won by 13.
On Tuesday, Virginia Democrats pick their candidate for governor to run against Republican Bob McDonnell. Look for our first numbers on that General Election campaign later in the week.
In other polls last week:
-- With two of the nation’s Big Three automakers in bankruptcy and the economy still a mess, Americans continue to view corporate chief executive officers as the lowest of the low.
-- The number of Democrats in the nation increased by more than half a percentage point to 39.4% in May. The number of Republicans remained unchanged from a month ago, while the number not affiliated with either major party fell.
-- Democratic and Republican congressional candidates have each lost support from voters this week, but Democrats came in just ahead in the latest edition of the Generic Ballot.
-- Seventy-four percent (74%) of voters say it is unlikely there will be lasting peace between the Palestinians and Israel within the next decade.
-- For the second straight week, 37% of likely voters say the United States is heading in the right direction.
-- The Department of Justice on Tuesday said the state of Georgia cannot check driver’s license information and Social Security numbers to prove that prospective voters are U.S. citizens. Rasmussen Reports polling shows that Georgia’s voters have an entirely different perspective.
-- Conan O'Brien officially replaced Jay Leno as host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" last Monday, but Johnny Carson is still the king of late-night comedy as far as Americans are concerned.
CEOs Still Bring Up The Rear in Public's Opinion
Friday, June 05, 2009
With two of the nation’s Big Three automakers in bankruptcy and the economy still a mess, Americans continue to view corporate chief executive officers as the lowest of the low.
Just as in February, to adults rank CEOs at the bottom of a list of nine professions, below traditional bottom feeders like lawyers, journalists and members of the U.S. Congress. Numbers for all nine are up, but the rankings remain virtually the same.
Just 25% have a favorable view of CEOs, including seven percent (7%) who have a very favorable opinion. But this is actually a small improvement over the earlier survey.
Next is Congress, whose members are viewed favorably by 30%. Four percent (4%) have a very favorable opinion of the legislators.
To put this in perspective, only 23% of voters now think Congress is doing a good or excellent job, but that’s the legislature's highest rating since May 2007.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter.
Favorable Ratings for Professions
..........................................Fav .....Unfav .....Rating
People Who Start Own Business ......90% ......5% ......+85
Small Business Owners ................90% .......9% .....+81
Pastors and Religious Leaders....... 80% ......15% .....+65
Bankers................................. 46%...... 48%...... -2
Lawyers................................. 46%...... 49%...... -3
Journalists ..............................42%...... 53% .....-11
.
Stockbrokers and Fin Analysts....... 40%...... 55% .....-15
.
Members of Congress .................30%...... 66%..... -36
CEO's.................................... 25%...... 68%..... -43
Tied for first place in the public’s affections are small business owners and those who start their own businesses. Both are viewed favorably by 90%. Eighty percent (80%) have a favorable opinion of pastors and other local religious leaders.
Although many think the nation’s economic problems really began to gather steam with the near collapse of the financial industry beginning last September, the public doesn’t seem to blame them as much as CEOs. Forty-six percent (46%) have a favorable view of bankers, while 40% say the same of stockbrokers and financial analysts.
Even as the government appeared to be pushing its way into the management of banks this spring, just 11% of Americans said a financial institution will run better if it’s run by the federal government.
But – more bad news for CEOs - most voters said senior managers should be replaced if a company is given taxpayer money to stay in business.
Two other professions that are often the subject of criticism also fare perhaps better than expected in the new survey. Lawyers are rated favorably by 46% of Americans, and 42% give favorable marks to journalists and reporters.
As in much else surveyed by Rasmussen Reports, there are partisan differences of opinion when it comes to these professions.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Republicans, for example, have a favorable opinion of CEOs, a view shared by only 11% of Democrats and 27% of those not affiliated with either party.
Forty-two percent (42%) of Democrats view members of Congress favorably, but just 21% of Republicans and 22% of unaffiliateds agree.
Republicans have a more favorable view of local religious leaders and bankers than Democrats and unaffiliated adults do. But Democrats hold lawyers and journalists in higher regard than do the other two groups.
While the public may hold them in the highest regard, small business owners expressed less economic confidence in May, returning to March levels after gains in April.
Friday, June 05, 2009
With two of the nation’s Big Three automakers in bankruptcy and the economy still a mess, Americans continue to view corporate chief executive officers as the lowest of the low.
Just as in February, to adults rank CEOs at the bottom of a list of nine professions, below traditional bottom feeders like lawyers, journalists and members of the U.S. Congress. Numbers for all nine are up, but the rankings remain virtually the same.
Just 25% have a favorable view of CEOs, including seven percent (7%) who have a very favorable opinion. But this is actually a small improvement over the earlier survey.
Next is Congress, whose members are viewed favorably by 30%. Four percent (4%) have a very favorable opinion of the legislators.
