By GottaLaff
In early look at a new Public Policy Polling survey finds that among North Carolina Republicans, a stunning 47% think President Obama was not born in United States, while 24% say he was and 29% are not sure.That means a total of 76% won't vouch for Obama's citizenship.
By GottaLaff
_Front_Cover_1995.jpg)
The official results of the 2008 presidential and congressional elections were released Thursday by the Federal Election Commission, nearly nine months after voters went to the polls. [...]Mister Mickey Mouse? Mister Donald Duck? Fancy schmancy. Hey, Mr. Mouse and Mr. Duck both beat out Mr. Santa, too. And Mr. Vermin Supreme beat out everyone. Some credible schmedible poll, huh?
Some highlights from the bottom of the electoral barrel:
Candidates for President of the United States
Claus, Mr. Santa: 9 votes
Clinton, Mr. Bill: 19 votes
Duck, Mr. Donald: 7 votes
Jesus, Mr. [blank]: 5 votes
Jockey, Mr. The: 809 votes
Mouse, Mr. Mickey: 11 votes
Plumber, Mr. Joe: 5 votes
Supreme, Mr. Vermin: 43 votes
By GottaLaff
Who were these geniuses trying to cultivate, because it sure wasn't Latino voters.Republican Party approval rating among Latinos
Favorable 14 3
Unfavorable 73 86
No Opinion 13 11
The first column is the week that Justice Souter retired, which was soon followed by speculation of Sotomayor's nomination (she was the frontrunner). That is the reference week. The second is this week.
By GottaLaff
A new Time magazine poll finds that 46% of Americans said it was "very important" that Congress pass major health reform in the next few months, and an additional 23% said it was "somewhat important." In contrast, just 28% find the immediate effort either not very or not at all important.Stating the obvious.
In a separate question, more Americans said it would be better to pass "major reform" to health care (55%) rather than "minor adjustments" (43%).
Other key finding: President Obama has "significantly more credibility with the public than his Republican foes when it comes to tackling the problem. Asked who do they trust to develop new health care legislation, 47% of respondents said President Obama, compared to 32% who said Republicans in Congress."
By GottaLaff
Approve Disapprove
All 55 33
Democrats 79 14
Independents 54 32
Republicans 24 66
Liberal 79 8
Moderate 62 26
Conservative 36 54
Confidence in
Obama's economic package:
Confident 80 12
Not confident 25 61
Vice President Biden, the anointed "Sheriff" of the stimulus is well rated generally in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, with public opinion riven by the views of the administration's economic programs as well as the usual sharp partisan lines.Follow the link for more.Overall, 55 percent approve of the way the Vice President is handling his job, 33 percent disapprove, similar to an August 2001 reading on former vice president Dick Cheney from CBS News (53 percent approved) but a bit lower than a Post-ABC reading on Bush's number two from April of that year (64 percent approved).
Democrats have a more positive take on Biden than do Republicans (79 to 24 percent approve), while independents sit at 54 percent approval. But one of the sharpest fissures is whether one has confidence in the administration's economic program.
Among those who are confident the president's plan will improve the economy, 80 percent approve of Biden, dubbed the stimulus' watchdog by the president, who said, "Nobody messes with Joe". But among those with doubts about the economic package, just 25 percent approve of Biden's work thus far.
The rift holds even among political independents: Three-quarters of those who are confident about the prospects for the stimulus approve of Biden's job performance, compared with just three in ten of those less sure of it.
By GottaLaff
Two days before Sarah Palin steps down from office, a new national poll indicates that a majority of Americans have an unfavorable view of the outgoing Alaska governor. But the ABC News/Washington Post survey released Friday also suggests that seven out of 10 Republican voters maintain a positive opinion of last year's GOP Vice Presidential nominee.70%. Isn't that just like Rushpublics?
Fifty-three percent of those questioned in the poll view Palin negatively, with four in 10 holding a positive view of her. The survey is the second this week, following a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll released Thursday, to find more than half of all Americans viewing Palin in an unfavorable light.
The ABC News/Washington Post survey suggests that there is doubt about Palin's leadership skills and her understanding of intricate issues.
Sarah the Quitter deserves a new name in honor of this poll: Simple Sarah the Quitter. Exhibit A:
Fifty-seven percent say they don't think Palin understands complex issues, and 54 percent do not feel she is a strong leader. The poll finds that Americans are split on whether Palin shares their values and understands the problems most people face. A slim majority of people questioned in the poll say Palin is honest and trustworthy, with four in 10 disagreeing.
What do Dems think of her?
The favorable view drops to 51 percent among independent voters and to 20 percent among Democrats.
More than half of Independents still approve of Her Winkiness? Seriously? Who are these people?
Now, among those 70% of Rushpublics with atrocious judgment, who would vote for Winky the Quitter when it comes right down to it?
In a hypothetical race for the next GOP presidential nomination, the poll suggests 19 percent of Republican voters would back Palin, with one in four supporting former Arkansas governor and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and 21 percent backing former Massachusetts governor and 2008 White House hopeful Mitt Romney.See ya on Twitter, Quitter... if you can put together 140 characters in some sort of order that makes, you know, sense.
