President Obama will be remembered as a thoughtful and dignified president who led a scrupulously honest administration that achieved major changes. … To be truly transformative in the way he wanted, however, his success had to translate into electoral gains for those who shared his vision and wanted to reform […] Read more »
Wacky moments in American public opinion
The transition between President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump is producing some odd public opinion effects. For example, suddenly Americans are far more confident about the direction of the economy since October 2012. Could this be for substantive reasons? It’s a possibility, but an equally likely explanation is raw partisanship. […] Read more »
One Problem for Democratic Leaders is Democratic Voters
Leaders on the Democratic left who want to represent the have-nots face an obstacle: their own voters. … Mark Muro, the director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, analyzed the differences between those communities that supported Hillary Clinton and those that backed Donald Trump. The findings of Muro and […] Read more »
Split decision: Americans assess Obama’s legacy
Americans in a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll rate the Affordable Care Act as President Obama’s greatest achievement in the White House. Also, as his biggest failure. … About a third of those surveyed say Obama ultimately will be seen as a “good” president; 18% say he’ll be a “great” […] Read more »
Economic Confidence Inches Up to New High
Americans’ confidence in the economy continues to gradually strengthen after last month’s post-election surge. Gallup’s U.S. Economic Confidence Index averaged +10 for the week ending Dec. 18, marking another new high in its nine-year trend. CONT. Justin McCarthy, Gallup Read more »
Majority of Americans Pessimistic or Uncertain About Trump Presidency
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to be sworn in as the country’s commander-in-chief next month, a majority of Americans say they are either uncertain or pessimistic about his presidency, even as the country is sounding a more optimistic tone about the future of the economy and Trump’s ability to bring […] Read more »