To put this in perspective, only 23% of voters now think Congress is doing a good or excellent job, but that’s the legislature's highest rating since May 2007.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter.
Favorable Ratings for Professions
..........................................Fav .....Unfav .....Rating
People Who Start Own Business ......90% ......5% ......+85
Small Business Owners ................90% .......9% .....+81
Pastors and Religious Leaders....... 80% ......15% .....+65
Bankers................................. 46%...... 48%...... -2
Lawyers................................. 46%...... 49%...... -3
Journalists ..............................42%...... 53% .....-11
.
Stockbrokers and Fin Analysts....... 40%...... 55% .....-15
.
Members of Congress .................30%...... 66%..... -36
CEO's.................................... 25%...... 68%..... -43
Tied for first place in the public’s affections are small business owners and those who start their own businesses. Both are viewed favorably by 90%. Eighty percent (80%) have a favorable opinion of pastors and other local religious leaders.
Although many think the nation’s economic problems really began to gather steam with the near collapse of the financial industry beginning last September, the public doesn’t seem to blame them as much as CEOs. Forty-six percent (46%) have a favorable view of bankers, while 40% say the same of stockbrokers and financial analysts.
Even as the government appeared to be pushing its way into the management of banks this spring, just 11% of Americans said a financial institution will run better if it’s run by the federal government.
But – more bad news for CEOs - most voters said senior managers should be replaced if a company is given taxpayer money to stay in business.
Two other professions that are often the subject of criticism also fare perhaps better than expected in the new survey. Lawyers are rated favorably by 46% of Americans, and 42% give favorable marks to journalists and reporters.
As in much else surveyed by Rasmussen Reports, there are partisan differences of opinion when it comes to these professions.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Republicans, for example, have a favorable opinion of CEOs, a view shared by only 11% of Democrats and 27% of those not affiliated with either party.
Forty-two percent (42%) of Democrats view members of Congress favorably, but just 21% of Republicans and 22% of unaffiliateds agree.
Republicans have a more favorable view of local religious leaders and bankers than Democrats and unaffiliated adults do. But Democrats hold lawyers and journalists in higher regard than do the other two groups.
While the public may hold them in the highest regard, small business owners expressed less economic confidence in May, returning to March levels after gains in April.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Key polls - 04/26-05/05, 2009
What They Told Us: Reviewing the week of April 26 – May 05, 2009 Key PollsSaturday, May 02, 2009What the heck’s happening on the Hill? Capitol Hill , that is.After President Obama celebrated his first 100 days in office this past week, Rasmussen Reports took a closer look at the other two branches of government in the news.At week’s end, the big news of course was that Supreme Court Justice David Souter is planning to step down this summer, allowing the president to name his first member of the high court. Forty-two percent (42%) of U.S. voters believe Obama’s nominee will be too liberal, but 41% say politically his choice will be about right.Across the street at the Capitol itself, Democrats almost assuredly achieved a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate with Republican Senator Arlen Specter’s decision this week to become a Democrat. Forty-two percent (42%) of voters believe Specter’s switch will have a significant impact on the laws passed by the Senate.Congress is currently debating whether to establish a government-run health insurance company to compete with private health insurers, but Americans are closely divided on the wisdom of that move. Forty-one percent (41%) are in favor of a government-run plan, while 44% are opposed.To be relevant in politics, you need either formal power or a lot of people willing to follow your lead. The governing Republicans in the nation’s capital have lost both on their continuing path to irrelevance, according to Scott Rasmussen’s analysis.But then just 21% of GOP voters believe Republicans in Congress have done a good job representing their own party’s values.Ironically, for just the second time in more than five years of tracking, Democrats have fallen below Republicans in the Generic Congressional Ballot. However, in April, for the second straight month, the number of Republicans in the nation fell by roughly half a percentage point. The number of Democrats remained unchanged from a month ago.Americans have a little more confidence in the honesty of the average congressman this month, but they’re less confident that Congress as a whole will address the serious issues facing the nation. Only 30% of U.S. voters now say most members of Congress are corrupt, the lowest that finding has been since June of last year.With numbers like that, why do virtually all members of Congress get reelected? Fifty percent (50%) believe the high reelection rates result from election rules that are “rigged to benefit members of Congress.” The fact that half the nation’s voters believe the rules are "rigged" is a testament to the high levels of distrust in the country today.It doesn’t help that 60% of Americans lack confidence in the policymakers’ decisions about the economy .If the U.S. economy improves, it seems safe to assume that will be good for the president’s job approval ratings. It will probably help congressional ratings as well. But the bigger question is what impact the improving economy might have on the president’s policies. Here, Scott explains in a separate analysis, the results are much harder to forecast.The president’s 100th day in office was noted by many in the media and capped with a White