By GottaLaff
Time Magazine has conducted an on-line poll to determine who, since the death of Walter Cronkite, now holds the title of America's Most Trusted News Anchor™.Allow me to add, he cuts through the usual b.s. in a highly engaging way. He has a knack for getting people to drop their guard while confronting them with unvarnished truth. And he zeroes in on what really matters to his viewers.
Bizarrely, it's Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show. [...]
Stewart uses the news, and his interviews with news makers, as a foil for some pretty brilliant comedy.
As part of that comedy, he often presents his audience with what the "news" actually means. [...]
Perhaps Time Magazine included him in the poll as a tongue-in-cheek measure.
But maybe, just maybe, Jon Stewart was included because he keeps doing the job that many actual journalists should be doing.
Over and over again.
By GottaLaff
The 2012 Republican presidential primaries are two-and-a-half years away, but if they were starting today Sarah Palin would enter with the highest net approval ratings among self-described Republicans, according to a recent Pew poll.If you'll excuse me, I have to stop typing now. It's really hard to reach the keyboard after having fallen on the floor hysterically laughing at that last sentence.
According to Pew, the Alaska governor's popularity among Republicans, as measured by her net approval-minus-disapproval ratings, is +56, with former Gov. Mitt Romney and former Speaker Newt Gingrich a bit further back, at +39 and +33 respectively, and Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele trailing far behind that trio with a +14 and 58 percent of Republicans having no opinion or unable to identify him.
By GottaLaff
A new CNN/Opinion Research poll finds that President Obama's approval rating among Americans remains steady at 61%.I guess all that hot air coming from the usual Rushpublic sources isn't having much of an effect. Well, maybe it's having an effect on their guys, but our guy seems to be doing okay.
Said pollster Keating Holland: "Since March, Obama's approval rating has gone down one percentage point each month in CNN polls. In March it was 64 percent; in April it was 63 percent. Last month his approval rating stood at 62 percent and now it is at 61 percent."
By GottaLaff
Gee, ya think? Who wouldn't want a cold, warmongering, lying sociopath as their spokesperson?[I]nternals of the new Washington Post/ABC News poll:
Who do you trust to do a better job handling the threat of terrorism — (Obama) or the (Republicans in Congress)?
Obama 55%
Republicans in Congress 34%
A year ago, when the conventional wisdom held during the campaign that terrorism was a weak point for Obama, would you have predicted that he would come to hold a 21-point lead over the GOP on the issue? [...]
It’s pretty clear that Republicans aren’t being accorded a heck of a lot of credibility on what was once one of their core issues. And Cheney’s role as lead spokesperson for the GOP position on that issue isn’t doing the party much good, either.
By GottaLaff
Paddy posted earlier that the NBC/WSJ poll isn't the only game in town. That is so true, but one other point needs to be made: The Rushpublics have their own problems. Do we hear the corporate media pushing that story?
Even though President Obama's overall ratings remain high, some in the national media interpreted two new polls as showing the end of the president's honeymoon period.
However, Steve Benen points out that the polls show the favorability of the Republican party hitting new all time lows.
NYT/CBS Poll: "While Republicans have steadily increased their criticism of Mr. Obama, particularly on the budget deficit, the poll found that the Republican Party is viewed favorably by only 28% of those polled, the lowest rating ever in a New York Times/CBS News poll. In contrast, 57% said that they had a favorable view of the Democratic Party."
WSJ/NBC poll: "25% hold a favorable view of the Republican Party, which is an all-time low for it in the poll. 45% hold a favorable view of the Democratic Party."
A new Pew Research survey finds a solid majority of Americans (61%) continue to approve of President Obama's job performance, "although they express mixed views of several of his policies."Anyone see that on the Tee Vee Machine?
"An important positive sign for Obama is the public's continued optimism that his policies will improve the economy -- fully 65% express this view. A smaller majority (55%) is optimistic Obama will reduce the budget deficit over the long-term. Nonetheless, Obama's job approval on the economy has declined from 60% in April to 52% currently."
"The slippage in the president's economic ratings appears unrelated to the public's assessments of his administration's impact on current economic conditions... Instead, it may have more to do with his relatively poor ratings for handling the problems of troubled automakers General Motors and Chrysler."
By GottaLaff
A new poll by a nonpartisan, D.C.-based research group finds truly overwhelming support for the public option. The kicker: The poll was bankrolled partly by previous opponents of health care reform, including one of the nation’s best-known insurance companies.
Hear that Dems? Hear that Tom Daschle?
What does it take? There's your mandate. Use it.The poll — which was just released by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a D.C. policy think tank — finds that a majority (53%) strongly back the availability of a public plan, while another 30% “somewhat” support it. That’s a total of 83% in favor of a public plan — a staggeringly large majority.
