John McCain’s rejection of affirmative action as presently constituted drew stony silence from a black audience on Friday, but even Barack Obama has problems with the government’s use of a quota system to advance women and minorities. Both men are careful, too, to suggest that something needs to take its place.
Sixty-nine percent (69%) of the nation’s voters say they’ve seen news coverage of the McCain campaign commercial that includes images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and suggests that Barack Obama is a celebrity just like them. Of those, just 22% say the ad was racist while 63% say it was not.
Barack Obama’s travels abroad were the focus of the news a week ago, but our latest polling finds that it really didn’t make any difference in the numbers at all.
Thirty percent (30%) of conservative Democrats say they’re voting for John McCain. Rasmussen Reports data also shows the Republican hopeful picking up support from 19% of White Democrats and 15% of Democrats over the age of 50.
Since Barack Obama has sealed the Democratic nomination, more voters say they are willing to vote for an African-American presidential candidate than ever before.
Voters view Barack Obama’s highly publicized trip to Europe and the Middle East last week as a complete wash from a political standpoint, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
When given a choice between Barack Obama and John McCain for President, 14% of voters are uncommitted. That figure includes 6% who say they’d vote for some other candidate and 8% who are undecided.
With taxes front and center this week in the U.S. presidential campaign, 50% of Americans still see tax increases as bad for the economy and an identical percentage favor a tax policy focused on economic growth rather than fairness.
Voters are nearly evenly divided on which is more important– cracking down on speculators or lifting the ban on offshore drilling -- as the debate comes to a head in Congress this week over how to fight rising gas and oil prices. As far as public opinion is concerned, the best answer would be to do both.
CBS News’ beleaguered anchor Katie Couric says sexism is more common and more acceptable in society than racism, but voters do not agree.
When it comes to whom voters like among Barack Obama’s possible running mates, it’s all about the also-rans. A new Rasmussen Reports national survey finds that 56% have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, including 21% who view him Very favorably.
John McCain’s camp signaled last week that the Republican might name a running mate to deflect some of the media glare from Barack Obama’s overseas trip, but ultimately no names were announced. Meanwhile, at least one of the key contenders for the job, Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, announced that he is not interested.
Barack Obama was the political news this week, despite John McCain’s best efforts to get some of the media focus directed his way.
Just over half of all voters (51%) approve of President Bush’s decision to attend the Opening Ceremony, while 22% disapprove. Men are slightly more likely to approve of the President’s decision than women.
Despite growing confidence that the U.S. and its allies are winning the war on terror, most Americans (52%) still believe it’s more important for the next president to bring the troops home from Iraq than win the war there.
Over half of Americans (55%) rate Barack Obama’s historic speech in Berlin yesterday good or excellent, and the Democratic presidential candidate is experiencing a modest bounce over John McCain nationally in the latest Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.
Voters who have served in the U.S. military favor John McCain over Barack Obama by a 56% to 37% margin.
Most Americans believe suspected terrorists should be tried by military tribunals rather than in U.S. courts, as the first such trial began this week at the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba.
While Barack Obama has touted his travel to the Middle East and Europe this week as a “fact-finding” trip, 63% of Americans do not believe it makes the Democratic candidate any more qualified to be president.
With Washington abuzz over speculation that John McCain will announce his running mate this week to take some of the focus off Barack Obama’s overseas travels, over a third of U.S. voters say Mitt Romney will be the Republican vice presidential candidate.
