One of the key issues in the political debate now roiling the country is how big a part government should play in our lives.

And on this topic there is a huge gap between the Political Class and the rest of the nation.

Seventy-five percent (75%) of voters prefer free markets over a government-managed economy. But a plurality of the Political Class takes the opposite view.

A classic example are the government bailouts of the financial industry and troubled automakers General Motors and Chrysler. Looking back, voters still think they were a bad idea.

Voters have mixed feelings about government regulation of big business, but most feel small businesses are regulated too much. There is also a strong belief that more competition and less regulation would be better for the economy and job creation.

Then there’s the opposition to the national health care plan which as Scott Rasmussen explains in his latest video update remains largely unchanged from months before Congress voted to pass it in March until now. A record number of voters nationwide now expect the cost of health care to go up under the plan, and most still believe it will drive the deficit even higher. Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters favor repeal of the law.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of Americans even say enough’s enough when it comes to the U.S. Postal Service, too. They think the USPS should be required to cut back on services rather than to keep borrowing from the U.S. Treasury to continue functioning at its current level.

If Republicans win control of Congress this fall, voters overwhelmingly believe the nation’s legislature should wait until the newly elected officials take office before considering major legislation. Most, however, expect that Democrats will try to pass new legislation before turning over control.

West Virginia will be having a special Senate election this November to replace the late Senator Robert Byrd. That race starts out as a Solid Democratic seat in the Rasmussen Reports Senate Balance of Power summary. Our current polling in the West Virginia race shows Governor Joe Manchin with a double-digit lead over Republican John Raese. In addition, new polling in Ohio's Senate race has moved that state from a Toss-Up to Leans GOP. Rob Portman now leads Democrat Lee Fisher by six points, 45% to 39%.

Arkansas Democrat Blanche Lincoln continues to be the only incumbent from either party who appears likely to lose her seat in the Senate. Republican John Boozman leads Lincoln 60% to 35%.

Republican candidates now hold a nine-point lead over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot, the widest gap between the two parties in several weeks. LINK Forty-five percent (45%) would vote for their district's Republican congressional candidate, while 36% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent.

One Republican who has had a remarkable turnaround in fortunes is Arizona Governor Jan Brewer who was struggling earlier this year but now holds a commanding lead over Democrat Terry Goddard in the campaign to keep her job. By a 60% to 34% margin, Arizona voters oppose the Justice Department lawsuit against their state.

But voters nationally are a little less critical this month of the president and the oil companies involved for their handling of the three-month-old oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. While most Americans continue to be concerned about the overall economic impact of the oil leak, they're less worried about gas prices rising at the pump.

With the deepwater oil leak apparently capped after three months of gushing into the Gulf, support for both offshore oil drilling and drilling further out in deepwater remains largely unchanged. Most voters also remain concerned about the potential environmental impact of new drilling.

Voters in Texas show strong support for offshore oil drilling and, in contrast to findings in other states around the country, show nearly the same level of support for deepwater drilling. Support for offshore oil drilling has consistently been stronger in the Gulf region states because of the effect that industry has on jobs and the economy.

Like Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, another governor on the front lines of the oil leak gets good marks from voters in his state. Seventy percent (70%) of Mississippi voters approve of the job Republican Governor Haley Barbour is doing.

Following an uptick in optimism in April and May, consumer confidence as measured by the Rasmussen Consumer Index has returned to levels found in the beginning of the year. Among Adults nationwide, 28% say U.S. economic conditions are getting better, while 50% say they are getting worse.

Seventy-eight percent (78%) expect the bad economy to lead to an increase in crime.

Forty-seven percent (47%) of Americans are at least somewhat confident in the stability of the U.S. banking industry today, but 50% still lack that confidence.

Obama ended the week in the same job approval territory he’s been in for some time as measured by the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

 In other surveys last week:

 -- Twenty-seven percent (27%) of voters say the country is heading in the right direction. This is the lowest finding since mid-March and remains within the narrow range found on this question since last July.

-- Just 20% of Americans favor the building of an Islamic mosque near the Ground Zero site of the World Trade Center in New York City. Most voters in New York (58%) oppose the building of the mosque near the site where nearly 3,000 Americans were killed in a terrorist attack.

-- While most Americans believe children need to spend more time in school, they don’t think extending the school year to a 12-month calendar is a good idea.

-- With childhood obesity a rising concern in the United States, just over half (52%) of American adults feel that sugary snacks and soft drinks should be banned from sale in schools. Fifty-seven percent (57%) believe people would be more careful about what they eat in a fast-food restaurant if nutritional information was posted. 

-- Bipartisan legislation is again being considered in Congress that would lift the long-standing U.S. economic embargo on Cuba, but voters continue to have closely divided views on that idea.

-- The race to become the next U.S. senator from Florida remains a very close one between Republican Marco Rubio and Independent Charlie Crist as both potential Democratic candidates struggle to gain traction.

-- It’s the same story in Kentucky’s race for the U.S. Senate again this month. Republican Rand Paul continues to hold a modest lead over Democrat Jack Conway.

-- The numbers remain little changed this month in Pennsylvania’s race for the U.S. Senate, with Republican Pat Toomey continuing to maintain a slight lead over Democrat Joe Sestak.

-- Connecticut’s U.S. Senate race is a little closer this month, but Democrat Richard Blumenthal still captures over 50% of the vote against three potential Republican challengers.

-- Republican Senator Mike Crapo continues to hold a big lead over Democrat Tom Sullivan in his bid for reelection in Idaho.

 -- Following the primaries on Tuesday and regardless of which Republican wins the run-off, Democrat Roy Barnes finds himself in a close contest as he seeks to reclaim the title of governor of Georgia.

-- Republican John Kasich still holds a small lead over incumbent Ted Strickland in Ohio’s gubernatorial race.

-- State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo continues to cruise comfortably ahead of both of his potential Republican rivals in New York’s race for governor.
 
-- Democrat Tom Barrett receives an increase in support this month to pull closer to both his Republican opponents in Wisconsin's gubernatorial race.
 
-- Republican Governor Dave Heineman continues to earn overwhelming support from voters in his bid for reelection in Nebraska. He leads newly announced Democratic candidate Mike Meister 71% to 18%.
 
-- Former Senator Mark Dayton and state House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher are both running slightly stronger this month against their Republican and independent rivals in Minnesota’s race for governor.
 
-- The gubernatorial race in Arkansas is a little closer this month, but Democratic incumbent Mike Beebe still leads his Republican challenger by 10 points.
 
-- The Republicans have it for now in Alaska’s gubernatorial contest, with the three leading GOP candidates remaining well ahead of both Democratic hopefuls.
 
-- Both the Republican and Democratic nominees have lost some support from voters this month in Maine’s gubernatorial race.
 
-- Incumbent Republican C.L. “Butch” Otter still has a sizable lead over his Democratic opponent Keith Allred in Idaho's race for governor.
 
-- Independent candidate Lincoln Chafee holds a slight lead over Democratic State Treasurer Frank Caprio in Rhode Island’s gubernatorial contest.
   
-- Eighty-seven percent (87%) of Americans feel the media pays too much attention to celebrities. But 84% of adults also admit that Americans pay too much attention to celebrity news and not enough attention to news that has real impact on their lives.
 
-- So how do Americans feel about some of the prominent celebrities in the news - for better or worse - in recent days?

Don’t forget to take a look at Scott Rasmussen’s new book, In Search of Self-Governance.

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