The Politics of Patriotism By Susan Estrich
Should John McCain have to "defend" his military record? Of course not. But the fact that he served in the military, with distinction, does not mean he's qualified to be president.
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July 2, 2008
July 2, 2008
Most Americans Proud of U.S. History, Say Other Nations Should Follow America’s Lead
Three out of four Americans are proud of their country’s history, and nearly as many feel the world would be a better place if more nations were like ours.
July 2, 2008
Democrats Retain Huge Party ID Advantage
In January and February, while Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were in the early stages of the battle for the Democratic Presidential Nomination, the number of Americans who considered themselves to be Democrats surged to record highs. The numbers have stabilized since then, leaving the Democratic Party with a significant advantage over Republicans in terms of partisan identification.
July 1, 2008
As Bill Gates Steps Down as Microsoft Chairman, 68% View Him Favorably
Just days after Microsoft creator Bill Gates spent his final day at the corporation he co-founded, a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 68% of adults have a favorable opinion of the multi-billionaire. Just 17% of adults have an unfavorable opinion of Gates.
July 1, 2008
Voters Want Right to Approve All Tax Increases
Most Americans do not believe the U.S. government needs more tax revenue and well over half say all tax increases should be subject to voter approval. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 52% of voters say the federal government does not need additional tax revenue for important national programs such as highway repairs and health care reform.
July 1, 2008
48% Say Lower Gas Prices Key to Economic Recovery
Voters overwhelmingly believe that lowering gas prices is the best way to get the U.S. economy going again, even as Congress and the presidential candidates argue for tax cuts or passage of a second government stimulus plan.
July 1, 2008
42% Think Obama’s Public Funding Decision Was Smart, 40% Find it Hypocritical
Americans’ opinions are split on Barack Obama’s recent decision to opt out of public funding for his presidential campaign. A recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 42% of adults believe his decision was smart, while 40% think it was hypocritical.
July 1, 2008
Rasmussen Employment Index Shows Worker Confidence Down Again to Another Record Low
Workers’ confidence in the labor markets tumbled sharply in June according to the latest update of the Rasmussen Employment Index. For the first time in the five-year history of the Index, the number of employees whose employer is laying people off exceeds the number whose firms are hiring.
June 30, 2008
McCain, Obama Talk Immigration, Media Misses the Point
Following the lead of the United States Senate, most media coverage of the immigration debate misses the point. For example, a recent Associated Press story noted that since both Presidential candidates support a path to citizenship, immigration reform won’t be a “major point of differentiation” between them.
June 30, 2008
Small Business Economic Confidence Drops to New Low
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.
June 30, 2008
Scalia Saving Obama By Robert Novak
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."
June 29, 2008
Support for Offshore Drilling Dips Slightly to 59%
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.
June 29, 2008
Supreme Court Viewed More Favorably Following Gun Control Ruling
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.
June 28, 2008
Why is Bush Entertaining Abu Dhabi Crown Prince? By Dick Morris
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?
June 28, 2008
Empty Fed Chairs By Robert Novak
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.
June 28, 2008
Why Veeps Now Matter By Michael Barone
"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.
June 28, 2008
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - June 28, 2008
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.
June 27, 2008
Where's Bernanke's Inner Volcker? By Lawrence Kudlow
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.
June 27, 2008
Voters Agree With Court Gun Ruling and Think McCain Does Too
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.
June 26, 2008
Inventing a Country-Club Muslim Marxist By Joe Conason
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.