[G]uess who paid for the poll? From the release:
This survey was made possible with support from AARP, American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Buck Consultants, Chevron, Deere & Company, IBM, Mercer, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Principal Financial Group, Schering-Plough Corp., Shell Oil Company, The Commonwealth Fund, and Towers Perrin.
[...] The American Association of Retired Persons and Blue Cross Blue Shield were among the opponents of HillaryCare in the 1990s.
By GottaLaff
[T]his is a kind of first.
President Obama trumps the Pope and Tiger Woods when it comes to who voters would rather meet and have their picture taken with, and Hannah Montana runs a distant fourth, according to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted June 9-10. (Question 54 in the poll).
Obama managed to eke out a 2-to-1 victory over the closest contenders among three other choices provided by Fox, with 42 percent wanting to pose with him, compared to 22 percent who picked Woods, 21 percent who preferred the Pontiff and only 5 percent who felt drawn to Montana.
There was a sharp partisan divide on this question. Republicans favored Woods by 34 percent although the Pope was a close second at 31 percent, so His Holiness managed at least a statistical tie for second among this group since the margin of error was 3 points. Obama got 16 percent and Montana again brought up the rear at 7 percent. Independents chose Obama over Woods by 38 percent to 28 percent, with the Pope at 18 percent and Montana at 4 percent. Sixty-eight percent of Democrats picked Obama as a photo-mate, with the Pope at 16 percent and Montana and Woods in single digits.
Then there's that whole hooked on ciggies thing:
One more Fox you-need-to-know result: Although President Obama says he has quit smoking cigarettes, 37 percent of voters believe he is still sneaking in some smokes while 30 percent believe he has completely quit. (Thirty-three percent wouldn't hazard a guess).I just want him to stay healthy, so Prez O, if you're smoking? Q.U.I.T!
By GottaLaff
In thinking about theRepublican Party 's troubles, consider this: One-third of Republicans now say they have an unfavorable opinion of their party.There's no such dyspepsia among Democrats. Just 4% have an unfavorable view of their party.
The findings of a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll underscore the perilous state of the GOP. Over the past three years, Republicans have lost control of the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate, and they're now struggling to forge a unified response to the popular new Democratic president. [...]
Asked by Gallup "what comes to mind when you think of the Republican Party," 25% of those surveyed said "unfavorable" and another 1 in 4 offered negative assessments including "no direction," "close-minded" and "poor economic conditions." Sixteen percent said conservative and 7% "favorable."
Rushpublic word-association: "Unfavorable, no direction, closed-minded, poor economic conditions"... Yep, that sounds about right.
For theLet me say here and now that I am a proud self-centered, socially conscious, pro-people liberal spender (just ask Mr. Laffy, he'll vouch for that last one).Democratic Party , the most dominant impression was "liberal," mentioned by 15%. One in 3 used positive phrases such as "for the people" and "socially conscious." The most prevalent negative judgments saw the Democrats as "big spending" (8%) and "self-centered" (4%).
By GottaLaff
Shiftitude:
(click on image to enlarge)
[I]t suggests the political playing field may be softer on this issue, and President Barack Obama will be well-positioned to forge ahead with his campaign promise to end the military ban on openly gay service members with some support from more conservative segments of the population.
By GottaLaff
Via Kos on Twitter:
Rush: well OUTSIDE the AMERICAN mainstream, but well INSIDE the REPUBLICAN mainstream.That about sums it up. Here's the proof...
By GottaLaff
A new Gallup poll finds that initial reactions to President Obama's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court are decidedly more positive than negative, with 47% rating the nomination as "excellent" or "good," 20% rating it "only fair," and 13% rating it "poor."
By GottaLaff
Defying gravity again:
A new Democracy Corps poll shows that President Obama has effectively erased doubts that Americans have historically harbored about the Democratic Party's competence on national security issues.
"For the first time in our research, Democrats are at full parity on perceptions of which party would best manage national security, while they have moved far ahead of the GOP on specific challenges such as Afghanistan, Iraq, working with our allies, and improving America's image abroad."
The survey found that 64% of likely voters approve of the job Obama is doing on national security. That is actually 6 points higher than his already strong overall job approval rating at 58%.
By GottaLaff
The decline in Republican Party affiliation among Americans in recent years is well documented, but a Gallup analysis now shows that this movement away from the GOP has occurred among nearly every major demographic subgroup. Since the first year of George W. Bush's presidency in 2001, the Republican Party has maintained its support only among frequent churchgoers, with conservatives and senior citizens showing minimal decline.
So far in 2009, aggregated poll data show the divide on party identification is 53% Democratic and 39% Republican -- a marked change from 2001, when the parties were evenly matched.
By GottaLaff
Maybe if he'd certify Al Franken already, he'd see his numbers perk up:
Though Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) is thought to harbor ambitions to run for president in 2012, a new SurveyUSA poll finds that 57% of Minnesota voters don't even want him to run for a third term next year.Not exactly the kind of encouragement he'd want as a potential 2012 candidate. Tsk tsk. That's what he gets for depriving his state of a U.S. Senator.
.jpg)
