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November 24, 2008

Congressional Approval Rises a Point After Auto Bailout Rejected

Though just 12% of voters give Congress good or excellent job approval ratings, it’s the highest ratings for the legislature since mid-May.

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November 24, 2008

New Treasury Secretary An Unknown to 53% of Voters

Wall Street is reportedly reassured by President-elect Obama’s choice of Timothy Geithner to be secretary of the Treasury, but right now 53% of U.S. voters don’t know enough about him to have an opinion about his selection.

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November 24, 2008

49% Say U.S. Should Keep Guantanamo Prison Open

Nearly half of U.S. voters (49%) say the United States should not close the terrorist prison camp at Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba, but the identical number (49%) also say Barack Obama is Very likely to close it in the first year of his presidency.

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November 22, 2008

What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending November 21, 2008

This time it looks like Congress is listening to the voters. Nearly half of U.S. voters (48%) told Rasmussen Reports this week that it is better for the economy to let companies like General Motors fail rather than providing government subsidies to keep them in business.

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November 22, 2008

The Limits of Success -- and Failure By Michael Barone

We Americans are blessed with a history that teaches that things work out right. Our first president set the precedent of relinquishing power he could have had for life and returning to his farm. Two of our greatest presidents were struck down, Abraham Lincoln by an assassin and Franklin Roosevelt by grave illness, at a moment of transcendent victory.

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November 21, 2008

53% Give Obama Good Marks on Economy – Before He Takes Office

Over half of U.S. voters (53%) give Barack Obama good or excellent marks on how he will handle the economy, up five points since right after Election Day, although he won’t formally begin to execute his plans for another two months.

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November 21, 2008

Spike in War on Terror Confidence Fades

Following the election of Barack Obama on November 4, confidence in the War on Terror soared to all-time highs, but that spike in confidence has disappeared. Confidence is back to pre-election levels, still near the highest levels recorded in the past five years.

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November 21, 2008

Investors Pull Back: Savings Accounts Top Stocks and Real Estate For First Time

A plurality of investors - for the first time ever - say they would rather put new investment money in a bank savings account than in the stock market or in real estate. This marks a dramatic change over the past year in response to worsening conditions on Wall Street and other troubling economic factors.

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November 21, 2008

Why Obama Can Keep Gates By Joe Conason

As Barack Obama makes his way through the transition to power, he is learning the steps of an old dance. Having promised change, he now surrounds himself with experience. Having poured scorn not only on the Bush administration but at times on the Clinton administration as well, he now welcomes those who served his Democratic predecessor, including the former first lady who ran against him.

November 20, 2008

Just 17% Say Nation Heading in Right Direction

Despite an historic post-election drop in the stock market, Americans seem a bit more optimistic about the future since Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States last week.

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November 20, 2008

57% Eating Out Less Than Six Months Ago

With the country in the midst of an historic economic slowdown, over half of Americans (57%) say they are going out to eat less often now than they were six months ago, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

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November 20, 2008

48% Say Failure of GM Best for the Economy

Nearly half of U.S. voters (48%) say it is better for the economy to let companies like General Motors fail rather than providing government subsidies to keep them in business.

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November 20, 2008

Tarp the TARP By Lawrence Kudlow

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has called for a pause in the financing request for the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), halting it at $350 billion.

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November 20, 2008

In the Red Corner By Cordel Faulk

Here's the worst kept secret in politics: Presidential campaigning never ends. For periods of time it becomes quieter--a little subtler--but it never stops.

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November 20, 2008

Lessons Spoke to Nation's Mood By Larry J. Sabato

As routine as elections may seem, they are the seminal events in the life of a democracy. Campaigns and elections not only set the direction of the Republic, they also shed light on America's political health. Every November we have the opportunity to take stock of what we did at the polls, and what that says about the status of the 232-year-old American experiment.

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November 20, 2008

Who's Going on the Presidential Honeymoon? By Tony Blankley

I was thinking about what we traditionally call the postelection "honeymoon," of which President-elect Barack Obama is now in the second week. But what exactly is meant by the metaphor?

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November 20, 2008

Keeping Cool Over Joe Lieberman By Froma Harrop

You don't have to venture too far left in the Democratic Party to find people who dislike Joe Lieberman. But wander yonder into the liberal blogosphere, and the feeling more approximates detestation.

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November 19, 2008

Voters Rate Hillary Second Only to Powell for Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton hasn’t made up her mind yet whether to take the job, but 28% of U.S. voters say she would make the best secretary of State for incoming President Barack Obama.

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November 19, 2008

Democrats Lead by Four in Generic Congressional Ballot

Two weeks after an historic election in which Democrats won the White House and increased their control of Congress, the party leads by four on the latest Generic Congressional Ballot.

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November 19, 2008

Leaving Home By Susan Estrich

As the fires burned across Southern California this weekend, the all-news radio station I listen to kept running tape of a guy advising people about what to put in their "grab-and-go" boxes. He was from some insurance association, so -- big surprise -- his focus was on insurance documents.