After a brief rebound in May, economic confidence among small business owners dropped to a record low in June as the number of those who think the U.S. economy is getting worse expanded to nearly 80 percent. The Discover(R) Small Business Watch(SM) plummeted in June to 71.8, down 10 points from 81.8 in May.
After months of claiming insufficient information to express an opinion on the District of Columbia gun law, Barack Obama noted with apparent approval Thursday that the Supreme Court ruled the 32-year ban on handguns "went too far."
The good news for Barack Obama is that support for offshore drilling of oil wells has declined just a bit over the past week. The bad news for the presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee is that only Democrats are changing their mind.
The United States Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on the Second Amendment last week did more than clarify an important Constitutional principle—it also improved public perceptions of the Court itself.
Why is the president of the United States entertaining Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince, Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at Camp David when his own State Department has singled out the Sheik’s homeland, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), for its continuing violations of human rights?
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has appealed to Senate Democratic leaders to confirm President Bush's long-pending nominations to fill two empty chairs as Fed governors, enabling a fully staffed central bank to handle the current financial crisis. He did not receive a favorable response from Sen. Christopher Dodd, Senate Banking Committee chairman.
"Not Exactly a Crime" is the title of a book on America's vice presidents published in 1972 -- a year before Vice President Spiro Agnew was forced to resign for actually committing a crime.
The United States Supreme Court generated plenty of news this past week by releasing its end of session rulings. For the most part, voters weren’t terribly impressed. Just 26% gave the Justices good or excellent marks for their work down from 31% two weeks ago and 41% a month ago.
On the day after an unusually important Fed policy meeting, both gold and stocks severely rebuked the central bank's decision to take no action in support of the weak dollar or to curb rapidly growing inflation. Gold spiked $30, a clear message that Bernanke & Co. won't stop inflation. Stocks plunged over 200 points, an equally clear message that the Fed's cheap-dollar inflation is damaging economic growth.
On the evening the Supreme Court announced its landmark decision on the Second Amendment and gun control issues, 68% of voters said they followed news coverage of the story Somewhat or Very Closely.
Precisely on schedule, the usual assortment of right-wing operatives is preparing its expected assault on the Democratic presidential nominee. While this unwholesome phase of the election cycle is known universally as "Swift-boating" -- named after the defamatory media blitz against John Kerry four years ago -- the style and some of the personnel date back at least two decades.
Sixty percent (60%) of American voters say it’s at least somewhat likely that gas prices will reach $5 a gallon this year. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 35% are even more pessimistic and believe $6 a gallon gas may come in 2008.
Since Barack Obama clinched the Democratic Presidential Nomination, most polls have shown the Illinois Senator with a modest lead over John McCain, typically around five percentage points. However, two recent polls, one by Newsweek and one by the Los Angeles Times, have shown Obama with a double digit lead.
News that life expectancy among some American women has fallen earned startled headlines, as well it should. In this country, life expectancy is something that's supposed to go up. It took a big scourge, such as the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, to depress it.
Much has been made in the past of presidential candidates' campaign theme songs, but there would be no more appropriate choice for this year's Republican nominee, John McCain, than the Rolling Stones' classic, "Time Is on My Side."
What is an "Obamacon?" The phrase surfaced in January to describe British Conservatives entranced by Barack Obama. On March 13, the American Spectator broadened the term to cover all "conservative supporters" of the Democratic presidential candidate.
Public perceptions of the Supreme Court are falling as its session nears the end and a number of significant rulings have been released. Just 26% of voters now say the Supreme Court is doing a good or an excellent job.
Have you noticed a change in Barack Obama’s campaign? Instead of avoiding controversies over values, religion and race, he seems to welcome them and wade into the debates with an increasing enthusiasm.
The latest Rasmussen Reports Generic Congressional Ballot polling shows little change over the past week--47% of voters say they would vote for their district’s Democratic candidate, while 34% would for vote for the Republican candidate.
Here's a nice news flash: Most people really are religious and tolerant, faithful and open, altogether American. That's the conclusion this week of a major Pew Research Center study of religion in America.