House press conference. But will the actions of Obama’s first 100 days lead to lasting change? As the new administration grapples with the complexities of 21st Century America, the president’s own actions will be just one of many variables impacting his personal ratings and support for his agenda, Scott says.Make sure you check out the new president’s ratings at the 100-day mark on a variety of our survey questions. Meanwhile, the Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll continues to check the nation’s pulse every day.The biggest economic news of the week was Chrysler’s announcement Thursday that it is going into bankruptcy. But 66% of Americans believe a Chrysler bankruptcy is better than another government bailout , a position they’ve held consistently for months.Fifty-four percent (54%) also believe it is at least somewhat likely that Chrysler will once again be a profitable company. The bad news is that just 25% of Americans say they would buy an automobile from a bankrupt automaker.On the small business front, confidence is at its highest level in over a year in the Discover Small Business Watch, a monthly index.The Rasmussen Investor Index, which measures investor confidence on a daily basis, rallied at week’s end to within five points of its 2009 high-water mark. The Rasmussen Consumer Index was little changed from a month ago.Speaking of the economy, 77% of U.S. voters say they prefer a free market economy over one managed by the government. That’s up seven points since December. But 21% of Americans say the U.S. economy is partially socialist, and another five percent (5%) say generally speaking it’s already socialist.In other polls last week:-- Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters say they are personally concerned about the threat of swine flu, including 20% who say they are Very Concerned. But 61% also think the media is overhyping the danger .-- Twenty-four percent (24%) of Americans say they personally need to cut back on their use of credit cards and other borrowing. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say a bigger economic problem than the current lack of credit is that Americans borrow too much money.-- Just 42% of voters now believe the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror. That’s the lowest level of confidence since June 30, 2008.-- Americans appear more upbeat about the direction the country is taking in the short term but are growing more pessimistic about its long-term future.-- One-out-of-two (50%) Americans agree that drunk driving laws in the United States are not tough enough.-- More than half (57%) of Florida voters say it is at least somewhat likely they would vote for Republican Governor Charlie Crist if he runs for the U.S. Senate next year.-- Forty-five percent (45%) of Georgia voters say the state’s next governor will be a Republican, while 38% predict a Democrat will capture that seat. State Insurance and Fire Commissioner John Oxendine, a Republican, has by far the highest favorables among the possible candidates from both parties, but the election is 18 months away.
42% Say Obama's Supreme Court Pick Will Be Too Liberal, 41% Say About RightSupreme Court Justice David Souter has reportedly decided to retire, paving the way for President Obama's first high court appointment, but 42% of U.S. voters believe the president's nominee will be too liberal. A nearly equal number-41%-- say his choice will be about right, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. These numbers have changed very little since Election Day.
Click here to see past poll clips
What They Told Us: Reviewing the week of April 26 – May 05, 2009 Key PollsSaturday, May 02, 2009What the heck’s happening on the Hill? Capitol Hill , that is.After President Obama celebrated his first 100 days in office this past week, Rasmussen Reports took a closer look at the other two branches of government in the news.At week’s end, the big news of course was that Supreme Court Justice David Souter is planning to step down this summer, allowing the president to name his first member of the high court. Forty-two percent (42%) of U.S. voters believe Obama’s nominee will be too liberal, but 41% say politically his choice will be about right.Across the street at the Capitol itself, Democrats almost assuredly achieved a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate with Republican Senator Arlen Specter’s decision this week to become a Democrat. Forty-two percent (42%) of voters believe Specter’s switch will have a significant impact on the laws passed by the Senate.Congress is currently debating whether to establish a government-run health insurance company to compete with private health insurers, but Americans are closely divided on the wisdom of that move. Forty-one percent (41%) are in favor of a government-run plan, while 44% are opposed.To be relevant in politics, you need either formal power or a lot of people willing to follow your lead. The governing Republicans in the nation’s capital have lost both on their continuing path to irrelevance, according to Scott Rasmussen’s analysis.But then just 21% of GOP voters believe Republicans in Congress have done a good job representing their own party’s values.Ironically, for just the second time in more than five years of tracking, Democrats have fallen below Republicans in the Generic Congressional Ballot. However, in April, for the second straight month, the number of Republicans in the nation fell by roughly half a percentage point. The number of Democrats remained unchanged from a month ago.Americans have a little more confidence in the honesty of the average congressman this month, but they’re less confident that Congress as a whole will address the serious issues facing the nation. Only 30% of U.S. voters now say most members of Congress are corrupt, the lowest that finding has been since June of last year.With numbers like that, why do virtually all members of Congress get reelected? Fifty percent (50%) believe the high reelection rates result from election rules that are “rigged to benefit members of Congress.” The fact that