Florida Governor Charlie Crist is poised to be the second high-profile Republican to bolt the party in a year because Tea Party pressure threatens his political future. Crist may become an independent any day now to continue his run for the U.S. Senate.
Voters remain concerned about Social Security and whether the system can deliver what the government has promised.
President Obama soon will announce his second nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, and 56% of U.S. voters believe it is fair for a U.S. senator to oppose an otherwise qualified court nominee because of disagreements over ideology or judicial philosophy.
Government bailouts are still a sore subject with most voters. But the political class remains supportive of efforts to have taxpayers bail out troubled and failing companies.
Democrats have criticized Republicans for being the Party of No for their consistent opposition to President Obama’s agenda, and voters have mixed feelings about whether that’s a good place for the GOP to be.
Most voters nationwide (53%) believe any changes to Medicare or Social Security should be approved by a vote of the American people.
The number of people who say they’re part of the Tea Party Movement nationally has grown to 24%. That’s up from 16% a month ago, but the movement still defies easy description.
Twenty-four percent (24%) of U.S. voters now say they consider themselves a part of the Tea Party movement, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
NASA’s manned space shuttle program is in its final year, and the plurality of Americans believes it has been worth the price.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of U.S. voters oppose President Obama’s new policy prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons in response to chemical or biological attacks on the United States.
Voters agree that big money talks in politics but apparently not as loudly as big media.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of U.S. voters say they are more likely to contribute time or money to a political campaign this year compared to previous election years.
On major issues, 48% of voters say that the average Tea Party member is closer to their views than President Barack Obama. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 44% hold the opposite view and believe the president’s views are closer to their own.
President Obama this week signed into law a plan that gets the federal government more directly involved in the student loan market, but just 35% of Americans think that’s a good idea. Most don’t think it will save the billions of dollars the president says it will, either.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of U.S. voters now are at least somewhat concerned that those opposed to President Obama’s policies will resort to violence, up 10 points from last September.
Just 27% of U.S. voters now think the United States will still be the most powerful nation in the world at the end of the 21st century, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
In official Washington, some consider the Tea Party movement a fringe element in society but voters across the nation feel closer to the Tea Party movement than they do to Congress.
Both Republican and Tea Party candidates have gained a little ground in a potential three-way congressional contest, but Democrats remain on top.
Americans are critical of the textbooks children use and of the government for not spending enough on the schools. But many also criticize the performance of today’s parents.
While government leaders attempt to tackle budget deficits that are ballooning to historic proportions, 55% of Americans say the government does not spend enough money on public education.
