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June 6, 2014Veterans Affairs Scandal Further Discredits Obama's Big Government Policies By Michael Barone
President Obama evidently was caught by surprise by the scandal at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
So, apparently, was VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, who evidently took at face value the corrupt VA statistics -- and who, after a distinguished military career, resigned last week.
One who was probably not taken by surprise is longtime Yale Law Professor Peter Schuck, who identified the problems at the VA before the scandal broke in his recently published book, "Why Government Fails So Often and How It Can Do Better."

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                            June 6, 201421% Think EPA Actions Help the Economy
Fewer voters than ever believe the actions of the federal Environmental Protection Agency help the economy. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 36% of Likely U.S. Voters have a favorable opinion of the EPA, while 39% view the agency unfavorably. Twenty-five percent (25%) are undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 2-3, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            June 5, 201445% Think Media Coverage Encourages Copycat Killers
Americans tend to believe the media pay too much attention to mass murders and that their coverage prompts others to commit violent crimes.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of American Adults believe the media cover mass murders like the one in southern California too much, while just 13% say they don’t cover them enough. One-in-three (33%) says the level of media coverage is about right. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The national survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on May 30-31, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology.

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                            June 5, 201442% Think Their Next Job Will Be Better
With worker confidence at its highest level in several years, fewer workers are willing to commit to their current job. Confidence that their next job will be better is at its highest level in two years.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 30% of Employed Adults are looking for a job outside of their current company, up four points from April and the highest finding since March 2011. Sixty-four percent (64%) still aren't looking, but that's down from 71% as recently as February. (To see survey question wording, click here).
(Want a  free daily e-mail update  ? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 617 Employed Adults was conducted on June 1-2, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
June 5, 2014Not Much to Lose in Move From Coal By Froma Harrop
Barack Obama need not ask how well he's doing in coal country, because the answer is always the same: Not well. 

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                            June 5, 201442% Think Snowden Is A Spy
Edward Snowden said in a recent television interview that he is a patriot, but a sizable number of voters think the man who disclosed the National Security Agency’s domestic phone and email surveillance program should be considered a spy instead.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 31% of Likely U.S. Voters have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of the 30-year-old Snowden, while 48% view him unfavorably. This includes seven percent (7%) with a Very Favorable view of the former NSA intelligence analyst and 20% with a Very Unfavorable one. Eight percent (8%) say they have never heard of Snowden, while 13% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).  Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on May 31-June 1, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
June 5, 2014Mcdaniel’s ‘Friends and Neighbors’ By Kyle Kondik and Geoffrey Skelley
In his classic book Southern Politics in State and Nation, V.O. Key Jr. wrote about the importance of “friends and neighbors” in one-party southern elections. More than half a century after the book was written, strength at home powered yet another Deep South candidate.
Tuesday night featured about as dramatic a race as we’ve seen in recent years, which not only delighted the political hacks on Twitter but, more importantly, produced a result that suggests a victory for the more conservative wing of the Republican Party.

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                            June 5, 2014Fewer Americans Will Cut Their Summer Vacation Spending
Just as many Americans will be taking a summer vacation this year, but fewer will be cutting back on how much they spend.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% of American Adults plan to take a summer vacation this year. That's consistent with surveying for the last couple years. The number of summer vacationers fell into the 30s following the Wall Street meltdown in 2008. (To see question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update ? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 American Adults was conducted on May 26-27, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            June 4, 201430% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction
Thirty percent (30%) of Likely U.S. Voters think the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending June 1.
This is up one point from the week before. The number who say the country is heading in the right direction has been in the narrow range of 28% to 30% for 20 out of the 24 weeks since mid-December.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook. 
     