half the nation’s voters believe the rules are "rigged" is a testament to the high levels of distrust in the country today.It doesn’t help that 60% of Americans lack confidence in the policymakers’ decisions about the economy .If the U.S. economy improves, it seems safe to assume that will be good for the president’s job approval ratings. It will probably help congressional ratings as well. But the bigger question is what impact the improving economy might have on the president’s policies. Here, Scott explains in a separate analysis, the results are much harder to forecast.The president’s 100th day in office was noted by many in the media and capped with a White House press conference. But will the actions of Obama’s first 100 days lead to lasting change? As the new administration grapples with the complexities of 21st Century America, the president’s own actions will be just one of many variables impacting his personal ratings and support for his agenda, Scott says.Make sure you check out the new president’s ratings at the 100-day mark on a variety of our survey questions. Meanwhile, the Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll continues to check the nation’s pulse every day.The biggest economic news of the week was Chrysler’s announcement Thursday that it is going into bankruptcy. But 66% of Americans believe a Chrysler bankruptcy is better than another government bailout , a position they’ve held consistently for months.Fifty-four percent (54%) also believe it is at least somewhat likely that Chrysler will once again be a profitable company. The bad news is that just 25% of Americans say they would buy an automobile from a bankrupt automaker.On the small business front, confidence is at its highest level in over a year in the Discover Small Business Watch, a monthly index.The Rasmussen Investor Index, which measures investor confidence on a daily basis, rallied at week’s end to within five points of its 2009 high-water mark. The Rasmussen Consumer Index was little changed from a month ago.Speaking of the economy, 77% of U.S. voters say they prefer a free market economy over one managed by the government. That’s up seven points since December. But 21% of Americans say the U.S. economy is partially socialist, and another five percent (5%) say generally speaking it’s already socialist.In other polls last week:-- Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters say they are personally concerned about the threat of swine flu, including 20% who say they are Very Concerned. But 61% also think the media is overhyping the danger .-- Twenty-four percent (24%) of Americans say they personally need to cut back on their use of credit cards and other borrowing. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say a bigger economic problem than the current lack of credit is that Americans borrow too much money.-- Just 42% of voters now believe the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror. That’s the lowest level of confidence since June 30, 2008.-- Americans appear more upbeat about the direction the country is taking in the short term but are growing more pessimistic about its long-term future.-- One-out-of-two (50%) Americans agree that drunk driving laws in the United States are not tough enough.-- More than half (57%) of Florida voters say it is at least somewhat likely they would vote for Republican Governor Charlie Crist if he runs for the U.S. Senate next year.-- Forty-five percent (45%) of Georgia voters say the state’s next governor will be a Republican, while 38% predict a Democrat will capture that seat. State Insurance and Fire Commissioner John Oxendine, a Republican, has by far the highest favorables among the possible candidates from both parties, but the election is 18 months away.
42% Say Obama's Supreme Court Pick Will Be Too Liberal, 41% Say About RightSupreme Court Justice David Souter has reportedly decided to retire, paving the way for President Obama's first high court appointment, but 42% of U.S. voters believe the president's nominee will be too liberal. A nearly equal number-41%-- say his choice will be about right, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. These numbers have changed very little since Election Day.
Click here to see past poll clips
Sunday, May 17, 2009
What they told us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls
Health care reform, one of President Barack Obama’s top priorities, was in the news a lot this past week.Just 35% of Americans rate the nation’s health care system as good or excellent, suggesting that most see plenty of room for improvement. However, while the Administration is touting health care reform as a cost-saving measure, just 19% think that’s likely to happen. Nearly half (45%) say that government reform will end up increasing the cost of health care services.Perhaps the biggest challenge for reformers is that Americans are generally satisfied with their own situation--70% of those with insurance rate their own coverage as good or excellent. At the same time, however, 26% of all Americans say that, at some point, the cost of health care has caused them to miss credit card, rent, or mortgage payments.As Congress wrestles with health care, it’s trying to find ways to cover the costs and answers are hard to find. Just 32% of Americans are willing to pay higher taxes to provide health insurance for all. Only 11% think that the insurance benefits provided by employers should be taxed.Americans aren’t willing to pay higher taxes to help protect the environment either--81% oppose a gas tax hike as a way to encourage the sale of more fuel efficient cars. Americans are evenly divided as to whether or not major lifestyle changes are needed to save the planet. There is a similar divide on the question of whether American consumerism is to blame for the planet’s environmental problems.Some in Congress have been pushing major environmental legislation known as Cap and Trade, but just 24% of voters know what it is. When you get beyond the labels, voters think that health care reform is a much higher priority that environmental concerns. Other