As the Obama administration announces plans for further decreases in military spending, Gallup surveys show no broad consensus among Americans that the U.S. is spending too much or too little on the military. Americans’ views of the money spent on national defense and the military have held fairly steady in […] Read more »
Few backers for military cuts
As Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel stood at his podium this week, announcing the Obama administration’s intent to shrink our troop size to levels not seen in three-quarters of a century, he kept staring down at his notes. He should have been looking up. I’m surprised a shoe wasn’t flung in […] Read more »
Unemployment Rises to Top Problem
Americans have a new No. 1 problem. Nearly one in four Americans mention jobs and unemployment as the most important problem facing the country, up from 16% in January. The government and politicians had topped the list since the government shutdown in October. CONT. Rebecca Riffkin, Gallup Read more »
Large Majorities of Republicans and Democrats Agree on How to Reform Social Security
When a representative sample of Americans were given information about the projected insolvency of Social Security and presented options for dealing with it, overwhelming majorities—including three in four Republicans and Democrats—favored taking steps that would eliminate most of the Social Security shortfall and a modest majority favored steps that would […] Read more »
Debt Ceiling blame game
More Americans would blame Republicans in Congress than President Barack Obama if the nation’s debt ceiling is not raised, according to a new national poll. The release of the CNN/ORC International survey on Monday came as Treasury Secretary Jack Lew issued yet another public warning to Congress to act quickly […] Read more »
Obama’s Priorities Face Split Nation
Tuesday’s State of the Union Address from President Barack Obama followed the usual pattern for the speech, a laundry list of proposals on everything from income inequality to immigration reform to Afghanistan–but with a twist. With a divided Congress listening and unlikely to move on many of those items, Mr. […] Read more »