Less than a year out from the 2014 midterm elections, Republicans are more optimistic than Democrats about their party’s electoral prospects. But the “expectations gap” is far more modest now than it was prior to the 2010 election, when Republicans were brimming with confidence, or 2006, when most Democrats anticipated […] Read more »
Obama’s Economic Defectors
Things can change a lot in 12 months. Last year at this time, Democrats were celebrating President Barack Obama’s re-election and preparing for his second inauguration. But this week’s Wall Street Journal/NBC poll indicates Republicans are ending the year on a high note. Mr. Obama’s number have sunk, and Americans […] Read more »
Americans Won’t Be Easily Reassured About the Economy
… Conventional wisdom holds that if people see the economy improving, they will be less likely to “throw the bums out” in the next year’s elections. But the key is public perception of the economy, not month-to-month shifts in numbers. Although the National Bureau of Economic Research dates the last […] Read more »
Revolt Against Congress: Game On
This poll is in the congressional battleground looking at named incumbents and is virtually the only window into what is really happening. … Yes, the health care roll-out and reduced presidential standing has hurt Democrats, but keep it in perspective: o Voters evenly divided on this issue; the big debate […] Read more »
Discontent with Congress, Obama high; most want their House member ousted
Heading into a congressional election year, Americans hold Congress in strikingly low regard, and nearly two-thirds say they would like to see their House member replaced, a new poll finds. Even though Americans are feeling somewhat better about the economy — and their personal finances — elected officials in Washington […] Read more »
NBC/WSJ poll: Obama ends year on low note
A year that began with President Barack Obama riding high after his re-election victory is ending with him in the biggest hole of his presidency. A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that more Americans disapprove of the president’s job performance than ever before; half say they’re either disappointed […] Read more »