polling shows that the number of Americans who believe human activity is driving global warming has fallen dramatically over the past year.Former Vice President Dick Cheney remained in the news this week, but only 38% agree with his view that Obama has hurt National Security. Overall, 53% rate the President as good or excellent on national security matters. At the same time, confidence in the War on Terror remains near the lowest level of the past year.In this environment, the President decided to resume military tribunals for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo. That decision irked some of his supporters on the political left but most Americans support the use of tribunals. As Senate Democrats are pressing the President for details on where the prisoners will go if Guantanamo is closed, most Americans say they should not be released in the USA.Moving to state politics, California voters are preparing for a special election on Tuesday. As they do so, they’re in a mood to oppose tax hikes, favor spending cuts, and reduce the pay of state legislators.In Arizona, 50% of Republicans voters say Senator John McCain is out of touch with the GOP base. Overall, most of the state’s voters believe that the get-tough tactics on illegal immigration employed by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio have been good for the state’s image.New Jersey is one of two states to elect a Governor in 2009 and the Democratic incumbent finds himself in potential trouble. Republican Chris Christie leads Jon Corzine by nine. Corzine is essentially even with Steve Lonegan, another potential Republican nominee. In the GOP Primary, it’s Christie 39%, Lonegan 29%.Other findings from this past week include:--Eighty-four percent (84%) believe that English should be America’s official language. That’s little changed over the past several years.--Only 37% of GOP voters now say their party is leaderless. But, the rest don’t agree on who the leader is.--Overall confidence keeps growing and 40% now say the U.S. is heading in the right direction. That’s the highest level of optimism since the fall of 2004. But, Republicans are hanging on to a one-point advantage on the Generic Ballot.-- Just 49% of homeowners now say their home is worth more than their mortgage. Among those who owe more than the home is worth, just half expect the value to improve over the next five years.-- One out of four Americans (23%) are likely to miss a credit card payment over the next six months.-- As the economy continues to offer mixed signals, voters are evenly divided as to whether they trust Democrats or Republicans when it comes to the economy.--President Obama is weighing his first Supreme Court appointment. Forty-five percent (45%) of voters say that legal skills should trump issues and diversity as the top factor in his decision.--Not surprisingly, among the branches of the federal government, Congress comes in dead last in voter trust.--Finally, 65% say daily papers will be history within a decade. When asked what they would miss most when papers were gone, half didn’t cite any editorial content. Twenty-two percent (22%) said they’d miss nothing, 20% named ads and coupons, and 9% were not sure.
Health care reform, one of President Barack Obama’s top priorities, was in the news a lot this past week.Just 35% of Americans rate the nation’s health care system as good or excellent, suggesting that most see plenty of room for improvement. However, while the Administration is touting health care reform as a cost-saving measure, just 19% think that’s likely to happen. Nearly half (45%) say that government reform will end up increasing the cost of health care services.Perhaps the biggest challenge for reformers is that Americans are generally satisfied with their own situation--70% of those with insurance rate their own coverage as good or excellent. At the same time, however, 26% of all Americans say that, at some point, the cost of health care has caused them to miss credit card, rent, or mortgage payments.As Congress wrestles with health care, it’s trying to find ways to cover the costs and answers are hard to find. Just 32% of Americans are willing to pay higher taxes to provide health insurance for all. Only 11% think that the insurance benefits provided by employers should be taxed.Americans aren’t willing to pay higher taxes to help protect the environment either--81% oppose a gas tax hike as a way to encourage the sale of more fuel efficient cars. Americans are evenly divided as to whether or not major lifestyle changes are needed to save the planet. There is a similar divide on the question of whether American consumerism is to blame for the planet’s environmental problems.Some in Congress have been pushing major environmental legislation known as Cap and Trade, but just 24% of voters know what it is. When you get beyond the labels, voters think that health care reform is a much higher priority that environmental concerns. Other polling shows that the number of Americans who believe human activity is driving global warming has fallen dramatically over the past year.Former Vice President Dick Cheney remained in the news this week, but only 38% agree with his view that Obama has hurt National Security. Overall, 53% rate the President as good or excellent on national security matters. At the same time, confidence in the War on Terror remains near the lowest level of the past year.In this environment, the President decided to resume military tribunals for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo. That decision irked some of his supporters on the political left but most Americans support the use of tribunals. As Senate Democrats are pressing the President for details on where the prisoners will go if Guantanamo is closed, most Americans say they should not be released in the USA.Moving to state politics, California voters are preparing for a special election on Tuesday. As they do so, they’re in a mood to oppose tax hikes, favor spending cuts, and reduce the pay of state legislators.In Arizona, 50% of Republicans voters say Senator John McCain is out of touch with the GOP base. Overall, most of the state’s voters believe that the get-tough tactics on illegal immigration employed by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio have been good for the state’s image.New Jersey is one of two states to elect a Governor in 2009 and the Democratic incumbent finds himself in potential trouble. Republican Chris Christie leads Jon Corzine by nine. Corzine is essentially even with Steve Lonegan, another potential Republican nominee. In the GOP Primary, it’s Christie 39%, Lonegan 29%.Other findings from this past week include:--Eighty-four percent (84%) believe that English should be America’s official language. That’s little changed over the past several years.