 The national telephone survey of 3,500 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on May 26-June 1, 2014. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Fieldwork for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            June 4, 2014Idaho Governor: Otter (R) 50%, Balukoff (D) 36%
Republican incumbent C.L. “Butch” Otter holds a 14-point lead over his Democratic opponent in Idaho's 2014 gubernatorial race.
Otter draws 50% of the vote against businessman A.J. Balukoff’s 36%, according to a new statewide telephone survey of Likely Idaho Voters. Eight percent (8%) prefer some other candidate in the race, while seven percent (7%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Idaho was conducted on May 28-29, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            June 4, 201440% Approve of POW/Taliban Prisoner Swap, 43% Oppose
Most voters oppose hostage negotiations with terrorist groups like the Taliban, but voters are almost evenly divided over the prisoner swap that freed the only known U.S. military POW in Afghanistan.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 40% of Likely U.S. Voters agree with the U.S. government’s decision to release five Taliban leaders from the Guantanamo terrorist prison camp in exchange for the one U.S. military prisoner of war behind held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Slightly more voters (43%) disagree with that decision. Seventeen percent (17%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 2-3, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
June 4, 2014Popular Nonsense by John Stossel
"Young people are exploited!" "Income mobility is down!" "Poor people are locked into poverty!"
Those are samples of popular nonsense peddled today.
John Stossel is host of "Stossel" on the Fox Business Network. He's the author of "No They Can't: Why Government Fails, but Individuals Succeed." To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC.
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

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                            June 4, 2014Boehner, Pelosi Are Still Most Unpopular Congressional Leaders
House Speaker John Boehner is now the overall most unpopular leader in Congress, surpassing even House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi who has long held that title. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 26% of Likely U.S. Voters have at least a somewhat favorable opinion of Boehner, while 60% view him unfavorably. This includes four percent (4%) with a Very Favorable view of the Ohio Republican and 30% with a Very Unfavorable one. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on May 27-28, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            June 3, 2014Most Voters Still Agree School Food Standards Are Not A Federal Issue
School districts around the country have been pushing to opt out of the school food guidelines championed by First Lady Michelle Obama, and the House Appropriations Committee last week passed a bill that would allow them to do so for budgetary reasons. Most Americans continue to believe it's not the federal government's job to decide what school kids eat.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 25% of American Adults think the federal government should set nutritional standards for schools, although that's up from 18% last August. But 51% still believe those standards should be set locally, with 37% who say they should be decided by parent-teacher groups and 14% who see them as the responsibility of local government. Fifteen percent (15%) think school nutritional standards should be determined by state governments. Support for local or state control is unchanged from the previous survey. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on May 28-29, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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                            June 3, 2014Rasmussen Employment Index Hits Six-Year High in May
The Rasmussen Employment Index which measures worker confidence jumped five points in May to its highest level in over six years of monthly tracking.
At 100.1, worker confidence is up from last month’s finding of 95.6. In March, the index had hit a previous six-year high of 96.2. The index fell to a recent low of 81.2 in October but gained steadily after that. It stood at 94.4 in May of last year.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 9,176 working Americans was conducted in May 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 1 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
June 3, 2014Massachusetts, Not VA, Is Obamacare's Future By Froma Harrop
Obamacare foes have portrayed the VA hospital scandal as a dystopian glimpse into the future of the Affordable Care Act. The temptation is understandable if one regards health care policy as just another battlefield for partisan strife.   

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                            June 3, 201452% Think More Help for the Mentally Ill Will Help Deter Mass Killings
Most Americans seem to accept mass killings like the recent one in southern California as an unavoidable fact of modern life but also continue to feel more treatment of the mentally ill will reduce the number of incidents like this.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only nine percent (9%) of American Adults believe a free society like ours can ever be made completely safe from a mass murder like the one in southern California. Seventy-one percent (71%) disagree and say a society like ours cannot totally avoid such incidents. Twenty percent (20%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on May 30-31, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
June 3, 2014Democrats' Nightmare Scenario for 2016 by Michael Barone
Last week I set out a 2016 nightmare scenario for Republicans -- not one that seems likely, but one that can be extrapolated from current polling.
June 3, 2014Director of Polling
The polling industry is looking to decrease reliance on data gathering via landlines. Rasmussen Reports is seeking a hands-on, innovative thinker to lead our efforts in this direction.  Innovative thinking about the future of polling, along with the quantitative and computational abilities to put your ideas into practice are definite must-haves. We aim to broaden our polling reach over the next years, to introduce a greater amount of data from a wide range of nontraditional polling sources, and to carefully calibrate and evaluate our efforts as we proceed.

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                            June 3, 2014Idaho Senate: Risch (R) 54%, Mitchell (D) 29%
Republican Senator Jim Risch has a nearly two-to-one lead over his Democratic challenger in his bid for reelection in Idaho.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Idaho Voters shows Risch with 54% of the vote to Democratic attorney Nels Mitchell’s 29%. Six percent (6%) prefer some other candidate in the race, while 11% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Idaho was conducted on May 28-29, 2014 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.