--Only 37% of GOP voters now say their party is leaderless. But, the rest don’t agree on who the leader is.--Overall confidence keeps growing and 40% now say the U.S. is heading in the right direction. That’s the highest level of optimism since the fall of 2004. But, Republicans are hanging on to a one-point advantage on the Generic Ballot.-- Just 49% of homeowners now say their home is worth more than their mortgage. Among those who owe more than the home is worth, just half expect the value to improve over the next five years.-- One out of four Americans (23%) are likely to miss a credit card payment over the next six months.-- As the economy continues to offer mixed signals, voters are evenly divided as to whether they trust Democrats or Republicans when it comes to the economy.--President Obama is weighing his first Supreme Court appointment. Forty-five percent (45%) of voters say that legal skills should trump issues and diversity as the top factor in his decision.--Not surprisingly, among the branches of the federal government, Congress comes in dead last in voter trust.--Finally, 65% say daily papers will be history within a decade. When asked what they would miss most when papers were gone, half didn’t cite any editorial content. Twenty-two percent (22%) said they’d miss nothing, 20% named ads and coupons, and 9% were not sure.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
May 6, 2009 - Ohio Quinnipiac University Poll Finds:
Ohio Voters:
Support Strickland 2-1;
Dem Senate Candidates Are Ahead For 2010;
Are not Worried about Swine Flu
Neither of the major Republicans considering challenging Strickland next year is close to him in the polls. The Governor would defeat former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine 48 - 36 percent and former Congressman John Kasich 51 - 32 percent. But the GOP might see Strickland's handling of the economy as a potential area to criticize the governor since voters are split 43 - 43 percent on whether they approve of his handling of the issue.
"President Obama's approval rating among Ohio voters has gone from 67 - 16 percent February 6 to 57 - 33 percent March 18, and back to 62 - 31 percent today, with the main shift coming from independent voters who still are taking stock of the new President," said Brown. "The Governor's education plan certainly hasn't caught fire with the electorate and to some degree it is telling that despite his strong popularity, he hasn't been able to get his message across to voters," said Brown. "Critics who say his plan is taking away too much decision-making power from local school officials may be hitting the mark: 39 percent agree Strickland is taking too much power from local officials, 29 percent disagree and 32 percent aren't sure."
President Barack Obama gets a 62 - 31 percent overall approval rating, while Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland's approval is 57 - 29 percent. But only 31 percent say Gov. Strickland's education reform plan will improve education in Ohio and only 19 percent of Ohioans think his plan treats all school districts equally. And 74 percent of voters expect to pay more taxes if Gov. Strickland's plan takes effect. Strickland remains a big favorite for re-election in 2010 and the race for the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Sen. George Voinovich leans Democratic at this point, regardless of which of the two leading candidates - Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher or Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner - wins the party nomination.
In a GOP gubernatorial primary, DeWine would prevail over Kasich 35 - 23 percent.
In the Senate race, the Democratic nomination is up for grabs with Fisher getting 20 percent in a hypothetical primary, Brunner 16 percent, state lawmaker Tyrone Yates 4 percent and 59 percent not sure. On the GOP side, former Congressman and cabinet member Rob Portman would get 29 percent to State Auditor Mary Taylor's 8 percent and Cleveland area car dealer Tom Ganley's 8 percent, with 54 percent unsure.
Fisher would defeat Portman 42 - 31 percent and Taylor 41 - 29 percent, while Brunner would defeat Taylor 38 - 29 percent and Portman 40 - 32 percent.
"At this point, the Senate candidates all are largely unknown to Ohio voters, even though some of them have been on the political scene for some time," said Brown.
A total of 72 percent of Ohio voters are "not too worried" or "not worried at all" that someone in their family will catch swine flu, and voters say 67 - 31 percent that the media's reaction to swine flu has been "overblown," according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. More affluent and educated voters are more likely to see media coverage as overblown. Only 23 percent of men and 32 percent of women are "very worried" or "somewhat worried" that they or someone close to them will get the flu, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN- uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. And voters say 59 - 35 percent that government reaction to the flu has been "justified" rather than "overblown." "Ohio voters don't seem all that worried about the flu scare at this point," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "They think the government has acted appropriately, but they think the media coverage has been over the top. Interestingly, women are more likely to be worried than men."
From April 28 - May 4, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,079 Ohio voters, with a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points. The survey includes 398 Republicans, with a margin of error of +/-4.9 percentage points, and 437 Democrats with a margin of error of +/-4.7 percentage points.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Key polls - 04/26-05/05, 2009
What They Told Us: Reviewing the week of April 26 – May 05, 2009 Key Polls
Saturday, May 02, 2009
What the heck’s happening on the Hill? Capitol Hill , that is.After President Obama celebrated his first 100 days in office this past week, Rasmussen Reports took a closer look at the other two branches of government in the news.At week’s end, the big news of course was that Supreme Court Justice David Souter is planning to step down this summer, allowing the president to name his first member of the high court. Forty-two percent (42%) of U.S. voters believe Obama’s nominee will be too liberal, but 41% say politically his choice will be about right.Across the street at the Capitol itself, Democrats almost assuredly achieved a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate with Republican Senator Arlen Specter’s decision this week to become a Democrat. Forty-two percent (42%) of voters believe Specter’s switch will have a significant impact on the laws passed by the Senate.Congress is currently debating whether to establish a government-run health insurance company to compete with private health insurers, but Americans are closely divided on the wisdom of that move. Forty-one percent (41%) are in favor of a government-run plan, while 44% are opposed.To be relevant in politics, you need either formal power or a lot of people willing to follow your lead. The governing Republicans in the nation’s capital have lost both on their continuing path to irrelevance, according to Scott Rasmussen’s analysis.But then just 21% of GOP voters believe Republicans in Congress have done a good job representing their own party’s values.Ironically, for just the second time in more than five years of tracking, Democrats have fallen below Republicans in the Generic Congressional Ballot. However, in April, for the second straight month, the number of Republicans in the nation fell by roughly half a percentage point. The number of Democrats remained unchanged from a month ago.Americans have a little more confidence in the honesty of the average congressman this month, but they’re less confident that Congress as a whole will address the serious issues facing the nation. Only 30% of U.S. voters now say most members of Congress are corrupt, the lowest that finding has been since June of last year.With numbers like that, why do virtually all members of Congress get reelected? Fifty percent (50%) believe the high reelection rates result from election rules that are “rigged to benefit members of Congress.” The fact that half the nation’s voters believe the rules are "rigged" is a testament to the high levels of distrust in the country today.It doesn’t help that 60% of Americans lack confidence in the policymakers’ decisions about the economy .If the U.S. economy improves, it seems safe to assume that will be good for the president’s job approval ratings. It will probably help congressional ratings as well. But the bigger question is what impact the improving economy might have on the president’s policies. Here, Scott explains in a separate analysis, the results are much harder to forecast.The president’s 100th day in office was noted by many in the media and capped with a White House press conference. But will the actions of Obama’s first 100 days lead to lasting change? As the new administration grapples with the complexities of 21st Century America, the president’s own actions will be just one of many variables impacting his personal ratings and support for his agenda, Scott says.Make sure you check out the new president’s ratings at the 100-day mark on a variety of our survey questions. Meanwhile, the Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll continues to check the nation’s pulse every day.The biggest economic news of the week was Chrysler’s announcement Thursday that it is going into bankruptcy. But 66% of Americans believe a Chrysler bankruptcy is better than another government bailout , a position they’ve held consistently for months.Fifty-four percent (54%) also believe it is at least somewhat likely that Chrysler will once again be a profitable company. The bad news is that just 25% of Americans say they would buy an automobile from a bankrupt automaker.On the small business front, confidence is at its highest level in over a year in the Discover Small Business Watch, a monthly index.The Rasmussen Investor Index, which measures investor confidence on a daily basis, rallied at week’s end to within five points of its 2009 high-water mark. The Rasmussen Consumer Index was little changed from a month ago.Speaking of the economy, 77% of U.S. voters say they prefer a free market economy over one managed by the government. That’s up seven points since December. But 21% of Americans say the U.S. economy is partially socialist, and another five percent (5%) say generally speaking it’s already socialist.In other polls last week:-- Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters say they are personally concerned about the threat of swine flu, including 20% who say they are Very Concerned. But 61% also think the media is overhyping the danger .-- Twenty-four percent (24%) of Americans say they personally need to cut back on their use of credit cards and other borrowing. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say a bigger economic problem than the current lack of credit is that Americans borrow too much money.-- Just 42% of voters now believe the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror. That’s the lowest level of confidence since June 30, 2008.-- Americans appear more upbeat about the direction the country is taking in the short term but are growing more pessimistic about its long-term future.-- One-out-of-two (50%) Americans agree that drunk driving laws in the United States are not tough enough.-- More than half (57%) of Florida voters say it is at least somewhat likely they would vote for Republican Governor Charlie Crist if he runs for the U.S. Senate next year.-- Forty-five percent (45%) of Georgia voters say the state’s next governor will be a Republican, while 38% predict a Democrat will capture that seat. State Insurance and Fire Commissioner John Oxendine, a Republican, has by far the highest favorables among the possible candidates from both parties, but the election is 18 months away.
42% Say Obama's Supreme Court Pick Will Be Too Liberal, 41% Say About RightSupreme Court Justice David Souter has reportedly decided to retire, paving the way for President Obama's first high court appointment, but 42% of U.S. voters believe the president's nominee will be too liberal. A nearly equal number-41%-- say his choice will be about right, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. These numbers have changed very little since Election Day.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
What the heck’s happening on the Hill? Capitol Hill , that is.After President Obama celebrated his first 100 days in office this past week, Rasmussen Reports took a closer look at the other two branches of government in the news.At week’s end, the big news of course was that Supreme Court Justice David Souter is planning to step down this summer, allowing the president to name his first member of the high court. Forty-two percent (42%) of U.S. voters believe Obama’s nominee will be too liberal, but 41% say politically his choice will be about right.Across the street at the Capitol itself, Democrats almost assuredly achieved a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate with Republican Senator Arlen Specter’s decision this week to become a Democrat. Forty-two percent (42%) of voters believe Specter’s switch will have a significant impact on the laws passed by the Senate.Congress is currently debating whether to establish a government-run health insurance company to compete with private health insurers, but Americans are closely divided on the wisdom of that move. Forty-one percent (41%) are in favor of a government-run plan, while 44% are opposed.To be relevant in politics, you need either formal power or a lot of people willing to follow your lead. The governing Republicans in the nation’s capital have lost both on their continuing path to irrelevance, according to Scott Rasmussen’s analysis.But then just 21% of GOP voters believe Republicans in Congress have done a good job representing their own party’s values.Ironically, for just the second time in more than five years of tracking, Democrats have fallen below Republicans in the Generic Congressional Ballot. However, in April, for the second straight month, the number of Republicans in the nation fell by roughly half a percentage point. The number of Democrats remained unchanged from a month ago.Americans have a little more confidence in the honesty of the average congressman this month, but they’re less confident that Congress as a whole will address the serious issues facing the nation. Only 30% of U.S. voters now say most members of Congress are corrupt, the lowest that finding has been since June of last year.With numbers like that, why do virtually all members of Congress get reelected? Fifty percent (50%) believe the high reelection rates result from election rules that are “rigged to benefit members of Congress.” The fact that half the nation’s voters believe the rules are "rigged" is a testament to the high levels of distrust in the country today.It doesn’t help that 60% of Americans lack confidence in the policymakers’ decisions about the economy .If the U.S. economy improves, it seems safe to assume that will be good for the president’s job approval ratings. It will probably help congressional ratings as well. But the bigger question is what impact the improving economy might have on the president’s policies. Here, Scott explains in a separate analysis, the results are much harder to forecast.The president’s 100th day in office was noted by many in the media and capped with a White House press conference. But will the actions of Obama’s first 100 days lead to lasting change? As the new administration grapples with the complexities of 21st Century America, the president’s own actions will be just one of many variables impacting his personal ratings and support for his agenda, Scott says.Make sure you check out the new president’s ratings at the 100-day mark on a variety of our survey questions. Meanwhile, the Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Poll continues to check the nation’s pulse every day.The biggest economic news of the week was Chrysler’s announcement Thursday that it is going into bankruptcy. But 66% of Americans believe a Chrysler bankruptcy is better than another government bailout , a position they’ve held consistently for months.Fifty-four percent (54%) also believe it is at least somewhat likely that Chrysler will once again be a profitable company. The bad news is that just 25% of Americans say they would buy an automobile from a bankrupt automaker.On the small business front, confidence is at its highest level in over a year in the Discover Small Business Watch, a monthly index.The Rasmussen Investor Index, which measures investor confidence on a daily basis, rallied at week’s end to within five points of its 2009 high-water mark. The Rasmussen Consumer Index was little changed from a month ago.Speaking of the economy, 77% of U.S. voters say they prefer a free market economy over one managed by the government. That’s up seven points since December. But 21% of Americans say the U.S. economy is partially socialist, and another five percent (5%) say generally speaking it’s already socialist.In other polls last week:-- Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters say they are personally concerned about the threat of swine flu, including 20% who say they are Very Concerned. But 61% also think the media is overhyping the danger .-- Twenty-four percent (24%) of Americans say they personally need to cut back on their use of credit cards and other borrowing. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say a bigger economic problem than the current lack of credit is that Americans borrow too much money.-- Just 42% of voters now believe the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror. That’s the lowest level of confidence since June 30, 2008.-- Americans appear more upbeat about the direction the country is taking in the short term but are growing more pessimistic about its long-term future.-- One-out-of-two (50%) Americans agree that drunk driving laws in the United States are not tough enough.-- More than half (57%) of Florida voters say it is at least somewhat likely they would vote for Republican Governor Charlie Crist if he runs for the U.S. Senate next year.-- Forty-five percent (45%) of Georgia voters say the state’s next governor will be a Republican, while 38% predict a Democrat will capture that seat. State Insurance and Fire Commissioner John Oxendine, a Republican, has by far the highest favorables among the possible candidates from both parties, but the election is 18 months away.
42% Say Obama's Supreme Court Pick Will Be Too Liberal, 41% Say About RightSupreme Court Justice David Souter has reportedly decided to retire, paving the way for President Obama's first high court appointment, but 42% of U.S. voters believe the president's nominee will be too liberal. A nearly equal number-41%-- say his choice will be about right, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. These numbers have changed very little since Election Day.
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